Pickleball Updates

[Jay Bee]

Hi guys. My DUPR has continued to lag a bit (I believe) vs. how well I'm playing due to the l o a d s of weak-level DUPR league games I had early on ~a year ago.

I'm now a 4.0, but may be a tad better *e.g., 4.1 to 4.15.

There are still tons of little improvements I can see .. low hanging fruit (pawz) that can make me better... so, looking forward to continued improvement. Would like to be sitting at 4.3-4.4 late summer.. but we'll see if I can pull it off. Fighting through multiple injuries but still getting it done for the most part.

If the comp is a 3.6 or below, they're in trouble. 3.7-3.9, I feel like I should beat up on 'em pretty good. 3.9-4.1 or 4.2... really depends. Good level of comp for me right now, but there are some where for different reasons it's a "oh, I'm way better" or "crap this guy is a stronger player than me right now" within that level. Just depends.

The biggest change in recent weeks for me I think has been seeing the court. Placement and decision-making has improved a lot, though much more to improve upon.

In a couple of leagues now, both at clubs that are fairly new to me but that I really like. One is a stated 3.5-4.0 where I'm on court 1.. top guy is a 4.2 with a gen 3 joola whose serves and power overall are ridiculous. July 1 these paddles are effectively banned and with good reason IMO.

New one starting up next week... 3.6-4.5 men's ladder league.. hoping to wind up at or very near the top court in that league.. looks like a good amount of 4.3+ guys in that one. 

Finally, have played singles (and also 2 v 1 with me being the 1) a tiny bit and love it. Just need to find the right people to play with. It can be a lot of work and I'm worried about crazy injuries, but it's like a different game and very fun. Then again, some of the rallies are quite short in the singles game as compared to doubles.

Great mix lately of open play/"fun" and leagues/tourneys. I do enjoy just working on different things in open play and trying to be a good ambassador for the sport. Have met many great (or at least interesting) people from all walks of life, nationalities, ages, etc... it's an odd, maybe cult-ish bond.

Didn't play outside a ton last year.. but am gearing up for the outdoor season now and will look to get in some early AM and late PM sessions this spring/summer/fall. There are four newish courts a few hundred yards from my place.

#pray

[wadesworld]

This reads like a post from a Dayton fan.

[TallTitan34]

My DUPR has continued to lag a bit

How are your EGBs looking?

[Jay Bee]

How are your EGBs looking?

Incredible. Well, probably 88% of people react well. Some get salty. Lots of grunts, lots of yells, lots of words of encouragement and paddle-slaps.

The unique thing is.. I play in a lot of doubles pods.. where there are say 5 people in your group.. and you play one game with each person.. so, I speak words of encouragement and give daps to the 'opponents' at times, because that will be my teammate.

[TallTitan34]

Incredible. Well, probably 88% of people react well. Some get salty. Lots of grunts, lots of yells, lots of words of encouragement and paddle-slaps.

The unique thing is.. I play in a lot of doubles pods.. where there are say 5 people in your group.. and you play one game with each person.. so, I speak words of encouragement and give daps to the 'opponents' at times, because that will be my teammate.

You are a true domino!

[Jay Bee]

Big day, guys.

Men's doubles tournament this afternoon. 18 guys, 2 pools of 9. You play one game with the other 8. Top 9 from pool play go to championship round; bottom 9 go to bad player round. Then, repeat the play-with-8 deal, with scores reset, to determine medals.

On paper, I'm ranked #3. There's no excuse for not reaching the championship round. My goal is to medal. 16 games at this level is a lot. Open to all ages, so it'll be interesting to see how big of a factor fatigue is as the afternoon wears on. #pray

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Current leagues:
Tuesdays 3.6-4.5 men's ladder league
Wednesdays - mixed ladder league, outdoors

Upcoming tourneys committed to (many more to come):
Today, Men's round robin tourney
Sunday, May 18 - Mixed doubles at Minnesota Majors Event #2
Friday, August 15 - Mixed doubles at Pints & Paddle's Summer Slam and Jam - huge event with 1k+ participants expected

-------------
Last Saturday I entered my first men's singles tournament. Lost the first three games, but learned a ton - my strategy was lacking at first. Started figuring things out in bracket play and wound up taking home the bronze medal.  Absolutely a different game, and quite wearing on the body. Lots of short, sharp bursts and insane amounts of grunting.

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Currently demo'ing three paddles. Today, I'm not 100% decided on which paddle(s) I'm going to use at the tourney. Dangerous situation. I like the Six Zero Double Black Diamond 14mm, but am not super confident in my drops or net play with it.. I may go between that and the Six Zero Ruby 16mm and/or Six Zero DBD 16mm, depending on the opponents.

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"What?! The kids better buy my rookie card now
'Cause after this year, the price ain't comin' down" - Mos Def, Oh No

[Uncle Rico]

Ban dis guy ^^

[TAMU, Knower of Ball]

Played for the first time today since high school. Actually had a lot of fun.  Might keep this up.  Don't know that I'll keep updating yall though

[wadesworld]

Played for the first time today since high school. Actually had a lot of fun.  Might keep this up.  Don't know that I'll keep updating yall though

Please don't.

[Uncle Rico]

Please don't.

If you TAMU can't compete in men's sports, he should keep posting in this thread

[Jay Bee]

Played for the first time today since high school. Actually had a lot of fun.  Might keep this up.  Don't know that I'll keep updating yall though

Do it! What paddle did you use?

[mu_hilltopper]

Please don't.

Indeed .. Pickleballers have a tendency to want to tell you their story, how they started, how often they go, how they got their childhood friend to start playing, how they stubbed their toe and how awful it was for them not to play for 12 days, how their second cousin Sally from Nebraska plays, and of course, how PB got it's name from a boat and NOT the dog named Pickle because that was after.

It. Goes. On. Forever.

[tower912]

Nothing like golfers.  Or fishermen.

[TAMU, Knower of Ball]

Do it! What paddle did you use?

The one the guy behind the front desk of the gym handed me

[Scoop Snoop]

Indeed .. Pickleballers have a tendency to want to tell you their story, how they started, how often they go, how they got their childhood friend to start playing, how they stubbed their toe and how awful it was for them not to play for 12 days, how their second cousin Sally from Nebraska plays, and of course, how PB got it's name from a boat and NOT the dog named Pickle because that was after.

It. Goes. On. Forever.

Nice goin' Hilltopper. You ruined it for me by telling me that Pickleball was named after a friggin' boat rather than a dog. I did not know that. Crap!

[MU82]

Indeed .. Pickleballers have a tendency to want to tell you their story, how they started, how often they go, how they got their childhood friend to start playing, how they stubbed their toe and how awful it was for them not to play for 12 days, how their second cousin Sally from Nebraska plays, and of course, how PB got it's name from a boat and NOT the dog named Pickle because that was after.

It. Goes. On. Forever.

Nothing like golfers.  Or fishermen.

All of 'em are annoying - and I include myself in the category of golfers who talk way too much about their round. I'd come home from playing, and my daughter would be like, "Go ahead, tell me about how you did on the seventh hole. Get it over with, because you know you're gonna."

But ...

None of 'em are worse than freakin' fantasy football "owners." Who gives a rat's rump that effen Tyler Higbee failed you?!?!

[cheebs09]

Indeed .. Pickleballers have a tendency to want to tell you their story, how they started, how often they go, how they got their childhood friend to start playing, how they stubbed their toe and how awful it was for them not to play for 12 days, how their second cousin Sally from Nebraska plays, and of course, how PB got it's name from a boat and NOT the dog named Pickle because that was after.

It. Goes. On. Forever.

So a lot of ND alums play pickleball?

[GOO]

For a beginner what is a decent,  not  real expensive, package to buy with paddles, balls, net?  Prefer an Erasy net and net structure set up without a bunch of instructions needed.

I don't want to end up with junk that's broken and in the garbage after a few uses, but also haven't really played much so don't want or need to go in for expensive stuff either that might not get used a lot.

I was surprised to find out most courts don't have nets set up already. Would also like to be able to set it up anywhere there is pavement if the courts are full.

Thanks for any input.

[Shaka Shart]

We had to make a rule on our tennis team that you can't play pickleball the same day before a match because guys were hitting volleys into the bottom of the net and not covering the court.

[TSmith34, Inc.]

Nothing like golfers.  Or fishermen.

Except fishing requires a lot more skill and athleticism than playing picklewiffleball

[Jay Bee]

For a beginner what is a decent,  not  real expensive, package to buy with paddles, balls, net?  Prefer an Erasy net and net structure set up without a bunch of instructions needed.

I don't want to end up with junk that's broken and in the garbage after a few uses, but also haven't really played much so don't want or need to go in for expensive stuff either that might not get used a lot.

I was surprised to find out most courts don't have nets set up already. Would also like to be able to set it up anywhere there is pavement if the courts are full.

Thanks for any input.

Don't have a net system to recommend. I bought one early on for my sport court, but rarely used it -- there are many outdoor parks and indoor clubs -- I would go there and not set up your own net / court. Not sure there are great options at a reasonable price that is easy to takedown/store/put up.

Ball - Something like the Franklin X-40 outdoor ball is a good bet... or seeing more of the Vulcan XPRO flights.. (outdoor balls are usually used on indoor pickleball services... I'd say the only times I see indoor balls are on gym floors.. but can also use outdoor balls there).

Paddle - So many options, and with major deep pockets it ain't no thang to spend big $$$. That said, if I was looking for something cheap.. I might consider a couple of paths, I suppose...

1) Six Zero Quartz. I think it just comes in 15mm; $90. Might be a solid beginner paddle..

2) Get crazy and try Temu. There's one group I play with .. and now like 5 of the guys are using freakin Temu paddles... I've tried a couple and they're OK. I think dudes are paying like $40 for them and swear they are great knockoffs... these are intermediate/high-intermediate players... think 3.7-4.0 guys. If you're just playing a tiny bit... might be worth a try.

If you really want to dive in.. a lot of people going with the latest version of the Joola Perseus... $280. So fricken poppy... I may try it again, but just not for me at this time.

I'm currently using a Six Zero 14mm Double Black Diamond ($180)... but also adding a Six Zero 14mm Ruby ($200) to the arsenal (in transit now).

If you want to look at the data behind different paddles, https://www.johnkewpickleball.com/ is a good resource.. might be a little bit difficult to follow the information if you're new to pickleball, but it's a handy data resource.

EDIT: 30% off Six Zero Sapphire through June 1; normally $140, now ~$100

[#UnleashSean]

Played for the first time today since high school. Actually had a lot of fun.  Might keep this up.  Don't know that I'll keep updating yall though

Do you have your score yet?

[#UnleashSean]

Don't have a net system to recommend. I bought one early on for my sport court, but rarely used it -- there are many outdoor parks and indoor clubs -- I would go there and not set up your own net / court. Not sure there are great options at a reasonable price that is easy to takedown/store/put up.

Ball - Something like the Franklin X-40 outdoor ball is a good bet... or seeing more of the Vulcan XPRO flights.. (outdoor balls are usually used on indoor pickleball services... I'd say the only times I see indoor balls are on gym floors.. but can also use outdoor balls there).

Paddle - So many options, and with major deep pockets it ain't no thang to spend big $$$. That said, if I was looking for something cheap.. I might consider a couple of paths, I suppose...

1) Six Zero Quartz. I think it just comes in 15mm; $90. Might be a solid beginner paddle..

2) Get crazy and try Temu. There's one group I play with .. and now like 5 of the guys are using freakin Temu paddles... I've tried a couple and they're OK. I think dudes are paying like $40 for them and swear they are great knockoffs... these are intermediate/high-intermediate players... think 3.7-4.0 guys. If you're just playing a tiny bit... might be worth a try.

If you really want to dive in.. a lot of people going with the latest version of the Joola Perseus... $280. So fricken poppy... I may try it again, but just not for me at this time.

I'm currently using a Six Zero 14mm Double Black Diamond ($180)... but also adding a Six Zero 14mm Ruby ($200) to the arsenal (in transit now).

If you want to look at the data behind different paddles, https://www.johnkewpickleball.com/ is a good resource.. might be a little bit difficult to follow the information if you're new to pickleball, but it's a handy data resource.

EDIT: 30% off Six Zero Sapphire through June 1; normally $140, now ~$100

$280 for a paddle? Blow me!

[Jay Bee]

$280 for a paddle? Blow me!

Cheapskate!

Many paddle companies have sent out communications to customers that "we may need to price jack you because of tariffs".

It'll be interesting to see how pricing changes over the next couple of years as WE continue to GROW our sport... not only with equipment, but clubs in how they program and price in different markets. This summer has seen most places fall in line and offer 'all you can play open play' deals for the summer.. I love the amount of options we have to play different places in the Twin Cities... not to mention having a new 18-court outdoor spot nearby.. which is drawing some pretty good players.

[The Lens]

If you're playing once a week and want to be the best version of yourself, I think spending $100 on a paddle is very reasonable.

If you're playing 3-4 times a week and in uber competive groups, every edge matters so I could see a $250+ paddle.  Think of it like golf. Most guys wouldn't blink at $1000 for a set of clubs.

IMO, if you want to make the biggest upgrade...get court shoes.  If you're out there playin with running shoes on you're not doing yourself any favors.