Empower Pickleball

You’re protecting your sideline. Your partner is protecting theirs. Meanwhile, the middle of the court is wide open.

Good middle coverage comes down to more than yelling “mine” at the last second. Partners need to know when the forehand should take priority, communicate early, shade toward the center, and move together at the kitchen line.

Senior Pro Gina Cilento explains how stronger teams close the gap without creating new openings elsewhere on the court.

Read more:

How to Cover the Middle in Pickleball Without Leaving Open Space Learn how to cover the middle in pickleball with better positioning, communication, and teamwork to reduce gaps and win more points.

Mariana Fortes knows what it means to represent something bigger than herself.

Before becoming one of Mexico’s top professional pickleball players, she spent nearly two decades competing in karate and represented her country at three World Championships. Now, she’s bringing that same discipline and national pride to pickleball, including representing Mexico at the 2026 Pickleball World Cup in Vietnam.

For Mariana, success goes beyond tournaments and trophies. It’s about helping grow the sport in Mexico and creating more opportunities for the players coming next.

Meet Mariana and read her story: https://empowerpickleball.com/mariana-fortes-pickleball-mexico/

Your paddle shape isn’t just a matter of preference. It can change how much power, control, reach, and forgiveness you have on the court.

Elongated paddles favor reach and power. Widebody paddles offer a larger sweet spot and more stability. Hybrids aim to balance both.

So, which one actually matches the player you’re trying to become in 2026?

Find your best fit:

Elongated vs. Widebody vs. Hybrid: Which Paddle Shape Matches Your 2026 Goals? Elongated, widebody, and hybrid paddles each offer different advantages in power, control, reach, and forgiveness. Understanding how these pickleball paddle shapes affect performance can help you c…

Every pickleball community has someone who introduces the newcomer, remembers everyone’s name, and makes sure no one stands alone between games.

In Los Angeles, that person is Ifeanyi Ifediba.

Through his work with Next Gen Pickleball Club and the relationships he continues to build across the city, Ifeanyi is creating spaces where players can show up alone and leave feeling like they belong.

Meet the newest member of the Empower Circle and see why he believes community has to be built intentionally: https://empowerpickleball.com/ifeanyi-ifediba-pickleball-community/

Indoor facilities give players year-round courts, reliable schedules, and protection from the weather. But memberships, rental fees, and courts booked weeks in advance are creating a different problem: players are paying more and playing less.

Pickleball grew because people could show up, rotate in, and play. If indoor facilities want to build lasting communities, access has to matter as much as revenue.

Are court fees and rigid booking systems pushing players away?

Read more:

Are Court Fees Killing the Game? Indoor pickleball has made year-round play possible, but rising court fees and rigid booking systems may be creating new barriers. As more facilities open and some quietly close, access, not amenit…

Beer City Open welcomed 1,200 amateur players, hosted every Major League Pickleball team, and brought one of the sport’s biggest weeks to West Michigan.

Co-founder Andrea Koop and a small organizing team work year-round before approximately 600 volunteers step in during tournament week. Since 2018, the event has also contributed more than $1 million toward improvements at Belknap Park.

See how a local community tournament grew into one of pickleball’s signature events without losing what made it special: https://empowerpickleball.com/beer-city-open-history/

Pickleball loves to call itself a sport for everyone. But who actually gets to play still depends on where they live, what they can afford, and how they’re treated when they show up.

Across the country, grassroots organizations are expanding access to courts, equipment, and beginner programs while creating spaces where more players feel like they belong. The progress is real, but there’s still work to do.

See how pickleball is becoming more diverse and where the sport continues to fall short:

Diversity in Pickleball: How the Sport Is Changing—and Where It Still Falls Short Pickleball is expanding beyond its suburban roots, reaching new players through community courts, youth programs, and grassroots efforts. But growth alone doesn’t guarantee inclusion. This piece lo…

Empower Pickleball started with a simple belief: the people growing this sport in their communities deserved to have their stories told.

In a recent feature from BusinessWest, our Founder and CEO Kim Bastien shares how she turned that belief into a national media company reaching more than 91,000 subscribers, all while recovering from a rare brain hemorrhage that affected her speech and mobility.

From designing the Empower Pickleball website near her hospital bed to building one of pickleball’s fastest-growing media platforms, Kim’s story is a powerful reminder of what can happen when purpose, resilience, and community come together.

Read the full feature:

Kim Bastien Achieves National Reach with Empower Pickleball - BusinessWest https://youtu.be/EKYX3-u37mo Court of Appeal Kim Bastien was an insurance executive, selling insurance to businesses, when COVID threw a wrench into her career. Her pivot — to use a word everyone […]

Melissa Esmero found pickleball during a season when she was missing movement, competition, and connection.

One lesson gave her a way back into sports. What followed was a community that supported her through career uncertainty, encouraged her to become a coach, and helped her return to the court after a torn meniscus.

Now, Melissa is creating that same sense of belonging for other players while helping them build confidence and grow their games.

Meet Melissa and read her story: https://empowerpickleball.com/melissa-esmero-pickleball-community-story/

Facilities are closing. Paddle brands are disappearing. Growth is slowing.

So, is pickleball actually dying? Not quite.

There’s a major difference between a sport losing players and an industry correcting after years of unsustainable expansion. The hype cycle may be cooling, but people are still filling courts, joining leagues, and showing up to play.

Pickleball isn’t dying. It’s growing up.

Read more:

Is Pickleball Dying? Or Is the Hype Cycle Just Ending? Pickleball isn’t dying. It’s moving out of its hype phase and into something more stable and sustainable. As facility headlines and viral takes fuel confusion, the real story lives in participation…