Depth or Speed: Which One Wins More Points?

Tips, stories, and gear to help you play smarter and stronger on the court.

Author

Empower Pickleball
October 16, 2025

Something about us—Empower Pickleball is all about uplifting the game, not tearing others down. Fair play and kindness win, always. Cheating or hate speech on the court? Not our style. This is a place where every player belongs.

Speaking of top-tier competition, this weekend the NPL playoffs hit Seattle, with the #1 seed team, Seattle Tsunami, showing off their stellar season record at their new home facility, Side Out Tsunami. You’ll see the top 4 seeds with byes in Round 1, plus a full weekend of action from Friday through Sunday.

Heads up—our Thursday newsletter is female-focused. If you want to make sure you’re getting the content you actually want to see in your inbox, update your email preferences so you don’t miss anything. Our Tuesday newsletter is for EVERYONE.

TIPS & TRICKS

Why Depth Beats Speed for Women’s Serves

Many women think the fastest serve wins the point—but in pickleball, depth is the real game-changer. A deep serve pins your opponent behind the baseline, giving you control and time to move up, set position, and dictate the rally.

Hard serves can be easier to return, but a high, well-placed, deep serve keeps your opponent in mid-court, disrupts rhythm, and increases your consistency. Lofty serves clear the net more often, stay in bounds, and set up smarter third shots—making depth a weapon, not just power.


💡 Why It Matters: Focusing on accuracy and placement over speed gives you control, consistency, and more points won on strategy rather than brute force.

HEALTH & WELLNESS

Your Period Isn’t a Setback

Anna Leigh Waters proves your period doesn’t have to hold you back. While performance shifts across your cycle are subtle, energy, endurance, and recovery can fluctuate. Knowing your phases helps you plan practices and matches when your body is naturally strongest.

Cycles at a glance:

  • Menstrual: Gentle movement, focus on technique, rest.

  • Follicular: Rising energy—strength, sprints, fast drills.

  • Ovulation: Peak power—competition, speed, reaction drills.

  • Luteal: Moderate work—endurance, skill, recovery focus.


💡 Why It Matters: Track your cycle to maximize energy, manage fatigue, and feel more confident on the court.

PICKLEBALL GEAR

Why Insoles Are Your Winter Secret Weapon

Cold courts can tighten muscles, slow reaction time, and leave you moving sluggishly—but the right insoles can change everything. By keeping feet warm, aligned, and cushioned, insoles can help you stay agile, react faster, and reduce fatigue and injury risk when temperatures dip.

VKTRY performance insoles take it a step further. Their carbon-fiber baseplate returns energy with every step, helping you push off with more explosiveness, maintain stability during quick pivots, and protect knees and ankles from winter stiffness.


💡 Why It Matters: Warm, supported feet aren’t just more comfortable—they’re the foundation for faster, stronger, and safer games all winter long.

COMMUNITY SPOTLIGHT

The Woman Who’s Painting Pickleball in Color

Catherine Baxter isn’t just playing pickleball—she’s changing the game. Frustrated by dull, overpriced paddles that didn’t match the joy of the sport, she launched Nettie, a female-led brand combining performance, style, and soul.

From a makeshift apartment court in NYC to national TV, retail shelves, and iconic pop-culture collaborations, Catherine has built a company that’s as vibrant and welcoming as the community it serves. Nettie paddles are invitations to play, connect, and smile on every swing.


💡 Why It Matters: Catherine proves that leadership, creativity, and heart can reshape an industry—and inspire a new generation of players to play with joy, style, and confidence.

  • Operation PaddleLift Takes Off 🌍 The Global Pickleball Federation, in partnership with Pickleball for Good, just launched Operation PaddleLift, delivering free starter kits with paddles, nets, and balls to under-resourced regions worldwide.

  • 95-Year-Old Record Breaker 🏆 Joyce Jones, taught pickleball by the sport’s inventor, is now the world’s oldest competitive player at 95. She plans to keep competing “as long as possible,” proving passion and a paddle have no age limit.

  • Dink for Pink: Pickleball for a Cause 🎗️ A New York breast cancer survivor, Deb Rainville, is hosting a pickleball fundraiser. The event benefits Making Strides Against Breast Cancer—play, rally, and support an important cause!

Game-Day Gear That Delivers

Centerline builds apparel made for the demands of pickleball. Breathable fabrics keep you cool during long rallies. GripTek® details help you hold steady through fast hands and tough points. Fits are designed to move with you without getting in the way.

Snag 20% off by using the code EMPOWER20 at checkout, because the right gear actually makes a difference.

This Week on Keeping It Real with Gina & Neil

When back pain hit mid-tournament, Gina found fast relief thanks to Xtreme Brands’ pharmaceutical-grade CBD balm and spray—and Neil’s knees were next in line to test it. In this week’s episode, they dig into what makes these products effective, what’s inside them, and why they might be worth adding to your recovery kit.

📺 Watch it on YouTube
🎙️ Listen on Apple Podcasts or Spotify

The Pickleball Novel You Didn’t Know You Needed

A friend recommended I pick up The Courts on Maple Drive, and said I had to read it. Naturally, I added it straight to my “want to read” list on Goodreads—because if it combines pickleball and a story about a group of women taking no nonsense from anyone, I’m in.

The novel follows Heidi Allen, a widow in her seventies, as she navigates pickleball, a high-strung mother, and a summer night that changes everything. Expect drama, laughs, and a heartfelt look at friendship, resilience, and unexpected twists when the Holocaust meets pickleball. Available on Amazon and Barnes & Noble—definitely worth a read if, like me, you can’t resist a pickleball story.