General Pickleball

To tell if your pickleball paddle is dead, tap the face in a grid and listen for dull spots, press the center for crunching or give, and drop a ball on different spots to compare the bounce. Then look for cracks or a face lifting off the core. No home test is conclusive. And “dead” doesn’t always mean weaker. A broken-down core often makes a paddle hotter.

In 2023, I had a dreadful night on the court and did what any reasonable adult would do. I blamed my paddle.

Then I wrote a whole post about paddle lifespan and admitted the uncomfortable part: short of an X-ray machine, “there is no true way to test a paddle.”

I still don’t own an X-ray machine. At home, that line mostly holds up. What’s changed is that the people who build paddles, run them through lab machines, and police them at tournaments now say a lot more about how paddles fail. So I went through what they’ve published. Everything below comes from manufacturers, testing labs, and the rulebook, not from me knocking on paddles in my garage. I’ll tell you which source is which, because they don’t always agree.

Read more

Short answer: For rec play, your paddle is almost certainly fine. Nobody at open play checks a list, and USA Pickleball says decertified paddles can still be used recreationally. For a USA Pickleball-sanctioned tournament, your exact brand and model has to show “Pass” on the USA Pickleball Approved Paddle List. Search it by brand before you register.

There is no paddle police.

I know that’s not what the guy on the next court told you. He saw a headline about the new spin cap, looked at your paddle and made a face. Now you’re wondering if the $180 you just spent bought you a contraband item.

It didn’t.

But “is my paddle legal?” has two answers depending on where you play, and most people only hear one. Here are both.

Read more

The biggest story in pickleball equipment right now isn’t a new startup—it’s legacy golf giants taking over the court. Callaway has officially entered the chat with their debut paddle, the Callaway Inertia. Armed with “Power Edge Technology” (borrowed from driver engineering to maximize Moment of Inertia) and a T700 carbon fiber face, this $250 paddle is aimed squarely at the premium country club demographic. While legacy tennis brands have historically struggled to conquer pickleball, Callaway’s massive R&D budget and built-in pro-shop distribution network mean this isn’t just a side hustle. It’s an invasion.

Read more

If you thought the keeper deadline was dramatic, the actual draft just turned the entire professional pickleball world upside down. We now have official answers to the questions everyone was asking: Would St. Louis get Anna Bright back? Would New Jersey steal Jorja Johnson? And most importantly, how much money would teams actually spend on these superstars?

The answers, respectively: Yes. Yes. And holy hell, way more than anyone predicted.

Friday’s 2026 MLP Free Agency Draft delivered record-breaking bids, shocking snubs, a youth movement that left veterans scrambling, and enough drama to fuel a Netflix series. Let’s break down everything that happened and what it means for the upcoming season.

Read more

Let’s be real for a second. We’ve all been there: you’ve just finished a three-hour marathon session at the local park, you’ve hit the dink of your life, and you’re feeling like a total pro. Then, you try to get out of your car at home and—creak—your knees decide to remind you that you aren’t twenty anymore.

If your knees are screaming louder than a banger who just missed a put-away, it might not just be “getting older.” It might be your shoes.

In pickleball, we’re constantly shuffling, pivoting, and lunging. If your shoes aren’t absorbing that impact, your knees are doing the heavy lifting for them. Is it time to stop blaming the court and start looking at your feet?

Here is the Pickleball Rookie guide to finding the best shoes for knee support in 2026.

Read more

I still remember the first time I played pickleball. I stood at the baseline, terrified of the seven-foot zone in front of the net like it was actual hot lava. I had been told by a well-meaning (but dead wrong) regular that “you can’t go in there unless the ball bounces in there.”

For three weeks, I played like a statue, afraid to toe the line.

It turns out, I was wrong. And that guy at the local courts? He was wrong too.

The “Kitchen”—officially known as the Non-Volley Zone (NVZ)—is the most misunderstood part of this sport. It is also the single biggest reason beginners lose points they shouldn’t.

If you have ever argued with your partner about whether they “momentum fell” into the zone or if you are allowed to step in before the ball bounces, this guide is for you.

Read more

What’s happening, pickleball fam? Ace here with your final column of 2025, and what a way to close out the year. The PPA Tour just wrapped its last event in Daytona Beach, Lifetime gave us an actual pickleball Christmas movie (yes, really), and as we head into the holidays, it’s worth taking a moment to reflect on how far our sport has come this year. Let’s dive into the latest.

Read more