Pickleball Civil War II

Controversial paddle 'de-listed.' Better backhand counters.

May 17, 2024

Since 1984, USA Pickleball has reigned as the sole governing body of pickleball in the U.S., providing players, organizations, manufacturers and referees with official rules, equipment standards, tournament sanctioning, and more.

Yesterday, the United Pickleball Association (UPA) announced the formation of their own governing body that will act in direct competition with USA Pickleball.

As the kids would say “shots fired.”

What does this mean for you? Find out below.

But first, need a win-win to take into the weekend? How about this?
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In This Issue:

👨‍⚖️ A new governing body
🔬 Paddlegate rears its ugly head
⛈️ The rain can’t stop the game in ATL

The weekend can’t come soon enough.

The Backhand Counter

As far as James "Papa Jimmy" Ignatowich is concerned, he has the hardest backhand counter in the game.

In an instructional video, Iggy recommends that players have both the one-handed backhand counter and two-handed backhand counter at their disposal.

When to use the one-handed backhand counter

A one-handed backhand is ideal for a ball hit at your body. It allows you to quickly defend yourself and prevent taking one to the chest. The body mechanics even allow for decent power to be generated with this shot.

When to use the two-handed backhand counter

When the ball travels outside of your offhand hip/shoulder, then it is ideal to add the second hand. Adding your second hand to the paddle allows you to put more power on your counter. It also allows you to add topspin, which can save your ball from going long.

Some players prefer the two-handed backhand counter so much that they will shift laterally to set up their counter. A right-handed player would slide to the right so a ball that was aimed at their body is now perfectly lined up for a two-handed backhand.

Give Papa Jimmy's advice a try this weekend and add a new weapon to your game.

Selkirk’s New Spring Owen Apparel

Spring has sprung and Selkirk's Owen Collection is here to ensure you step onto the court in style and confidence.

Think lightweight hoodies that breathe with you, performance shorts that move as fast as you do, and button-downs that are perfect for post-match events or a quick run into town.

Check out the Owen Collection by Selkirk for gear that matches your spirit and style.

Who Makes the Rules

For years, the PPA Tour has been deviating from USA Pickleball. It started with rule variations on the serve.

First, the PPA elected to replay let-serves in 2021. Then they outlawed the spin serve while USAP allowed the one-handed spin serve to continue (eventually outlawing it a year later).

A bigger problem, however, is the issue of paddle testing. A massive number of paddle manufacturers have entered pickleball with the meteoric rise in participation in the game. As a result, paddle technology has advanced more in the past four years than at any other point in the past four decades.

USAP was tasked with:

  • Keeping up with the increased demand for paddle approval

  • Taking on the challenge of nationwide on-site testing, which became a necessity at the professional level

This led to multiple iterations of ‘Paddlegate’ and prompted the creation of Pickle Pro Labs (PPL), which would handle paddle testing for the PPA Tour and MLP (now UPA).

You can’t blame the UPA for wanting to take control of paddle testing. They were at the mercy of an imperfect USAP process and were growing faster than regulation could keep up with.

With their own rulebook in play and a paddle-testing alternative in place, it was clear that UPA would be separating from USA Pickleball. That announcement came yesterday in the form of the UPA of America, UPA’s governing body.

The UPA-A will be responsible for sanctioning the organization’s future events at the pro and amateur level. They have formed committees to decide on and enforce rules and paddle regulations.

  • Equipment Manufacturer Advisory Board: Franklin, Gearbox, JOOLA, Onix, Paddletek, Selkirk, Vulcan, and Brian Levine - a current Board member of the UPA

  •  Equipment Player Advisory Board: Ben Johns, Julie Johnson, Brian Levine, Altaf Merchant, Catherine Parenteau, Leigh Waters, Thomas Wilson

What does this mean for players?

This new development doesn't mean much for rec leaguers, organized players, and paddle stack regulars. If you play in tournaments, especially those sanctioned by the UPA, you will have to follow their specific rules and equipment approvals.

If you play tournaments sanctioned by USA Pickleball or the APP, you’ll have other rules and regulations to follow. The APP pledged their support of USAP in a statement earlier in the week.

The separation between UPA and USAP might have been inevitable, but the paddles that likely accelerated the issue have now been called into question. Paddle drama is heating up. More below.

JOOLA & USAP Do Damage Control

Rumors began to swirl yesterday that JOOLA Gen 3 paddles had been removed from USAP’s approved paddle list. The paddles that have been called into question all across the pickleball industry had suddenly vanished from the approved list.

With questions coming from all angles, USAP released this statement.

“On May 14 and 15, JOOLA informed USA Pickleball that JOOLA submitted the wrong paddles for certification in November 2023. As a result, USA Pickleball promptly de-listed the affected paddles from its Approved Paddle list.”

Yikes, big-time yikes. It’s no wonder the UPA wanted to take control of their own paddle testing.

Accidents happen, sure. When the ‘accident’ leads to millions in profit, things start to smell a little fishy. Honestly, anyone who purchased or played against one of these paddles (like Zane Navratil unfortunately did this week) was done a disservice in this debacle.

It states “The JOOLA Gen3 paddles on the market are materially the same as the models approved by USAP in the September 2023 paddle submission process and we are confident that they are fully compliant with USAP’s standards.”

So what happens next? Can these same paddles be added back to the list pending a new test? At least one high-profile club has reportedly advised its members that JOOLA Gen 3’s are not permitted during club events.

In 2022, CRBN faced a similar issue and was forced to find a solution with thousands of customers. What will happen with JOOLA and the latest round of Paddlegate? You know we’ll keep you posted.

Say Goodbye to Vibration

Being able to change your paddle is a game changer.  

The GAMMA Airbender features variable weighted endcaps and Zorbicon Shockbuster gel inserts, you can tailor your paddle to fit your game perfectly. Adapt on the fly and reduce harmful vibrations for a smoother play.  

Learn more about the Airbender from GAMMA Sports and customize your game.  

Thunder Rolls into Atlanta

Weather is no doubt having it’s way with the PPA Atlanta Open this week. Play was delayed on Wednesday and more storms are expected to roll in over the weekend.

Rest or Rust
Anna Leigh Waters didn’t miss a beat in her return to singles, as she is safely through to the quarterfinals. Catherine Parenteau, on the other hand, had a tough draw meeting Parris Todd in the Round of 32. In an exciting three game match, Todd upset the No. 2 seed.

Freaky Friday
This morning, Ben Johns survived a nail-biter against Quang Duong. He came back from a 6-10 deficit in game three to get the win. Johns will have a must-watch match and a chance at revenge against Andrei Daescu/Gabe Tardio in doubles later today.

Getting Chirpy
The new partnership of Federico Staksrud/Matt Wright is bringing their own style to the game. So far that style is loud. Wright is known as one of the best trash-talkers in the game. He let Will Howells/CJ Klinger know it on Wednesday. The new partnership will play in the quarterfinals today.

Watch the remainder of the Atlanta Open on PickleballTV and YouTube and see which of our pre-tournament predictions come to fruition.

Headlines & Quick Hits

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