Pickleball Studio Podcast

Links: Reddit thread about the paddle market: https://bit.ly/3YTUfHW Volair Shift: https://bit.ly/4ak3YhW Enhanced Duo widebody: https://bit.ly/4aBpC1d Chapters: 0:00 - Intro 2:06 - Reddit thread that I wrote about paddles 3:58 - DUPR end of year recap story 13:20 - JW using a widebody in Daytona 18:18 - ALW leaving PaddleTek 31:34 - 11six24 signs Dekel 37:22 - Parris Todd fined $50,000 39:46 - Volair shift 1:06:06 - Enhanced Duo widebody 1:09:37 - Paddle awards discussion 1:15:06 - Aizec’s paddle awards list 1:20:58 - Reacting to last years predictions for Pickleball 1:22:03 - Will we see more foam core paddles in 2025? 1:23:06 - Will edgeless paddles get better in 2025? 1:23:55 - Will we see more fully molded handles in 2025? 1:25:03 - Will paddle core durability get better in 2025? 1:26:21 - Will Chris main an elongated paddle in 2025? 1:27:35 - Will a new face texture take over? 1:29:24 - WIll paddles get slower in 2025? 1:31:05 - Will paddle testing be solved in 2025? 1:33:23 - Who will Bens partner be in 2025? 1:34:49 - Will Chris become a 5.0? 1:41:38 - Predictions for next year 1:55:37 - Goals for the new year

Links mentioned: Melin hat discount link: https://alnk.to/ge9bgEQ Six Zero Coral: https://bit.ly/48SVTPR Volair Shift: https://bit.ly/4ak3YhW Tesla Plaid Paddle: https://bit.ly/48Wl9n8 Ryan Fu / Samin tweet: https://bit.ly/4aMOrHu Pickleball.com article: https://bit.ly/4qe0odL Chapters: 0:00 - Intro 3:05 - Question of the week 3:43 - Melin discount code (only for 24 hours) 6:43 - UPA-A player contracts terminated 20:58 - Tesla Plaid / Selkirk paddle 36:35 - Upcoming Volair Shift 50:01 - Spartus P1 is approved 1:02:49 - SixZero Coral 1:11:42 - Have the categories for control, all court, and power shifted? 1:30:21 - Q&A: How will the cold impact foam paddles? 1:33:30 - More hot takes. Using weight to tune a paddle is overrated for most players 1:35:45 - Foam isn’t more durable than PP paddles, people are just eating up marketing hype 1:39:28 - There will only be 3 mainstream brands in 4 years. Joola, Selkirk, and Vatic Pro 1:41:35 - All tournaments should have a minimum combined team DUPR rating 1:42:59 - Being able to “hang” in rec games with someone doesn’t mean your DUPR should be the same

Chapters: 0:00 - Intro 0:10 - We have a guest this week 0:18 - Aizec’s wisdom teeth and why Chris is a bad brother 3:53 - Reacting to your comments about no hat 8:00 - USA Pickleball and APP Tour switch to DUPR 10:13 - Reacting to hot takes 13:32 - Mia’s hot take 27:03 - Chris’ hot take(s) 37:30 - Instagrams hot takes 37:48 - The elderly deserve to be lobbed 40:19 - Public courts should switch to rally scoring when they are busy 41:08 - Lifetime balls shouldn’t cost that much. You’re just paying for a name 42:35 - Stop apologizing for net cords, body bags, and drop shots 48:10 - Beginners should start with power paddles 53:25 - Everyone thinks they are better than they really are 56:29 - People who target in rec play drink hot dog water 59:16 - All age groups should be eliminated and only skill divisions 1:05:06 - 4.5+ DUPR rated women think they are better than they really are 1:08:52 - If you don’t get burned up your line, you aren’t applying enough pressure 1:10:15 - The Kitchen 1:10:25 - Breaking down our mixed partnership strength and weaknesses 1:22:21 - Mia wants Chris to play more court, why? 1:28:42 - Our most frustrating tournament loss and why? 1:34:06 - How we handle tournament losses and learn from them 1:41:10 - What makes a good effective team? 1:48:56 - Miscellaneous thoughts about team dynamics

Links: Weighted tape guide: https://youtu.be/tRG-VCk1Da0?si=nJuleSZOm_LYax8s Chapters: 0:00 - Intro 3:57 - Question of the week 5:14 - A couple of funny stories 14:01 - Proton Peacock update 23:35 - Spartus P1 coming soon? 27:28 - Got 2 more Luzz inferno’s 27:50 - Chris’s hot take 31:29 - Paddle awards season 34:47 - advice for increasing DUPR but not deal with all the fees 44:08 - Which is better for performance, polymer or foam? 51:13 - If you were 3.5 again, would you pay For lessons? What would your budget be? 55:14 - What is the best weight setup for the BnB loco elongated? 57:49 - Have you tried the new PIKKL skins? 1:00:55 - How much do you pay for indoor play in MN? 1:04:19 - Our take on choking up on the paddle 1:12:53 - Are you taking January off like last year? 1:14:41 - Thoughts on Honolulu J6CR 1:15:12 - Thoughts on Charm V vs Coral? both seem all court appealing 1:16:42 - Has anyone tried to bribe you for a good review? 1:18:00 - How did you choose Mia as your mixed partner? 1:21:20 - What are the best angles to film play from? 1:22:42 - If someone is coming from a Pro IV what’s the first foam paddle to try? 1:25:25 - Do all foam paddles get slightly softer when they break in? Any long term changes noticed in foam

Links: FORWRD Ranger: https://bit.ly/47Mz7Jh Neonic Sidekick: https://bit.ly/3TTDXwh RPM Pickleball: https://bit.ly/4pCU3s9 Proton Peacock: https://bit.ly/4pvGGtF Chapters: 0:00 - Intro 2:29 - Gearbox Power series dual certification 4:46 - Neonic Sidekick bag vs FWRD Ranger 12:52 - CRBN Waves update 16:31 - RPM Pickleball 35:00 - Proton Peacock 59:12 - Monthly Paddle Roundup (What are we recommending?)

Link: Black Friday deals page: https://bit.ly/4o3M1Hy Chapters: 0:00 - Intro 6:10 - SixZero Black Opal thoughts after play testing 23:04 - SixZero Coral 36:28 - Random paddle updates 38:28 - Slyce slyder update 39:20 - B&B Loco update 43:14 - Black Friday deals 44:06 - 11six24 BF deals 46:06 - Vatic Pro BF deals 46:54 - Bread & Butter BF deals 48:30 - CRBN BF deals 49:42 - Thrive BF deals 50:05 - Franklin BF deals 51:03 - Ronbus BF deals 52:04 - Chorus BF deals 53:21 - Luzz BF deals 54:44 - Enhanced DUO BF deal 56:56 - FORWRD BF deals 57:58 - Babolat BF deals 1:00:56 - Udrippin and Bodhi grips BF deals 1:02:35 - Improvement is a slow burn that you don’t often see

Links: 11six24 sale: https://bit.ly/3WUX3Uj Franklin Tour Bag: https://bit.ly/4hXR4b9 Slyce Slyders: https://bit.ly/3K0u2Uk Pickleball Apes Charm series: https://bit.ly/3LFGJV1 Six Zero Black Opal: https://bit.ly/44agRaa Chapters: 0:00 - Intro 0:29 - Is DUPR trying to charge for searching friends and opponents? 7:38 - 11six24 Black Friday Deal 9:27 - New Neonic bag 31:10 - New Franklin tour bag 37:10 - Slyce Slyders (reusable weight system) 48:56 - Pickleball Apes Charm series 1:08:45 - Six Zero Black Opal 1:21:57 - PPA worlds 1:29:39 - Chasing 5.0 Worlds (SPOILERS!) 2:01:17 - Random stories about pro matches

Links to items mentioned: F&B Runout: https://bit.ly/4hCKtTc J6NF & FC+: https://bit.ly/436344c Thrive Fury: https://bit.ly/3WyCbCj Chapters: 0:00 - Intro 0:43 - F&B Runout 19:28 - J6FC+ & J6NF 28:31 - Thrive Fury 34:10 - Quick rant on grit 39:20 - Luzz Inferno updates 47:14 - Upcoming Enhanced Duo 51:10 - CRBN Waves delamination? 52:59 - Should there be a 5.5 division? 56:49 - Chasing 5.0 series 1:01:15 - How the last few tournaments have gone 1:06:45 - Noticing improvments 1:08:38 - Things I learned from this last tournament 1:17:01 - Aizec’s Vegas experience

Links: Six Zero Ruby Pro: https://bit.ly/4ngwcwC Joola 3S Dual: https://bit.ly/42SexUJ Friday Fever 102: https://bit.ly/3IUuuTP Adidas Adipower: https://bit.ly/42NTenj Chapters: 0:00 - Intro 1:30 - Question: What paddle are you using and why? 3:32 - Update on the Luzz Inferno 7:43 - New Adidas Adipower 19:22 - Joola 3S dual certified 21:08 - Six Zero Ruby Pro 33:34 - Friday fever 102 42:12 - Chasing 5.0 PPA mens day (SPOILERS!) 52:22 - Mixed day 1:17:42 - Funny stories from Virginia

Luzz Cannon: https://bit.ly/46T5Z0V Luzz Inferno: https://bit.ly/3KJYD8F Luzz Tornanzo: https://bit.ly/4o6NgGi Ace Spade: https://bit.ly/3KJYLVH Chapters: 0:00 - Intro 2:12 - DUPR reliability rating 14:03 - Luzz cannon 20:42 - Luzz inferno 27:05 - Luzz tornazo 30:44 - Information on Luzz as a brand 36:16 - Ace pickleball budget gen 3 paddle 40:17 - What are our top paddles right now 58:10 - things I’ve learned from tournaments recently

Chapters: 0:00 - Intro 1:51 - Where to setup your camera when filming 8:34 - How does weight effect different paddle constructions 13:28 - Selkirk shoe update 16:12 - CRBN Waves thoughts with Aizec 36:56 - New SixZero Black Opal 42:37 - PIKKL pro skins 48:39 - Black Opal core 57:30 - Why don’t control paddles get recommended more? 1:06:47 - Pickleball mindset book 1:16:51 - Paddle guessing game 1:22:16 - Pickleball homework

Links to things mentioned: Bread & Butter Loco: https://bit.ly/487FkQl PB Vision: https://bit.ly/487Fwix (Code PBSTUDIO will give you 15 extra credits) Element 6 Zephyr: https://bit.ly/46LgEe6 Diadem BluCore Edge 18k: https://bit.ly/4nASri4 Adidas Adipower: https://bit.ly/3VDjuNj RPM Pickleball: https://bit.ly/4gRvKU6 Chapters: 0:00 - Intro 3:39 - PB Vision deep dive (An Ai tool to analyze games) 19:40 - RPM Company (James Ignatowich's paddle) 28:05 - Diadem BluCore Edge 18k 38:10 - Adidas launches a new paddle 43:03 - Element 6 Zephyr 48:43 - Bread and Butter production Loco thoughts 1:00:05 - Learning to be a better partner 1:08:20 - Questions & answers 1:08:26 - How did you improve your footwork? 1:13:23 - How to stop being stuck at a low DUPR? 1:16:42 - What makes a paddle have a higher skill ceiling? 1:21:42 - Why is playing down a level sometimes harder? 1:26:38 - Any tips on keeping Pickleball fun?

Links: Phone tripod: https://amzn.to/4goJd5v PB Vision: https://bit.ly/4fZNOtF Selkirk Court Strike: https://bit.ly/46rFlMJ Chapters: 0:00 - Intro 1:22 - Question of the week 6:19 - PPA pro’s having to use different paddles this week (SPOILERS) 12:58 - Selkirk Courtstrike shoes 20:55 - Honolulu pickleball graphics update 24:00 - Vatic Pro V-sol VS the Quanta 38:55 - Have you ever used a Whoop or an Oura ring? 40:07 - Health updates 44:50 - Pickleball recovery tips 55:29 - The importance of good sleep 58:16 - Why filming yourself is so beneficial

Links: UPA-A approved paddle list (only matters for pros & qualifiers): https://bit.ly/3V7DyHm You can use code PBSTUDIO on the paddles we mentioned to save some money: Sypik Avatar: https://bit.ly/41KecTx Ronbus Quanta: https://bit.ly/4peYOZi Chapters: 0:00 - Intro 1:06 - What are your top 3 brands in pickleball? 1:41 - UPA-A approved paddles as of Sept 8th 2025 10:19 - UPA-A denies Boomstik with MOI clamps 23:48 - UPA-A VS USAP grit levels 31:25 - CRBN Waves quick impressions 37:01 - Weight setup experiment on the Ronbus Quanta 45:44 - Sypik Avatar initial impressions 54:51 - A great way to filter potential tournament partners (and avoid headache) 1:17:18 - Questions and answers 1:17-36 - What will be the hardest skill for you to improve for Chasing 5.0? 1:24:37 - How do you keep wanting to grow in Pickleball? 1:27:37 - Is PaddleTek still worth it for durability when foam exists? 1:30:04 - Will there be more lesson content for chasing 5.0? 1:30:15 - How to deal with the metal side of having off days and regression 1:31:44 - What paddle shape is best for a beginner? 1:33:01 - What paddle will I use for Chasing 5.0?

Sypik Triton Pro 3: https://bit.ly/462Mrqw Chapters: 0:00 - Intro 0:48 - Chasing 5.0 is coming back 7:48 - PPA amateur formats 13:52 - Update on my neck injury (I’m good!) 17:30 - Boomstik edge guard update 23:03 - Selkirk warranty discussion 29:57 - Updated opinion on the Lifetime ball 41:07 - New Gherkin paddle 49:46 - Sypik Triton pro 3 first impressions 1:00:13 - What things should you prioritize when buying a paddle for performance?

Items mentioned: FORWRD Ranger: https://bit.ly/47Mz7Jh Chapters: 0:00 - Intro 0:38 - How long do you use the same paddle for? 5:19 - I competed at a Rubik's cube competition again 12:33 - FOWRD Ranger Bag Thoughts 28:13 - Breaking in 100 Lifetime balls? 30:46 - The MLP Finals were crazy 35:28 - ProXR Jolt 44:25 - Engage new paddle updates 46:36 - Gen 3 vs full foam paddles 50:10 - The Ronbus Quanta was very surprising 1:17:49 - Why people shouldn’t feel FOMO for new paddles

Links to things mentioned: Melin discount code: PBSTU20 Purchase here: https://bit.ly/3Jn57cY Speak Pickleball article: https://bit.ly/3Hspvcb Pick up a Sypik paddle: https://bit.ly/4fIuUZk Memes of Pickleball: https://bit.ly/4mjEtjD Chapters: 0:00 - Intro 0:50 - Holy lizard 2:15 - the Melin code is back for 24 hours 6:37 - SpeakPickleball story about Chris 7:30 - Sypik paddles are on the way 10:13 - Engage annonces full foam core paddles 18:35 - Boomstik updates after a tournament 29:38 - The new Bread & Butter Loco is really good 37:55 - MLP playoffs story “SPOILERS” 41:46 - What are our top paddles we would choose? 1:02:34 - A smarter way to drill in Pickleball 1:06:52 - Chris’ gold medal recap in mixed doubles 1:14:34 - Chris' mens day recap 1:17:41 - Craziest gold medal match story (Triple cramps??) 1:30:59 - Pick your paddle pro shop (a game)

Links to things mentioned: Mid-Century Pickleball: https://bit.ly/4mDClDh Pickleball journal app: https://bit.ly/4mEzGJy Speak Pickleball stories: https://bit.ly/4mIq8xe Selkirk Labs Boomstik: https://bit.ly/4fCq8N2 Chapters: 0:00 - Intro 0:51 - Pickleball journal app 6:37 - Speak Pickleball articles 7:52 - Is Aizec going to use the Boomstik? 23:33 - Cleaning the Boomstik surface 27:23 - Adidas & Jaume 30:19 - The Pickleball Studio review process 32:13 - When reviewing a paddle, pick 2 out of 3 quadrants 36:21 - How do we choose which paddles to cover? 39:48 - First impressions format (and why we haven't done more of them) 43:48 Full reviews and why they take a long time 57:52 - The process of producing the content (Shooting, scripting, editing) 1:12:17 - Other tasks in the business that eat time 1:16:27 - Q&A: What's up with Sypik paddles? 1:17:35 - Q&A: J2NF or Gearbox GX2 power? 1:20:52 - Q&A: How do you know if a paddle is wrong for you? 1:23:58 - Q&A: What are our mains? 1:24:39 - Q&A: Can using a difficult paddle make you better? 1:27:41 - Q&A: Shouldn't the J2NF be more powerful with the PBCoR result? 1:30:22 - Q&A: What is Aizec's favorite ghost flavor? 1:31:35 - Q&A: Has paddle technology peaked? 1:34:09 - Q&A: Why would anyone buy a gen 3 now?

Products mentioned: Life Time ball: https://bit.ly/46I6r3Y Thrive Project Fury: https://bit.ly/41qeLBJ Gearbox GX2 Power Hybrid: https://bit.ly/3UnjIHz Joola Pro IV: https://bit.ly/3F6DlPW Chapters: 0:00 - Intro 0:58 - What PPA stops have you enjoyed? 3:16 - The new official ball of the PPA, Life Time 28:18 - Thrive Project Fury first impressions 42:17 - Gearbox GX2 Power & Joola Pro IV updated comparison 55:24 - New shapes for the NF series J3 NF, J7NF, & J2 NF long handle 1:01:47 - What’s with the hype behind foam? 1:14:00 - The Kitchen: Blind ranking paddles game

Chapters: 0:00 - Intro 1:14 - Ghost story 3:31 - Ronbus Refoam (not in-depth) 4:44 - Pickleball Apes Harmony 12:23 - Element 6 SURTR 19:41 - What makes a paddle worth buying in 2025? 47:54 - Minor league pickleball event 55:19 - Aizec's PPA challenger experience 1:07:22 - What tournament formats do you prefer?