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An open letter to the global Pickleball community on ratings by Steve Kuhn, DUPR & Major League Pickleball founder

I first fell in love with Pickleball 7 years ago.  My nephew told me there was a “new” sport that combined aspects of tennis and table tennis (2 previous romances) and that I should try it.  I googled “Pickleball Austin Texas” and on that fateful Wednesday night I found myself in the Bethany Church gym.

The infatuation was immediate.  I fell hard.  I soon had a 5 night a week habit and learned a lot about world religions (the Jewish Community Center became a favorite, for example.)

I am known for my enthusiasm.  I told everyone I knew that Pickleball was the next big thing.  I argued that one day Pickleball would be the most played sport in America.  One person who heard this proclamation was Andy Roddick (I served on his charity board) and I remember quite distinctly his response;  “Steve, you are an idiot!”  It was said with love.

As my addiction grew, I sought wise counsel.  Pam and Toby Boyd, two USA Pickleball Ambassadors, took me under their wing.  Later Walter and Christina Dorman beat me into submission until I learned how to play a bit better.  The spirit of joy and sharing that permeates this sport is unlike any other and I'm thankful to the countless thousands who have helped build this sport for the last 57 years.  We were fortunate enough to host the Pickleball Hall of Fame ceremony at Dreamland earlier this year and I had a chance to thank some of those legends in person.

I wanted to share this amazing sport with everyone I knew.  I wanted to play my part in helping more people find something that makes them happier and healthier.  I joined USA Pickleball and helped form Greater Austin Pickleball (Mind the GAP!).  I organized play for kids groups throughout Austin.  And I talked my friend Andy and his friend Andre (Agassi) into trying this sport.

But all that wasn’t enough!  I wanted to do more to help Pickleball reach a goal of 40 million players by 2030.  

I decided to recruit a group of amazing owners to start Major League Pickleball (MLP).  I opened a venue named Dreamland with 16 courts and some of the world’s top players living and training to be their best.  

But most importantly, I founded DUPR (Dreamland Universal Pickleball Rating) to help players more accurately track their progress and to find players at their level, when play is its most competitive and most fun.  

At the time of DUPR’s founding, less than 1% of Pickleball players had any rating.  I knew from my experience in tennis and golf that an accurate skill measurement system was something that led to people wanting to increase their rating or lower their handicap.  They would want to play more and would want to get more lessons.  There is nothing like the ladder on the wall of a club to motivate players!  DUPR provides that.

In designing DUPR, the following qualities were deemed pivotal for the community:

• Inclusive: means it is easy for anyone to use DUPR.  We have created a downloadable mobile app and website that allows anyone who wants to do so to turn casual play into something a little more meaningful.  As we say “DUPR or it didn’t happen!”  
• Inexpensive: It is free to download DUPR and have a rating.  We wanted to make it for the widest adoption possible, and nothing beats free.  
• Widely used: Number of players, match results, clubs, countries, etc. It will be hard for any other system to catch up to DUPR’s already beloved global adoption by clubs, international federations and players across the world.  
• Ends geographic disparities in ratings:  Because we have enough players who travel to play in tournaments all over the map, we have the necessary “connectivity” to greatly reduce any such disparities and we have published lists of the top Male and Female players in each USA Pickleball region to allow others to check our work.
• Responsive and Dynamic: As we have seen numerous times, players can emerge quickly in this sport and enter even the highest levels. DUPR rates more recent matches as more relevant and that allows our lists of top players to rapidly reflect new stars.
• And last but certainly not least, Accurate and Reliable.  This will always be a work in progress.  There is no perfect rating system.  We have to have the humility to hear complaints and differing views on ratings.  Hopefully, our response to a complaint that your rating (or someone else’s) is inaccurate would be to explore that possibility and see if we can learn something.

DUPR will not lose sight of its goal to bring more people to this amazing sport.  We are in discussions with USA Pickleball and others on all the ways we can work together to meet this goal–40 million players before 2030. “40 by 30!”  Let’s go!

Steve Kuhn

Founder of DUPR and Pickleball fanatic

Streaming live at 7pm CST on March 29th, 2022

From the DUPR, MLP & APP Youtube & Facebook Channels

DUPR's Battle of the Sexes

DUPR's Battle of the Sexes

Watch Here

Why Battle of the Sexes?

• DUPR is a universal scale that is genderless and ageless.
• This means it can power unique events like the Battle of the Sexes where the selected men and women have very similar DUPR ratings.
• DUPR is built for the Pickleball Community:  
• A forward thinking, inclusive community deserves a rating to match. With DUPR, all players regardless of their age, gender, location, or skill are rated on the same scale between 2.000-8.000.

Why?

A magical thing called, "Connectivity." The algorithm learns by experiencing match ups and pairings that it doesn't see on a "normal" basis. It is events like Battle of the Sexes that help the algorithm grow even smarter.

Meet the Teams

Representing the ladies, we've got a powerhouse collective including Lee Whitwell, Corrine Carr, Vivienne David, and Anna Bright.

As for the men, the crew is no less impressive, with Altaf Merchant, Rick Witsken, Matt Manasse, and Ryan Sherry.

The Fine Print

Rally Scoring in Games to 21 (Side out scoring when one team gets to 20)

Dreambreakers (Ties between the two teams after 4 games go to a singles tiebreaker like MLP) $10 per point won  

$100 per game won  

$1,000 per player on winning team

Check out this event and more amazing upcoming events, live streamed for your pleasure — as part of the Dream Team Series every Tuesday night.

DUPR

Innovate the Game. Unify the Sport.

Get ready for a new Tuesday night series of Pro Pickleball events featuring innovative formats (rally scoring? Yes, please!), MLP-style lineups, and prize money based on points and games won.

March 22 sees "The Challengers" of Anna Leigh Waters, Leigh Waters, Collin Johns, and Adam Stone taking on "The Dream Team" from Dreamland in Dripping Springs, TX of Dekel Bar, DJ Young, Irina Tereschenko, and Lee Whitwell.

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March 29 features DUPR's inaugural Battle of the Sexes with Altaf Merchant, Matt Manasse, Ryan Sherry and Rick Witsken taking on Corrine Carr, Vivienne David, Lee Whitwell and Anna Bright.

Who are you rooting for?

DUPR: Innovate the Game. Unify the Sport.

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Rally Scoring in Games to 21 (Side out scoring when one team gets to 20)Dreambreakers (Ties between the two teams after 4 games go to a singles tiebreaker like MLP)$10 per point won $100 per game won $1,000 per player on winning team

Check out this event and more amazing upcoming events, live streamed for your pleasure — as part of the Dream Team Series every Tuesday night starting Mar 22 at Dreamland Dripping Springs.

Hey Pickleballers!

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Tournament season is in full swing, and we'll be bringing you weekly winner predictions for every Pro tournament across the globe.

This weekend is a packed one, with two tournaments occurring simultaneously - the PPA Ororo Minnesota Indoor Open and the APP Punta Gorda Open.

A few notable details...

...at least two players are traveling to Minnesota for singles and then back to Florida for singles on Sunday. (Only one made our top 6 picks). Now that's dedication, Ryan Sherry and Frank Anthony Davis.

...Dekel Bar (APP) and Ben Johns (PPA) both opted out of singles this week.

...Alix Truong made our Top 100-18 & Under List. Good luck to all our rising stars.

Who are you rooting for?

The biggest misconception? That slice comes from the wrist.

It doesn't. Not from the backhand side, not from the forehand side. Nowhere.

Backspin is generated by two things: a slightly open paddle face and hitting through the ball. That's it. Your wrist stays locked. You're not flicking or rolling or snapping anything. You're cutting through the ball with a steady hand and an open face.

You can technically produce spin by whipping your wrist, and yes, the ball will spin backwards. 

But that's not a controlled shot. That's a gamble. What Mari does is different. She hits through the ball with a firm wrist and lets the paddle angle do the work.

Want more slice? Open the paddle face a little more. Want a flatter ball? Close it slightly. The wrist never changes. Only the angle does.

One warning: if you open the face too much, the ball goes too high. Find your range and stay in it.

Find your contact sweet spot

Here's the second thing players get wrong. They slice too far out in front of their body or too close in, and neither works well.

You want that middle zone where your shoulder and elbow feel comfortable and organized. For Mari, that's slightly in front of her body. Not extended out like a topspin shot, and not cramped tight against her side.

This is going to be slightly different for everyone. The key is finding where your arm feels relaxed and in control, then making contact there consistently.

Grip: close, but not exact

Mari holds a near-continental grip for almost all her slices, with a slight turn toward eastern. Why? Because paddle face angle is everything with this shot, and the continental family of grips makes it easier to get that face open naturally.

That said, she's the first to tell you it doesn't have to be exactly what she does. If someone tells you a grip has to be a specific way, that's usually not true. Find what lets you get that face open comfortably and go from there.

The four slice shots, broken down

Slice serve

The serve is the one shot you have full control over, which makes it a great place to practice your slice. Mari hits it close to her body and tosses the ball directly to her slice contact zone. No guessing, no adjusting mid-swing. Toss to where you want to make contact, and cut through it.

Slice return

Unlike a topspin return, there's no big backswing here. You're coming into the ball and pushing forward. The benefit? Your body weight transfers forward naturally, which makes it easier to get up to the kitchen line right after contact. Give yourself space to come into the ball, make contact slightly out in front, and let that momentum carry you up.

Slice reset

This is one of Mari's favorite reset options. Elbow tucked, shoulders organized, wrist locked. She's not swinging. She's pushing the ball forward with that open face, and it lands soft in the kitchen. Hold the paddle firm, push out in front of you, and trust that a little contact is enough. No wrist needed.

Slice dink

This is the one Mari loves most. The wrist is completely locked. The swing is compact. And she can be aggressive with it, going down the line or crosscourt, all with that same controlled cut.

If you're missing into the net, open the paddle face a bit more. If the ball is floating too high, you've opened it too much. Adjust the angle, not the swing.

You don't have to slice everything

Mari loves to slice, but you do not have to slice everything. 

The point isn't to copy her shot selection. The point is to have the option. Some players hate playing against slice. Some love it. Either way, if you can't produce it reliably, you're missing a tool. Add it to your game, get comfortable with it, and then decide when to use it.

Give it a try. Your opponents might not love it, but that's kind of the point.

Ready to test your slice in a rated match? Find a DUPR-rated event near you and see how it holds up.

Want to learn more from Mari? Subscribe to Mari on YouTube for more lessons, strategy breakdowns, and on-court tips.