Does Switching Paddles Hurt Your Game?

What’s up, guys? Hope you had a great week. In this email I summarize some upcoming reviews and also give you something to think about when it comes to purchasing new paddles.

Upcoming paddle reviews

The remainder of October still has quite a few paddles coming out. I don’t think I’ve seen more paddles get dropped in a single month than I have in October.

There’s the Selkirk Luxx Control Air, Pickleball Apes Pro Line Energy S, Head Radical Raw, Ronbus Nova.R3 (allegedly they made the grid more stiff for extra power), and the Six Zero Amethyst Black Diamond.

Next week I will release my reviews and first look for the Selkirk Luxx Control Air as well as the Pickleball Apes Pro Line Energy S.

Reviews on the other paddles are still to be determined. With Nationals coming up, I may slow down briefly so that I can adjust to my preferred paddle.

New merch!

Today I released a hoodie and performance based t-shirt of the new 3.5 forever design. I’ve also changed the 3.5 at best v neck to the same shirt as the performance based 3.5 forever. I think more people will enjoy that one.

Pictures below of the new hoodie! You can purchase it here 

How does switching paddles impact your game?

If you’re signed up for this newsletter, there’s a high probability that you’re a gear nerd (like myself). I love being able to test all the latest paddles from each manufacturer and see what they are doing to help advance the sport. It really is a blast and I feel blessed to be able to call it my job.

However, I do want to present the flip side of swapping paddles so much and give you something to think about.

Being able to try the latest paddles is both my favorite and at times, my least favorite part of this job.

I say least favorite because having to constantly swap paddles for the next review rarely gives me time to hit the paddle that I actually want to play with. This leads to a lot of inconsistencies in my game, or a lack of confidence when I play with a specific type of paddle.

Instead of chasing the next greatest paddle, I think it’s highly advised to find something that you like 90% and stick with it. There are certain skills that I think would develop much faster if I could use the same paddle for 3 months straight and not touch a new one.

Getting familiar with a paddle and knowing it’s flaws inside and out can give you a big boost of confidence. Especially in games that are tense, you have familiarity to fall back on.

I mention this because I’ve gotten a lot of emails recently that go something like this:

“I LOVE (insert paddle name) it does everything I want it to do. Spin, control, power. But I heard (insert paddle name) does it even better. Should I buy that one?”

My answer most of the time is no, stay with what you have. If you have a paddle that you’re very happy with, you should stick with it. Your game will be better for it and your wallet. 😂

Now, if you love trying stuff as much as me, feel free to go for it. Just know that switching all the time definitely isn’t a net positive for your game. At least, in my experience.

🎙️ Latest podcast

If you missed it, we talk about our experience at DUPR Nationals. If you want the short answer…it wasn’t good. For a lot of reasons…