12-Year-Olds Nearly Beat the Pros?! Yep, That Happened at MLP.

Hey everybody! 👋

I turned 30 yesterday!

I'm currently in Dallas, between the Major League Pickleball Cup (MLP) and PPA Worlds, so unfortunately, I didn't have much time to celebrate, but I'm glad Jenny was able to make the trip from Austin!

And, I'm not really sure when I would've had time to celebrate. We will get to our crazy MLP results in the next section, but this week I hosted our very first community event in the Transition Zone, which you should definitely check out!

I dropped my first-ever match analysis of one of the best mixed doubles matches I've ever seen (more on that below), and we had MLP!

Aside from MLP, I was able to meet up with my college tennis coach, Frank Barnes!

Frank was my coach at UW-Whitewater, and he was initially skeptical of my pickleball addiction. However, when it improved my doubles game in tennis, he thought he might give it a try himself, and he got hooked.

He's now coaching the UW-Whitewater pickleball team, and they were competing in Dallas against the collegiate MLP. It was awesome to see Frank (blue shirt) and meet the team!

12-Year-Olds vs Pros?

MLP CUP RESULTS

The MLP Cup brought back the classic format — same team vibe, same energy — but this time, things got spicy. Some big names were missing, a few surprises showed up, and yep–

There was controversy.

PPA Juniors Cook at MLP 🍳

The story of the week? The Nashville Chefs found themselves in the hot seat — and possibly out of the league.

Who filled their spot? A squad of PPA junior players aged 12 to 15 who stepped in and nearly stole the show. These kids didn’t just show up — they made the pros sweat.

Four pools fought for just one playoff spot, with $50,000 on the line. And while some heavy hitters like Anna Leigh Waters were sidelined by illness, it opened the door for some wild, unpredictable matchups.

One of my favorite moments: the Junior All-Stars nearly upsetting the Bay Area Breakers in what might be one of the most entertaining team battles we’ve seen this season.

Premier League Fireworks

The Premier side of things wasn’t lacking drama either — Brooklyn vs. Columbus and New Jersey vs. the Mad Drops gave us everything we love about MLP: energy, chaos, and clutch points that had everyone glued to the livestream.

And Then… the Nashville Scandal

So, what really happened with the Nashville Chefs?

Let’s just say it wasn’t about pickleball performance — ownership issues and unpaid dues stirred up a mess that could shake things up for the next event. I break down the full story (and what it means for MLP’s future) in the upcoming video on my YouTube channel.

Next Up: Worlds 🌎

Now all eyes turn to the World Pickleball Championships, which is shaping up to be the biggest event in pickleball history — 3,700+ players registered and counting.

You won’t want to miss the breakdown.

Watch it here.

HOW TO GET PRO LEVEL SPEED & POWER

Ever wondered how pros get that extra power, spin, and control in their game? Let's get to know the secret technique: Wrist Lag.

This video artfully breaks down how to effectively use wrist lag technique to boost your serves, returns, drives, and speed ups.

Here's what you'll learn:

Understanding wrist lag
Preparation steps for successful wrist lag
Gripping techniques for better control
Importance of grip strength and pressure
Common errors to avoid

Try it and let me know if it works for you!

P.S. Hey, I need your help! Please give me feedback on this video (👈 click there).

It's a new content type for my channel, and I would love your help to make these better!