Michael O’Neal (@solohour) and Mircea Morariu (@brainsdoc) return to the 4.0 to Pro pickleball podcast, recap Michael’s visit to the PPA finals in San Clemente and what stands out in person about open pros’ hand speed, defense, resets, and dinking pressure, and announce plans to publish more regularly. They discuss CRBN's Barrage paddle (promo code 402P at checkout at crbnpickleball.com) and its power and durability, then dig into DUPR volatility, including ratings dropping after close losses or even wins, the impact of low reliability opponents, and suggestions like weighting later-round matches and the need to “play up” to raise rating. They share tournament stories (including a walk-off ATP and a disastrous windy match) and highlight key improvement areas: stop and hit with a split step, communicate with partners, and let out balls go, plus a drill to understand how little pace keeps balls in. They close with thoughts on sticking to one’s strengths despite the game’s increasing aggression and what each is currently working on (Mircea’s two-handed backhand; Michael refining defensive resets).

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices