Rick and Fabian are back at 3rd Shot Pickleball, one year after This is Pickleball started. Rick previews the Champion Series Pickleball Championships (Indy picking Coachella, undefeated Houston, last year's stolen cowbells), explains why playing for money is a dangerous perspective, and gives amateurs heading to Worlds in Dallas a…
In most sports, a bigger guy can push people around. In pickleball, that's gone. Blaine explains why the 5'3" player across the net with fast hands can chop you up, and Fabian brings up Tama Shimabukuro and Zane Navratil as proof that size doesn't win here. Listen to the full…
PPA pro Blaine Hovenier joins Fabian to talk about going from UCLA tennis and a finance master's to the pro tour, what clicked playing next to Ben Johns, and why size doesn't win at the kitchen line. Plus his signature backhand counter, his comeback from a disc injury, dream partners,…
Rick and Fabian are back at Third Shot Pickleball recapping the Great Pumpkin Paddle Battle, then digging into DUPR's new data: only 1% of rated players are 5.0+, plus the top 10 states for 5.0 players. They debate whether Indiana could ever be a pickleball hotbed, and Rick explains when…
Comedy creator Sean Munoz (JuanSeanPB) joins Fabian to talk about playing at Sean O'Malley's Pickleball Dojo, why juniors are taking over tournament draws, and why pros outside the top 10 need to make content. Plus Volair's blind-bag paddles, grip rituals, going viral vs. building followers, and a no-excuses guide for…
The "Championship Bump" in Pro Sports... Real or Myth? 🏆🎾 In the UFC, fighters talk about a 30% performance boost the second they put on the belt—this unshakeable "champion aura" that makes them almost impossible to beat. Does that same mental shift happen in tennis once a player wins their…
🏓 Save 10% on an Aireo Cyclone Paddle! Use code FABIAN10 🏓 Save 15% on an RPM Paddle! Use code FABIAN15 Rick is back after an incredible two-week stint in New York City supporting his nephew, Ben Shelton, during his epic US Open run! Rick and Fabian unpack the entire…
Imagine being so good at pickleball as a kid that local tournaments literally changed the age limits just to keep you out! 😳 Grown adults hate losing to 12-year-olds on the court, and the salt was REAL back then. Has anyone ever refused to play you because of your age?…
Welcome back to This Is Pickleball! Fabian is holding down the fort while Rick recovers from watching his nephew Ben Shelton tear up the US Open. On this episode, we’re joined by a true prodigy: Camden Chaffin, the youngest signed male professional player on the PPA Tour. Cam shares his…
Save 10% on an Aireo Cyclone Paddle Use code FABIAN10 Save 15% on an RPM Paddle Use code FABIAN15 Rick joins us LIVE from NYC, direct from the US Open, following one of the most athletic and electrifying tennis matches in recent history: Ben Shelton’s jaw-dropping, late-night victory over Carlos…
DUPR CEO Tito Machado laying down some hard truths
Save 10% on an Aireo Cyclone Paddle Use code FABIAN10 Save 15% on an RPM Paddle Use code FABIAN15 This week we welcomed the CEO of DUPR, Tito Machado, to the podcast for an honest conversation about the most talked-about, debated, and scrutinized rating system in sports. Tito opened up…
Are you getting absolutely cooked when opponents run the "Shake and Bake" against you? Or maybe you and your partner are missing huge opportunities to execute it properly on the court? We're diving deep into one of pickleball’s most lethal third-shot strategies: The Shake and Bake. Fabian opens up about…
Save 10% on an Aireo Cyclone Paddle Use code FABIAN10 Save 15% on an RPM Paddle Use code FABIAN15 Welcome back to This Is Pickleball! First up is our MLP/CSP Chicago Recap—Rick breaks down the historic event where Major League Pickleball and Champions Series Pickleball shared the stage at Lifetime…
This week we are joined by the incredible hosts of the new podcast 99% Pickleball, PPA Pro Mari Humberg, and content creator extraordinaire Nikki Maldonado. We dive deep into their origin stories—from Mari pitching her C-suite executives to sponsor her pro tour debut, to Nikki discovering the sport through a…
Danni-Elle gives her thoughts on trash talk on the court
Save 10% on an Aireo Cyclone Paddle! Use code FABIAN10 Save 15% on an RPM Paddle! Use code FABIAN15 This week we sit down with one of the most explosive players on the pro tour: Australia’s Danni-Elle Townsend. Danni-Elle breaks down her rapid ascent from a lifelong table tennis prodigy…
