The Chaos at Cincinnati PPA: A Paddle Predicament

This weekend at the Cincinnati PPA was complete and utter chaos with regard to paddles. Players were showing up and being told that they couldn’t play with paddles that had been approved for months, if not years. In this post, I’ll let you know what’s going on with the pros’ paddles and what it means for your paddles, and I promise to keep it not that nerdy. The nerdy stuff is for Chris Olson. Watch the video update here on Instagram.

A Shift in Paddle Choices

This weekend we had tons of players playing with different equipment. Anna Leigh Waters switched to a different Paddletek model, Gabe Tardio and Tyra Black didn’t have their PIKKL paddles approved, so they switched to Volair and Joola. Parris Todd’s signature paddle hasn’t passed yet, so she switched to another Franklin paddle, but some brands didn’t have any paddles passing at all! Including Babolat that sponsors Chris Haworth, Head that sponsors Roscoe Bellamy and Callie Smith, and Vulcan that sponsors Tyler Loong.

The Proton Paddle Conundrum

The most notable issues of the weekend were with Proton, who only managed to pass one model - The Project Roadrunner. To my knowledge, pretty much all of their sizeable roster of Andrei Daescu, Meghan Dizon, CJ Klinger, Genie Bouchard, Augie Ge, Alex Crum, Travis Rettenmaier, the Walker sisters, and more were all using the Project Flamingo paddles.

Understanding the Testing Transition

So, what exactly happened leading up to this? Well, this is part of a long process from UPAA to change from input based paddle testing to output based paddle testing. Without getting too nerdy, input based paddle testing includes the grit and deflection testing that we’ve grown accustomed to. Grit limits were established to attempt to limit the amount of spin that a paddle could create and deflection testing was established to attempt to limit the amount of trampoline effect, and thus power and spin, a paddle could create, however these were indirect ways of policing paddles. Clever manufacturers figured out how to pass these input tests while creating paddles that excelled in spin and power generation, which is a transition to output based paddle testing that was absolutely necessary.

The Future of Paddle Testing

Output based paddle testing shoots a ball at a paddle out of a cannon and then measures how quickly the ball comes off of the paddle (a more direct measurement of power) and how many RPMs the ball generates (a more direct measurement of spin). While these measurements still probably need some refining over time, I think that it is a big step forward in policing power and spin in the game. I personally am a huge fan of this approach, and I think if you polled players, they would almost unanimously agree. Output testing was absolutely necessary for pro pickleball to make sure we’re all playing on an equal playing field, but the transition was never going to be easy.

Destructive Testing: A Necessary Measure

Last but not least, UPAA has been doing destructive testing which evaluates how a paddle performs over time. One of the biggest issues with regard to paddles over the last 18 months has been delamination and core crushing, both of which occur when the paddle degrades over time. It’s great to submit a paddle that is legal, but destructive testing should ensure that a paddle stays legal as it is played with over time.

Looking Ahead

So there were several issues that needed to be addressed, and in order to make an omelet, you need to crack some eggs. 9 months ago, UPAA notified us that they were going to make an omelet on September 1, so the deadline shouldn’t have been a surprise for anybody. To me, it feels like a good thing that paddles are all on a relatively even playing field and we can get rid of the excuse that “so and so only beat me because they had a better paddle,” and previously, this has been a legitimate argument.

What This Means for Your Paddle

So, what does this mean for your paddle? Well, nothing. At some point, the UPA will probably require all paddles to be UPAA approved, but for right now, as long as your paddle is USAP approved, it’s good to go. There will inevitably be more updates on this story, but I wanted to keep you guys up to date. That’s just what I do!