Ice storms have been making headlines across the country, and for many communities, winter weather has meant far more than just a chilly inconvenience. Our thoughts are with everyone dealing with power outages, freezing temps, and the real challenges that severe weather can bring.

For pickleballers fortunate enough to still get on the court, cold temperatures introduce a different kind of battle. The true enemy of the winter warrior isn’t the cold itself—it’s the cracked ball. Colder temps make plastic pickleballs more brittle and far more likely to split on impact. So we want to know…

Inside:

• Experimenting with a smaller court

• 3 wall drills to keep your hands game ready

• Why your DUPR rating doesn't define you as a player

🎾 Should Pickleball Adopt This Tennis Tradition?

For most amateur players, singles pickleball might as well not exist. If you can’t find four players, it’s usually time to pack it up.

Singles is more physically demanding than doubles and often lacks some of pickleball’s most beloved strategic elements—like extended kitchen exchanges and creative dink patterns. That reality has kept many players firmly in the doubles-only camp.

So how do you make singles more appealing? One possible answer: shrink the court.

The PPA Is Testing a Narrower Singles Court

The PPA Challenger Series will experiment with a 17-foot-wide singles court, down from the standard 20 feet, at four events starting February 20–22 in Houston.

The goal is to encourage longer rallies, more net play, and a less baseline-heavy style of singles. Importantly, the court length and kitchen dimensions will remain unchanged.

Borrowing a Page From Tennis

Tennis has long used different court dimensions and formats across disciplines to shape how the game is played. The traditional singles court is 27 ft wide. Doubles alleys were added to make room for 4 players, which expanded the court to 36 ft in width.

Pickleball was originally invented as a doubles game. So it would make sense to narrow the court to accommodate for singles.

A narrower singles court would make passing shots more difficult and would reward players for moving up to kitchen line, similar to the doubles game.

What This Means for Everyday Players

Doubles will always dominate recreational pickleball, and that’s a good thing for social play and court efficiency.

But a 15% reduction in court width could lower the barrier to entry for singles, making it feel more playable and less exhausting—while still delivering serious cardio benefits for those who want them.

🌎 Around the Picklesphere

📣 Shout out to the unsung, hometown MVP
🐡 Goldfish mentality or elephant mentality
🐔 Investing in the local community

✋ 3 Solo Wall Drills to Improve Your Pickleball Hand Speed

Just because your courts are frozen over, doesn’t mean you can’t improve. If you’ve got a little free wall space then you’ve got no excuse. Break out the paddle and take one of the new quiet foam balls for a spin.

Here are 3 drills to make sure your hands are primed for your return to action:

1. Continuous Dink Control (Forehand & Backhand)

2. Dink → Speed-Up → Block

3. Dink → Speed-Up → Reset (The Real-Game Sequence)

👉 Read exactly how to execute each drill here.

🌪️ A Paddle Players Are Switching To

Ramsports may be a newer name for a lot of players, but the early feedback has been hard to ignore. Players who’ve made the switch point to one thing consistently: a paddle that delivers real power without losing touch.

The Typhoon is built with a Gen 3 honeycomb core and foam injection designed to expand the sweet spot and reduce vibration, paired with a carbon fiber composite face that adds spin and a crisp, consistent feel. It’s balanced, responsive, and geared toward aggressive players who still want control at the net.

👉 Learn more about the Ramsports Typhoon and use code EMPOWER20 for 20% off.

📈 Why Your DUPR Rating Doesn't Define You as a Player

It’s 4 digits long. A number that means so much in the pickleball landscape. Your DUPR rating is the key to accessing some play groups but also a barrier preventing you from reaching others.

Some players cling to their DUPR rating so tightly that they’re apprehensive to drop a single game. But real growth doesn’t come from playing scared. It comes from taking chances and learning to master new shots and strategies.

👉 Read more about the mindset for continuous improvement here.

🔦 Community Spotlight on Carlos Lopez and Latin Junior Pickleball

Pickleball is quietly taking off in Cuba, thanks to Carlos López—a former tennis coach who saw the game during COVID and decided to build it from scratch. With almost no resources, he’s turning church patios, schoolyards, and public parks into courts and proving pickleball works anywhere people want to play.

But this isn’t just about rallies and paddles. López is building a pipeline—youth programs, a national association, and international connections—that could turn Cuban kids into the next global pickleball talent.

👉 Read how pickleball is quietly spreading across Cuba—one improvised court at a time.

• February 9-14: APP Kuala Lumpur Open - Selangor, Malaysia

• February 9-15: PPA Cape Coral Open - Cape Coral, FL

• February 13-16: National Junior Pickleball Houston Regional - Houston, TX

• February 15-22: PPA Mesa Cup - Mesa, AZ

• March 5-8: National Junior Pickleball Eastern Regional - Raleigh, NC

• March 6-8: APP Selkirk Collegiate Championships - Cape Coral, FL

Excuse me, you forgot something.

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