Adam from Slam Jam breaks down the significant changes announced by Major League Pickleball Australia affecting the rest of the 2025 season. The modifications include new standalone MLP format events, rescheduled tournaments, and shifts in player logistics. Adam discusses the official communication, captains' and players' reactions, and the broader implications for the pickleball community. Interviews and survey results reveal widespread surprise and concern about player availability, travel burdens, and the preference for joint events with PPA. Adam also discusses the impact on other leagues, NPL calendar clashes, and calls for better leadership and transparency from Pickleball Australia to address the scheduling conflicts and improve the sport's ecosystem. 00:00 Introduction and Major Changes Announced 01:25 Details of the Official Communication 02:17 Key Changes Explained 07:59 Impact on Players and Reactions 10:59 Stakeholders and Scheduling Conflicts 13:09 Role of Pickleball Australia 15:15 Conclusion and Final Thoughts

Breaking Down the Epic Finale of the National Pickleball League Season 3 We discuss the exhilarating finals in the National Pickleball League, highlighting the championship win by the Outback who have been crowned Season 3 champions. Host Adam, joined by commentators Dylan Kimlin and Ash Williams dissect the gripping final between the Outback and the Heat. Ash and Dylan takes us through the moments they knew it was over for each team in the finals. We talk key matches, standout players, intense moments, strategic plays, the importance of coaching and the potential changes ifor the league next season. The episode wraps up with a discussion on players' professionalism and the evolving nature of pickleball in Australia. 00:00 National Pickleball League Finals Recap 00:38 Commentators' Insights and Highlights 02:59 Team-by-Team Breakdown 04:03 The Adders' Struggles 06:49 Queensland's Boroughs and the 29ers 08:25 The Brumbies' Downfall 12:36 The Tide's Challenges 20:11 The Stingers' Setback 20:42 The Heat's Defeat 22:25 Team Unity and Momentum Shifts 22:50 Strategic Switches and Key Moments 23:49 Outback's Adaptability and Key Players 24:57 NPL's Unique Structure and Key Matches 26:48 Harry Brown's Rise and Future Prospects 31:24 Speculations on NPL's Future Format 40:46 Professionalism and Criticism in Pickleball 47:24 Final Thoughts

In this episode, Adam interviews PPA Australia Pickleball Pro Andy Horridge, a prominent player from Perth, who recently secured double gold medals in the pro men's doubles and mixed doubles events at his home tournament in Perth, Australia. Andy, the captain of the Western Vipers MLP Australia team and co-owner of HAMR Paddles, discusses his experiences and strategies during the tournament, his partnership dynamics, and the significance of winning in front of a home crowd. He also touches on the Western Vipers' challenging season, the inception and growth of his paddle brand, and offers insights into the qualities that make a paddle great. The episode wraps up with a rapid-fire Q&A covering diverse topics from Andy's warm-up rituals to his worst travel experiences. 00:00 The Ultimate Flex: Double Gold in Perth 00:34 Men's Doubles Journey with Louis Laville 02:19 Dominating the Mixed Doubles with Katie Hart 05:47 Family Support and Emotional Wins 07:48 Challenges and Hopes for the Western Vipers 11:20 Building Hammer Paddles: From Concept to Success 19:04 Quick Fire Round: Fun and Insights 20:57 Final Thoughts and Farewell

Zane Navratil - Our biggest guest yet!!! The accountant turned pickleball pro, known for the chainsaw serve and podcasting success. We discuss Zane's journey from spreadsheets to MLP, his experiences at the Melbourne PPA, and his impressions of the Australian pickleball scene. Zane shares insights into his competitive experiences, views on MLP rule changes, and the financial intricacies of pickleball leagues. We discuss the irony of transitioning from tennis to pickleball and Zane reads a Picklers Parchment article your go to for entertaining fake pickleball news. Zane recommends the best Barbecue in Austin and even has time to give Adam and Colin some tips to take them from a 4.5 to 5 DUPR (hopefully!). 00:00 Intro: Zane Navratil 00:33 How we met and first Impressions 02:42 Pickleball in Australia: A New Experience 05:53 Joey Wild's Journey to Pickleball and a clinic with Zane 08:58 Proton Bankruptcy and the stolen flaming flamingo 14:43 MLP Rule Changes 25:34 PWR League and Player Payments 29:16 The Pickle Pod: Evolution and Insights 32:23 Discovering Austin's Best Barbecue 34:39 Pickleball Training and Improvement 43:18 Pickler Parchment Fake News 49:00 Concluding Thoughts and Future Plans

In this episode Adam dives one on one into an inspiring conversation with Aaron Blitz, a pioneer of Australian pickleball. Aaron shares his journey from founding the Southeast Melbourne Pickleball Club to becoming the captain of the Melbourne Mavericks in Major League Pickleball Australia. Despite facing significant health challenges, including a battle with Hodgkin's lymphoma, Aaron's resilience and dedication have made him a leading figure in the sport. The episode covers his early days in pickleball, the growth of the sport in Victoria and his experiences as a pickleball ambassador. Aaron's story is one of resilience, leadership, pain and triumph over adversity. 00:00 Welcome Back to Would You Believe It? 00:35 Introducing Aaron Blitz: A Pickleball Pioneer 01:49 Aaron's Journey: From Tennis to Pickleball 03:06 Building the First Pickleball Club in Victoria 03:58 Challenges and Growth of Pickleball in Melbourne 09:01 The Evolution of Pickleball Equipment 12:17 Professional Pickleball and the MLP Experience 17:42 Drafting and Team Chemistry in MLP 30:35 The Role of Tennis Australia in Pickleball's Growth 31:21 Tennis Australia's Role in Pickleball 32:26 Challenges with Tennis Clubs 33:28 Successful Tennis-Pickleball Collaborations 34:14 Tennis Australia's Hesitation and Recent Involvement 35:23 Pickleball at the Australian Open 37:27 Behind the Scenes of MLP Australia 38:19 PPA Ambassador Program 43:41 Chemotherapy and Hodgkin's Lymphoma 55:02 Pickleball as Motivation and Recovery 01:02:18 Pickler Parchment Satire 01:06:26 Final Reflections and Advice

The first NPL PWR event of the year kicked off in Sydney on February 21st-23rd and Adam checks in with Ash Williams who was part of the commentary team for the event about the winners and stand out performances from the weekend!

Jim Kloss is a regular writer and columnist for pickleball.com and also features in commentary at PPA events. Jim sat down with Adam from Slam Jam The Podcast an Australian based show that follows the pickleball scene down under taking in the PPA Australia tour as well as the MLP Australia format. Jim and Adam discuss the players that they think will stand out at the Australia Pickleball Open with Adam giving plenty of insight into the Aussie’s to watch. Go check out Jim’s article on the Australia Pickleball Open here - https://pickleball.com/news/ppa-tour-goes-down-under-for-proton-australia-pickleball-open

What's up in Aus Pickleball in January? Well besides the NPL and MLP Drafts we've got big news about a new group who has formed and will be kicking off with 5 events in 2025 to promote a league format exclusive to the 40, 50 and 60 year old demographic. In an exciting movement this group will also be guaranteeing round robin format instead of an elimination draw so more Pickleball for all! We also chat about some other stuff involving DUPR's and an Aussie's tilt recently at The Masters in the US.

MATT CARTER is back to help us unpack the MLP Australia draft with DYLAN KIMLIN, COLIN and ADAM. We cover some of the more interesting picks in this years draft with only 5 Australian's picked in this draft. What was the controversial selection that raised the eye brows in the pickleball world? What does MLP Aus look like in 2026? What is the feeling amongst the Aussie pickleball scene? All these questions answered and more in this one!

MATT CARTER and DYLAN KIMLIN join COLIN and ADAM as special guest to unpack the recent NPL Draft for their first of two seasons in 2025! MATT CARTER brings valuable insights after crossing over from MLP to NPL in 2025 having been the Captain of the New Zealand Hustle he shares stories about what it's like drafting your own team to now being drafted into NPL team the Opals. DYLAN KIMLIN is the voice of Pickleball in Australia and has commentated basically every NPL match since it's inception. Dylan shares all the players to watch in 2025! We also have a SPECIAL GUEST INTERVIEW phone in, none other than JOEY WILD Captain of NPL team the Brumbies to tell us all about his new team from the draft!