These Paddles Will Make a Comeback + Steal These Shots From Pros | EP 133

[00:00:04] Welcome back to the Pickleball Effect Podcast with your host Braydon Aaron. I'm Braydon, that's Aaron. Aaron, what are we doing? Episode 133 of the World's Best Pickleball Effect Podcast. We're jumping right into AI. AI walking here. You heard that one. AI walking here with some Clodco. We're talking about Clod and ChatGPT and Gemini and we're gonna put them all together and do a head-to-head and no JK. But we're talking about how AI affects paddle reviews and what that means for the future of paddles.

[00:00:32] Special livery, we got some new products and paddles that came to our door that we're gonna talk about. Under review in episode 133, we're joined by Alex with Pickleball Pundits. Braydon had a one-on-one interview with Alex. He breaks down programs so we'll talk about that. Some really great insights. For Aaron it out on episode 133, we're playing a game called One Pick Wonder where we got six different categories of gear and we're gonna draft the best gear.

[00:00:55] And then there's, of course, there's wrinkles to mess each other's lists up. Paddle Babble in gear. We're reporting back on the Anna Bright Thunder Axe Swing Weight Thor's Hammer. 128 Swing Weight Paddle on our play impressions. Then we're jumping into Rhombus Tenon and the Keystone segment. We got six paddles that will resurge with durable grit on episode 133.

[00:01:20] Aaron, here we are again. It's been, I've been traveling a little bit this week. I've been between Idaho and Utah, visiting my brother, getting AI set up. You've been at home? Idaho? No, Udaho. Is that from something? I'm sure I'm not the first to make that joke. What are we drinking today? I've been home. I'm home. This is my fake soda. Poppy, Shirley Temple. It's their favorite, best flavor. It's delicious. Nice.

[00:01:50] Yeah, dude. I spent half the week in Utah, so that's where my brother lives, Riley. Riley does the operations side and different stuff for all the products. And so he does that with me and us. And then on his day job, he's this data engineer for Harry's shaving people. Yep. People. Yep.

[00:02:11] And he's just so intelligent. His whole life is just talking with cloud code and making stuff for them. So he's much deeper into the advanced uses of AI than I am. I've been using some vibe coding tools to make the paddle comparison tool in the tuning lab, which are cool, but I don't have anything beyond that.

[00:02:36] Well, I guess I use it to help me write grammar and stuff. And so I haven't really used AI as effectively as I could. I've kind of been avoiding it for a little bit because there's a ton of AI slop out there. There's a bunch of review sites that have popped up that are just 100% AI generated. And part of those sites are reviews. And AI on its own is horrible at writing reviews.

[00:03:06] I can summarize stuff well, but it's not good at creating net new stuff. It doesn't have the experience and knowledge we have. Right. So anyway, I've been reluctant to like use AI and to help me like scale, you know, like reviews and stuff. But talking with Riley, we found a way that we can we can use AI in a way that still keeps Braden as the center, as the, you know, as the judgment, but using it to scale the content.

[00:03:35] And the key is just the database. So we have the I've had this paddle database for years. Right. It's been growing. It has all the different firepower metrics and static measurements and all this stuff. But a lot of the paddles that we talk about together on the podcast, that's kind of the only light of day they see. And then they just exist in the database like that's it. And I just I don't it takes too much time to write these full reviews and to get them into the website.

[00:04:05] Create anyways, it just it's a lot of time to make a review. And I was not. And so the way that we're going to scale this is we've got cloud code plugged into our WordPress site now and it's plugged into the database. And it's essentially pulling all the metrics that I get for each paddle, throwing it in a template.

[00:04:30] That's that's beautiful and gives you, you know, like 60 percent of of how a paddle plays just through these these data metrics. And then I take it another 20 percent just by writing like a little short verdict. So I'm not doing this full massive review. I'm just doing, you know, some bullet points and then like a paragraph on how it plays. And just keeping it more simple and creating like this product page type design that's based off of the data points and, you know, just my little blurb.

[00:04:58] And so it's and I think these paddle pages get you like 85 percent, 90 percent of the way there versus like my in-depth reviews, which in most cases is enough for a lot of people. But this will is such a it takes a huge load off of my plate on the like getting all the information into WordPress, creating images and everything's just automated. I just have to go give it my my little blurb about how the paddle plays.

[00:05:25] It looks at all the stats and it's able to write some commentary on like the averages, the percentiles and kind of fill in this this beautiful product page. And then so I I'm going to have reviews for almost every single paddle that comes through my door now. Good, the bad, the ugly, the mediocre. And it's just going to infinitely, not infinitely, but it's just going to massively scale what I've been creating into a more visual format. That's more accessible, more searchable by A.I.

[00:05:53] Search, Google search, you know, you guys. And so it'll I'm really, really pumped about it, dude. I'm basically just like if you've ever done any sort of kind of vibe coding thing, you know, like you're talking to Cloud Code and you're building a web, the web page right next to you. And then you just deploy it through through GitHub and it goes in and lives on the website. It's pretty incredible. And so I've got the first set of paddle pages up. It's going to take me a minute to kind of backdate and get all the paddles in there. So far, I've only done 11624 and Selkirk, but you can go see those pages.

[00:06:24] And then I've also got a cool little tool at the bottom of all these pages. That's I have like three. It's like a tuning tool where I have like three recommended setups, just generic setups that you can go like click on the go on with faster hands, more power or just like a versatile all around setup. And then it'll apply the tape, give you the the the metric changes so you can look at some quick setups there.

[00:06:50] So some unique stuff to, you know, kind of what we're doing here on the tuning side. And then and then on top of that, all these paddles will be like, I guess that's called I'm calling this like the paddle directory. These paddle pages, they're all going to funnel into like a brand directory. So you have some more information on the brand, all the paddles living underneath that. And it's just going to be really well organized. Don't have to dig as much for all the information that I have because I have a ton of information, but sometimes it's kind of hard to surface it. This will make everything super easy to find.

[00:07:16] And I think Google and AI search will love it on top of everything else. And so I'm here. I've been modernized. I have all the tools at my fingertips. Cloud code knows my life. It is tapped into everything, everything I've ever logged into. It can access and push buttons and make things happen. And I just have to just talk to it. So that's where I'm at. And I'm super pumped. Wait till it starts to knock you out. I'm like, Brayden, do we really need a $10 smoothie this week for the third time?

[00:07:45] It starts like getting in like every part of your life. Bad joke. That's sick. Starts pulling in my bank statements. Yeah. Exactly. Do it. Where are you spending your money? Yeah. I didn't even give you this. How did you find that? I think why this is super good. I mean, you did an article, what, like two or three weeks ago, a month ago about the use of AI and paddle reviews and how it's a net negative for the community. You go to Google, you type in a prompt. Google will give you a synthesis. Top five most durable grit paddles, right?

[00:08:14] You type that into Google. Google will give you that AI summary, but it's pulling from websites, pulling from your website. It's pulling from, you know, five other different paddle reviewer websites. And if any of the sources of information it's pulling from were written by AI, AI is interpreting previous AI. And so what's dangerous about this is like at some point there's no like central source of truth. Like there's no like databases it's pulling from. There's no original information. There's no one hitting the paddle. And so I think AI can be like an enhancer if it's coming from like a database of, hey, this is like these are true metrics.

[00:08:44] These are like my impressions. Then it's valuable. But if it's basing something on like that doesn't have original information from an expert to start with, I think that's where you're like playing AI telephone and like you're truly getting slop. So I like that you're like using AI to expand reach, but it's still based on like, hey, it's pulling all the data from my database, which is paddles that I've tested in person, onsite. And so I think the information is going to be a lot more accurate. So it can be it can expand reach button.

[00:09:12] Like you're still keeping the clarity of the information clean because the water it's getting from is clean water. Yeah, dude, that's such a weird thing. It's like that really negative feedback loop loop that AI kind of created for itself. Like if you ever heard the theory of like dead Internet, I don't think it will ever get that severe as this theory of dead Internet where like everything on the Internet is created by AI. And then it's just AI feeding AI and just gets worse and worse and worse. It's kind of degenerates that. I mean, I'll never get that insane.

[00:09:41] But that general idea, I think, is is true and is happening within the just review space in general, not just in pickleball paddles, because AI lifts that information. Yeah, it gives you like a little source credits, but it's like no one no one's clicking through. Everyone stays on the the AI page. And, you know, if they find the information they want, then they go by the paddle. They never use your affiliate links. They never use discount codes.

[00:10:07] And so the people who are generating the original data, the people who are doing all the hard work of testing these paddles aren't getting credited or, you know, getting the traffic that, you know, like I used to. And so it's and then eventually all those people make that information aren't making enough money to support their review efforts. And then they fall to the wayside and then AI is only feeding itself. So that's kind of a challenge. But I don't know if it will ever get there.

[00:10:30] I think, you know, as AI evolves, at least on the AI search side, like it's going to it's going to identify trusted sources like there's going to be ways, websites and places that it goes to more often because it knows it's a trusted source. It knows that the information it has is legit. And so like we like website, the website is going to play a huge role in the future of Pickleball Effect because it needs to be a trusted resource for AI search because almost so much search is moving towards there versus Google.

[00:10:57] And so it's harder to be discovered than it used to be on that side. But anyways, that's definitely stuff I'm thinking about. It's a it's a lot and it's taking a huge effect on on the review space. Yeah, dude, I think I think at the end of the day, we'll benefit it benefit from it all more than than it'll that'll hurt us. At least that's what I'm hoping. And the large headline definitely feeling it right now.

[00:11:23] This like for Pickleball Effect with the incorporation of AI sounds so corporate like welcome to our seminar. If it means like more paddle reviews for every paddle that comes through your door and you're able to like, you know, through running it through its power and pop metrics, it's different twist weight percentiles. You're just going to have like a like a larger reach of like we're going to give our audience more information like about more paddles. And so so it's a net positive.

[00:11:48] But we're also saying, hey, we're fully aware of like not wanting to feed negative information onto the site on like into public. And so it's like, how do we get information out that more people can see? Maybe more paddle owner companies can get more feedback from reviewers. How can we learn more? But like do it in a safe way where it's like good. Yeah, I'm very, very conscious of not letting AI just write it all. Like everything is is approved and written through me versus AI.

[00:12:18] I just like I could go push a button right now that just goes and publishes 500 pages of every single, you know, data line I have. But that's not how I'm doing it. I'm going through each brand one by one and, you know, writing the pieces that belong to me so that that judgment that trusted source stays here. Because that's that's what makes, you know, it valuable. It's it's not the volume. It's it's the quality. But it but it does. It is going to help us boost both of those in a way that I've never been able to do it before. But I'm here.

[00:12:48] I'm modernized. Excited about that. Sick. Let's go to special delivery or unless you have anything else. I've never seen A.I.'s duper, but pretty sure A.I.'s not hitting a paddle. I've never seen A.I. hit a third. I've never seen A.I. hit a Yates. And so I don't know why we're listening to it when it comes to content. I've never I've never seen you hit a Yates either. Shit. Well, hey, special delivery, special delivery. Tell me about these new pickleball. Hey, we're going to turn, turn the ship, turn the ship.

[00:13:18] That's hilarious. Last thing about A.I. The movie I am robot with Will Smith. Have you seen this? Kind of came out in the early 2000s. It's like this, you know, it's about robots. And one of them becomes like sentient and like has feelings and like, you know, his brain develops. And they're like saying, oh, whatever. A.I. evolution. And then Will Smith, I case robots. He's like a robot denier. He like hates that this robot's coming out to life. And the robot at one point, Will Smith is like he's like pestering it.

[00:13:44] He's like, can can a can a robot write a symphony? Can a can a robot paint like a masterpiece? You know, like talking to all these like amazing human achievements. And the robot looks at him and goes, can you? And Will Smith's like, oh, shit. So same shit. There you go. All right. Boom. All right. So a little lighter this week. But the first one are our new new over grips. These are pickball effect over grips that are coming out. They're called active tack. Dude, I'm like super pumped about these.

[00:14:13] I think the grips that everyone's been like addicted to and use a lot are like on the softer side. And there's there's less performance benefits with a softer grip versus like a firmer one. These ones are going to be firmer. They're going to there's not so much squish to them. And that gives you like like a better feeling connection to the paddle. You can feel the grooves. You know, your hand is and it's not like reducing feedback like in a negative way. Like you can you can have you can reduce the feedback too much.

[00:14:42] And this I think retains a little bit more feedback versus like these really softer grips. And so this is more of like a performance oriented grip over grip. If that's sounds like like you and I'm really pumped about it. So it has like that kind of firmer, more better connection to the paddle that I like. But then the reason I call it active tack is because these are tacky when you start, but then they get tackier as you sweat. A lot of the tacky grips sort of kind of get like slick out a little bit as it absorbs some some some sweat. And so this is the opposite.

[00:15:11] As you give it as it gets as it absorbs your sweat, it gets tackier and it just feels really premium, feels really good. They're going to be launching five colors. And so I need to get pictures taken of these and we'll get these up on the Internet. But I'm really, really excited about these. Been selling the other over grips, which I like for for over a year or so. But we haven't had like a home run and I feel like these are a home run and I'm really excited to get these to the market. I'm going to be sending you some this week so you can try them out.

[00:15:40] And but yeah, those will be coming soon. Really pumped about those. And then next one was this paddle called Mission First. They they sent it to me. I played it once. We're going to save some impressions for for later. But this is like a hybrid shape. It's a Gen 4 with a little bit of a variation to it. Their little stick is like you buy the paddle. You also get donated to like a part of the profits get donated charity, which is really cool. But the it was actually really positive first impressions. It played really well. It's kind of you this unique hybrid shape.

[00:16:10] Very similar to like the Gurken Draco hybrid or like the J6 CR from Honolulu, but like shrunk a little bit. So it has like a really modern shape. Looking forward to giving that one some more time. Last one we got was the signature Chris Hayworth Luz Glider edition. So you can you can go pick these up from Luz's website. And we did we did we did a bit with with Chris a few months ago. We're both big fans of the dude can play.

[00:16:40] And happy for him to get his own signature paddle there. It looks sweet with the purple. Yeah, that's it for special delivery. Let's go over to under review. So joining us today is Alex Matathea. The mind behind Pickleball Pundits. One of my favorite Instagram accounts for breaking down what actually separates the pros from the rest of us. Alex has a real gift for taking strategy and technique that you see at the highest levels and making it something that the rest of us can actually use. So he's here to share his top three things that amateurs should be stealing straight from the pros playbook.

[00:17:10] Alex, thanks for joining us, man. I've been looking forward to this one. I'm not actually sure how I originally found your your content on Instagram, but somehow I did. And I've been following you for a minute. And you post some stuff that like about like pro play, like analyzing pro play. That is very insightful, very good. Like I've seen other accounts like attempt to do this, but not very many people do it as well as you do.

[00:17:35] And I was just thinking the other day, I was like, no, let's let's let's get Alex on. The kid is really sharp, really smart. And I think we can learn stuff from you and how you how you think about the game. So I have one big question for you that before we get into just like, how did you get so good? Like, where did this this mind come from? And your kind of ambition to do what you're doing? Yeah, I just watch a lot of pickleball. And yeah, I started playing pickleball.

[00:18:02] And I think I just I don't know what got me to really start watching. I think I just probably couldn't hit a drop to save my life. And I was like, I'm going to I'm going to try to see how the pros do it. Because, I mean, there's a lot of like YouTube videos you can watch, but I just kind of wanted to see how the pros hit their shots. And in certain scenarios, I feel like they're always a little different depending on the ball they receive from their opponents. So yeah, I just watch a lot of pickleball.

[00:18:30] I mostly like I'll like record a point and then watch it like five, ten times. It's kind of kind of crazy. So it takes me a while to get through a full game. But I just kind of like seeing all the small nuances in the game. That's cool, man. And you you do a lot of coaching and things now. And you obviously play a lot. Like, are you competitive? What's your ambitions as like a player? Like you just kind of compete locally or what do you do there? Yeah, I'm just playing a couple times a week now.

[00:18:59] I actually just moved across the country to California from Boston. Oh, yeah. Yeah. So it's been a big year. I got married. Just kind of a lot of things changing. All right. Congrats. Thank you. But yeah, I just joined the UPL team, UPL league. Oh, yeah. With the San Diego hub. So yeah, I've been playing there. So it's just kind of fun to I'm just trying to like meet people now and get some get some good games in.

[00:19:26] But yeah, I just like playing a few times a week and yeah, just being competitive. Do one of the cool things about pickleball is when you're traveling or when you move, it's like this this social group or just people that you just have everywhere you go. You can find you can make friends, find people to play. And it's a cool thing about pickle. So we'll call congrats to the move. Get married. That's that's crazy. Thank you for making time to join us here. So here's my big question for you.

[00:19:54] I just have what are three things that specific pro players do or shots they have that we can learn from and develop? Sure. My first one is more just about like the preparation before a shot. I think that's a bit undervalued. So one, just kind of getting to the ball early, specifically with footwork. You'll often see players kind of have a lot of like small, quick initial steps to get to the ball, get into position. So they have the same contact point every time they swing.

[00:20:23] So yeah, just kind of being the more balanced you can be before hitting the shot, the better just with both your your lower body. So you're not kind of moving and hitting, but also with your your upper body as well. You see a lot of pros really engaging their off arm in some way. So some kind of point their elbow up if they're like hitting a forehand dink or or something. I think Annalie might kind of point her hand forward. But yeah, just doing something to engage your upper body.

[00:20:50] So you're not kind of like slumping down or to the side, I think can help. And then the last thing with the preparation, having some sort of rhythm, I think can help. So just to get something that your lower body is involved. So like when you watch, for example, like Caden or Ben hit a forehand topspin drop, they're dropping their paddle tip and stepping with their right foot, like right when the ball bounces on their side of the court. They do it a lot.

[00:21:20] I think it's just kind of helps them have the same swing every time and just kind of getting that preparation and inconsistency. So you're not just kind of just using your arm, which can get stiff if you're kind of like standing up straight. So that's kind of my first one. Okay. Well, let me think about that for a sec. So like one, yes, like these small, simple things, I think are the things that make the biggest difference. Like I think the, uh, when I'm playing my best, it's when I'm, I'm bidding my knees,

[00:21:48] I'm active with my footwork and I have some, some energy when I'm being lazy is when stuff kind of fall apart. Yeah. So yeah, the, the, the preparation makes a lot of sense being stable and balanced. I see a lot of people like run through the transition zone instead of like split stepping and being balanced to receive shots. Uh, so I love that. If, if I'm going to go watch a player who does this exceptionally well and maybe mimic some of their movements, uh, who would that be? Uh, I think all the top players are just, are just so good at it. Um, like any pro really attention to that in general. Yeah.

[00:22:19] Um, yeah, like, I mean, Ben Johns is just so good at kind of being in the, being in the right spot. He's never really rushing. Um, you never really like, you'll see him do a full sprint. Like one time be like, wow, he can, he can actually run a bit, but, um, yeah, he's always kind of in the right. Yeah. Isn't that funny how he's that way? And then you look at like a, like a Hayden Patrick when I forget, like he's so like frantic everywhere. Yeah. Like they're just different movers. Yeah. I mean, you just watch like kind of like an amateur game, like pull up on YouTube, but

[00:22:47] then have a pro game. And then it's just kind of a night and day with like, people are just standing up so straight. And then, I mean, you think you're bending your knees, but you're really not bending your knees where pros are just kind of always on their toes, um, adjusting their position on the court. Or just, I guess being more engaged overall. You're going to love it. Okay. That's good. What's that? What's number two? Number two is the, the backend slice, um, either a dink or a drop. Um, I think it's just kind of a staple everyone should have in their game.

[00:23:18] They both have kind of similar mechanics. So if you learn one, uh, you kind of have the second one as well. Um, and you can hit it in the transition zone as well. So it's just kind of a really versatile shot. Um, and then kind of watching the pros and getting back to the preparation for this shot. I think the, the big thing is, is the footwork. And, um, especially if you get like pulled out wide on a dink, um, like pushing off your inside foot, then getting that, that shuffle step down and then loading your outside foot,

[00:23:47] um, is just kind of the key to stay balanced. And, um, yeah, you see a lot of pros kind of just, they're like almost like framing the ball before they're, before they're hitting it where like amateurs will kind of run and then try to slice through it. So I think that's kind of a big thing. And then another thing with that is the, the shoulder tilt. So if you watch like Ben Johns, when he's dinking, he's really rotating his, his shoulder. So he's like pointing his French shoulder down. Um, so yeah.

[00:24:15] And then, so he's not, I think it just helps like, so you're not kind of chopping down on the ball and you're kind of getting a little more level with it. Um, so yeah, I think that's, it's just such a versatile shot that, um, you can use a lot in a different, a bunch of different scenarios. So I think that's, um, yeah, good one. I'm thinking, okay. Yeah. Yes. I agree. That shot makes a lot of sense, but I'm also thinking like tops, like Hayden Patrick Quinn with his, I keep bringing up his name because it makes sense, but like he's, he's

[00:24:42] kind of known for that, like aggressive little two-handed topspin dink on the left versus a slice where you have like desk who slices everything. Yep. Is there a, is the slice, is it easier to execute? Can you like execute, you know, pull that off from more, more variety of situations versus the topspin dink? Do you need both? You default to one or the other. Any thoughts there? Yeah. Um, I think the, the two hand topspin dink is, is great and you should be like always kind of looking to hit that.

[00:25:11] But if, if you get a wide dink, it's really hard to hit that shot when the ball's kind of way to the side of you. Um, so yeah, the slice is more of a neutralizer against if someone else is hitting a lot of topspin against you, it's hard to kind of roll that with a, with the two, we dink. Um, so yeah, I think just having the slice kind of in your, in your bag is good to revert to once you need to be a little more defensive. Dude, that's good. Everyone needs that in their bag.

[00:25:40] And from the transition transition to, I will rarely hit any sort of topspin from the transition unless I'm like attacking. It's tough. Yeah. It's kind of slicey and you're just more consistent. You can hit that from a variety of spots. All right. That's good. I like that. All right. What, what's our, what's our third tip? Third one might be a little controversial. Um, but I'm going to say short hops. So kind of with the, with the caveat that it is kind of a last resort shot and you, um, you can't be offensive with them at all.

[00:26:09] So if you can get behind the ball with your footwork, then you definitely should. Um, but as you play with kind of better people, um, and people hit with more topspin, I think you'll inevitably be, inevitably be part, be in a bad position at some point. Um, and personally I was told to, to never short hop the ball. Um, so yeah, like, especially in the transition zone, like if you pop a ball up, you're, you're probably going to get a ball like right to your feet or to the side of you.

[00:26:37] Um, so if you kind of shorten up your swing, try to take it right off, right off it. Um, right after it bounces, I think can be, um, pretty beneficial. And I mean, you see the pros use these a lot. Um, like, especially if you watch, I keep bringing up Ben Johns. I just watch a lot of them, but he just, he shorts hop like right, right in transition. It's just kind of, it's just a pretty easy shot once you, once you get the mechanics.

[00:27:01] Um, so I mean, not, not using them all the time, but if you might need it one or two times during a point, I think it can really help, um, neutralize an aggressive like shot from your opponents. Um, like personally, I just, yeah, I hadn't used them until more recently. And if an opponent is being aggressive, I would just try to be aggressive back. And I wouldn't really, I didn't really understand like the push and pull, but in a, in a point

[00:27:27] where your opponent might hit a more offensive shot and you need to kind of be defensive either with a short hop or just a slice or kind of tapping the ball out of the air. Um, so yeah, I think, um, it can be, it can be useful in people's game, especially as you kind of get up to better levels and people are hitting harder with more spin. So short hop, you mentioned transition off of returns. Like what are other scenarios that maybe this can come into play and could be useful? Yeah.

[00:27:57] Um, on a dink, if someone kind of has a great, um, topspin dink and you're out of position, um, I think that's one. And then another on fourth shots, if someone's hits a really aggressive topspin drop, like, especially if you're unwinding, um, it's, it's, it's really hard to kind of, if you're trying to reach in or if you'd rather not like take two steps off the line, um, so you kind of can hold, hold the line and just short hop a really aggressive topspin drop.

[00:28:26] Um, yeah, I feel like you see that a good amount. Yeah, this is interesting. This is something I haven't really, I've never really drilled. I've never drilled short hops or really even put much thought into them. But as you're talking about it, um, I'm like, yes, okay. This makes a lot of sense, especially, especially off like a dink or a transition or even like returning, like it, it gets you, keeps your momentum forward. It keeps your position, position in a more aggressive place where you can be a bigger presence.

[00:28:52] Uh, it doesn't allow them to, uh, kind of push you around as much in certain scenarios. Yeah. And you can, uh, like, especially on returns, I got this one tip from a pro, uh, from a lesson I took once where they said, if someone's serving really big, if you can take the ball off of the short hop rather than like standing five feet off the line, it allows you to, to get to the net quicker because like the ball gets to you really fast. If you can short hop it, push it over the net, even if it's not super deep, but if it's

[00:29:21] in the back half, you're at the net before they, and your staple before they can do anything. So like a short hop makes a lot of sense there. Do you have a drill for, for short hops? Uh, this is something I've, I've never, uh, done outside of just kind of games or maybe I just naturally did on accident. It wasn't necessarily like on purpose. Yeah. I think it's definitely important to try to drill it, drill it. Cause it's kind of a, like a unique, um, or a different shot where you kind of have to like absorb the pace of the ball, um, a bit.

[00:29:48] So I think just trying it in a game of like seven 11, um, or even just, you're just in the transition zone. You're just working your way up. Um, just kind of having, I guess, uh, your drilling partner kind of hit balls harder at you, I think can, um, can help. Um, yeah, you're just kind of taking away the pace that the ball is going to, especially with a lot of topspin, that ball is going to really kick, um, into your body.

[00:30:15] So, or off the court, you're removing some of that kind of variability that may happen from a spin. Yeah. Especially you're in the transition. You're already trying to make your way forward. Um, doing a lot, a lot of like lateral movement too, is just going to add to, um, making it harder to, to get up. Well, that's awesome, dude. Uh, I appreciate you coming on, sharing, uh, those tips. Those are really good. I like that. Lots to think about, uh, if someone wants to keep following you and see a lot of your other

[00:30:43] stuff, what's the best place to do your content? Yeah, it's a pickleball pundits. Um, mostly like Instagram, Facebook and, uh, and Tik TOK. Awesome. And then, uh, you also do online coaching, uh, things like that. If someone wanted to get in contact with you, you have a website DM you, how does that work? Yeah, just send me a DM. Yeah, I do virtual coaching. Um, so I'll kind of, I'll watch your game and then I have just a ton of reference clips.

[00:31:10] So if you're trying to work on a shot, I can show like, uh, some pro hitting the same shot and kind of do a side by side and kind of analyze what, what you're doing wrong. Awesome, man. Well, Alex, thank you. Uh, we'll, uh, we'll keep following. I appreciate you coming on. Yeah. Thanks for having me. Appreciate it. This episode is sponsored by pickleball central reviews can point you in the right direction, but nothing replaces court time. Pickleball central has a 30 day paddle test drive program that comes with every new paddle purchase. If you buy it, don't like it, then return it.

[00:31:39] So go test out that paddle you've been thinking about and use the link in the description to apply the best discounts and support the show. I read it. And we're back with Aaron it out today on Aaron it out. We are playing a game from my mind called one pick wonder. What a great name. Here's the game. It's called one pick wonder and it's simple until it's cruel. Uh, myself and Brayden will be drafting a full pickleball kit. So this is going from paddle backup paddle. Of course, gotta have two paddles shoes, bag ball, and then one, um,

[00:32:05] gear of apparel, but there's rules, you know, so we'll do a snake draft where we go back and forth, but there's three weapons. So this is not just, Hey, you take that paddle. Great. Hey, I'll take this paddle. And this is not harmonious. This is not everybody wins. This is cruel and mean. So rule number one, the veto force your opponent to throw back a pick and redraft that slot. So Brayden goes, Hey, I want the 11, six 24 ultra. Uh, sorry, it's gone. I vetoed it. Rule number two, the hostage swap.

[00:32:33] Instead of making a pick, steal one of your opponents already drafted items and then hand them yours. Um, rule number three. So I could like pick something not great and then give it to you. Wow. Layers, wrinkles, the wrinkles to this game. Uh, the third one is clarifying, clarifying. Correct. Yeah. Yeah. I think so. I proved. Well, I'm sure it's going to screw me, but that's great. The last, uh, and the last, um, weapon you can use is called the Trojan horse. Instead of making your pick, you draft an item into an opponent's kit, uh, filling one

[00:33:03] of their open slots. Um, last rules here on this is once a brand is mentioned, that brand is burned. So if, if you drop a draft, a Selkirk Omni, no one can draft anything Selkirk anymore. No bags, no shoes, no socks. So once one brand is used on a product, um, that brand is done. So five slots, snake draft, 30 seconds to make a pick. When it's over, we'll prosecute each other's, uh, total gear kits and, and you guys can vote

[00:33:30] in the comments who had the better kit of five slots between two paddles, shoes, bag ball and apparel. Are you ready to play one pick wonder? I guess it's five pick wonder. All right, dude. Six pick. I'm thinking, I'm thinking of how I can screw you here. I think, I think I can do it. I like it. All right. Uh, so you want to start with, uh, paddle and, and, and, and slot one here. No way you're going to pull up.

[00:33:57] I'm going to, I'm going to come, I'm going to come straight out with the Trojan horse on the paddle. Uh, rule number four is, um, Aaron can put effects onto Brayden. Brayden is not allowed to put effects onto Aaron. Sorry. We just heard from up top. All right. So Trojan horse, what do you, what do you, what are you about to give me the worst paddle of all time here? I'm just trying to think of one to, uh, have a bit of love with. I want the one that comes to mind is the, the paddle tech Bantam 16 millimeter. Make it, make it the, make it the 12 seven.

[00:34:26] That was, that was even trickier. All right. So all the, all short, you're giving me the all Sean special here. Yeah. I'm special. Yeah. I think you hit me with the Trojan horse. I don't know if I can, I think we got to make a rule. You can't just hit someone with the same effect right back and forth. Um, all right. I'll just play the game. I'll just play the game. You know, uh, I'm going to draft, um, the six zero coral pro in my, in my two slot here. We'll just make it easy. I'm going to, okay. I'm going to go to the ball cause I know this is going to be gone right away. So give me the lifetime for the ball.

[00:34:56] Damn it. That's a good one. There is no other ball. That is the only ball. If anyone here is playing something that's not the lifetime ball, go play the lifetime ball. Uh, yeah, I'm going to use hostage swap and, uh, steal, uh, the lifetime, uh, from you. So the lifetime is now mine. Veto. Can I veto? Can I veto a hostage swap? No, you can't. You can't affect an effect. Once an effect is used, you can't counteract an effect. Lifetime. I own the lifetime now. That was not specified. Yeah, but that makes sense. I always kind of used my veto. This is just everyone's what?

[00:35:26] Everyone's just got their pistols out with their, with their power ups. Nope. Nope. Nope. Nope. I'm dumb. I feel like if we're playing like, I feel like every single card game in the world, like, effects can affect effects. The pickleball effects, affecting effects. I own the lifetime. Whatever. I don't care. Ball sucks anyways. Okay. You got the ball. So I, essentially you have nothing right now. I have three items and you have no items because you gave me the Bantam. I drafted the six year old core pro.

[00:35:54] What's the purpose of this backup paddle? Because like, I just forced you to have the Bantam. The, uh, like you, you can't use your backup. Like, I don't even care that you have a backup. I just thought there's no way we're going to play a game and just have one paddle each. So I was like, well, we have to have, you want to, you want to, you want to go down to one paddle here? If I guess we were to actually go play a game, we had to split time. Is that what we're going to say? Yep. First, course. Six points. You have to use this one. That's right. Of course. Like switching sides, but we're switching paddles.

[00:36:23] Would you just draft an item and stop using the power ups? You get to know the game to beat the game. That's how it goes. So far you have nothing and I have a lifetime ball, a six year core pro and a Bantam 12 seven. That's actually a pretty good lineup. I got an offensive paddle. I got a singles paddle. I got the best ball and I got a great offensive paddle that has the sweet spot the size of a dime. That's not going to do much for you. Especially you. Have you looked at your ball pattern recently? Hey, uh, please draft and stop bullying. All right. All right. Choose jet mock. Fours Babylon. Great.

[00:36:53] That's a great shoe. All right. So you're drafting that. I'm drafting the Yola rallies. I love those shoes. Easy. All right. You can have, you can have those. I'll let you have those. All right. I know you're going to do something in my paddle, but I can play good with any paddle. So I'm not too worried about it, but I'm going to draft my one as, as the thriving night, which more people need to try. By the way, that paddle is fantastic.

[00:37:23] All right. Thriving night. Thriving night. Paddle one. Paddle one. Trying to read my power ups here to see if I can, uh, um, I don't want to steal the ignite. You can have the ignite veto. Yeah. Ignite's not that good enough to veto. Dude, if you don't steal or veto the ignite, like you're toast, you're done. Like we play, you're out. Like you have low chances already. And then, uh, you let me keep my paddle. Hmm. Bag. Man, I got a draft. I'm drafted, man. I'm just, I'm just drafting. Oh, but you can, can you, you can steal, right?

[00:37:53] Can you still, have you stolen something? I have only Trojan horsed. So I have the, the veto. Well, the swap, the swap's not really. Hosted swap. Yeah. Hosted swap is a, is a, is a, is a, is a steal. Trojan horse is inserting. So I got to be careful here. And veto, you have nothing worth vetoing. Oh, those babblots are good. Not that good though. Um, you could steal apparel. You know what? Apparel. I'm drafting tuning tape.

[00:38:23] PBE tuning tape. I'm taking your baby. I'm taking it. Drafting. Man, this is a much better list than yours so far. I'm just going to have to die of lead. Like, is that what you're leaving me? Yeah, lead poisoning. Yep. There's lots of accessories. It doesn't have to be, it doesn't have to be changing. Okay. Okay. The, uh, I'll throw it. I'll throw in a ball. Second ball will be just the classic Franklin X 40.

[00:38:53] Nice. I don't know. Everything else just gets out of round too easy. You know? Okay. Uh, I'm going to use the veto on your Franklin. I don't even played another ball besides those two. I have, I have the lifetime. And if the Franklin's vetoed, huh? Like I'm definitely not playing the Vulcan. The Suckerk one feels like a rock and gets that around. Oh man.

[00:39:23] I feel like diadem had a decent ball at one point. I don't know. They probably still make it. Gamma Chuck. You ever play the Chuck ball? That ball's not. I played the Chuck, but I wasn't enamored by the Chuck. Ah, just whatever the diadem ball is. I don't even know. I'm going to give it to the diadem ball. Um, what's if I used veto? I guess. Yes. Back to my draft. All right. So I've used veto and, uh, have I used, I have used Trojan horse.

[00:39:51] Did I, uh, okay. Oh, I stole. I stole. I did a hostage swap so I could steal, um, the lifetime. Okay. Okay. So I've used two of my three. Okay. Um, back. So I'm, I'm down to bag. Do I, do I dare? Got to draft the best bag. I'm drafting the court caddy. I don't care. It's 2026. It's still an elite bag. Veto. Veto. Okay. All right. I can't draft the court caddy. Does that mean I draft something else? What are you going to draft? Oh. Yeah, you got to draft something else. That's tough. See, this is so much better to veto the ball because there's like, the balls fall off.

[00:40:21] There's a lot of great backs. Um. It's true. It's true. What are you going to do? Let's see. Let's see. Let's see. Let's see. Let's see. Give me that, um. Ranger. No, I don't want the Ranger. What's that new? Give me that new, um, carbon. That new carbon bag. What's that one called? Just call it the carbon bag, I guess. Yeah. You never even used it. I have not used it, but it looks nice visually. Oh, you know what? Give me the older one. Give me carbon's older one. Their, uh, court bag, but the pearl. You seen that one? The pearl. Oh yeah.

[00:40:50] The white one? Yeah. Pearl white. You know, they're. Yeah, it's pretty sweet. Yeah, they're like tour bag. Tour bag. That's it. All right. I like that one. All right. So I haven't picked a paddle yet, but can I use, can I use the swap? Like, can I like take your six year old Coral Pro and make that my backup? Yep. You can do that. You can swap it. I'm taking, I'm swapping. I'm taking the Coral Pro as my backup. That's your last power up though. You've, that's, that'll be, you've used Vito. You've used Trojan. Yeah. Yep. I feel good about it. All right. So you're taking my Coral Pro.

[00:41:20] I'm taking your Coral Pro, but I'm not giving you anything. I'm not really swapping. I'm just stealing. So you're going to just have to pick something else. Steal away. Okay. Hmm. All right. So now I need a, I need a main paddle. Which one do I go with here? Which one do I go with? It's the best paddle ever made. You know what? You know what? No. Okay. So do I do a fun pick or do I just draft the ultra? Do I draft the 11, 6, 24, ultra?

[00:41:50] Do a fun one. Do a fun one. I'm taking the Spartus Spitfire. There we go. You draft the ultra right after me. I already got my, I already got my two. I already got my two. What are your two? You have the Thriving Knight. What's your second one? Oh, the Coral Pro. The one I stole for you. The Coral Pro. Oh, damn. Those are, those are good. I'm stuck with the Bantam here. Are we both in shoes? I don't, I don't have a bag yet. I'm going to do the ADV. Flex. It's the ADV Flex. Flex.

[00:42:17] I've been using that bag for like the last like five months. I really like it. ADV Flex bag. It's a solid one. Solid. Am I out of power-ups? I vetoed you. I haven't Trojan horse you yet. I don't think, right? No, I don't think so. No. All I have left is. No, because I vetoed the ball. I hostage swapped the lifetime and I haven't Trojan. And you're out of power-ups. You just have to draft a accessory, right? Yeah, I think all I have left is accessory.

[00:42:48] Are you filled in everywhere? Yeah, filled in everywhere. But I haven't Trojan horse, I don't believe. So I'm going to Trojan horse an accessory for you. And it will be, what's the worst accessory of all time? Lead tape. Perfect. Yeah, lead tape. I can't do anything. I can't do anything. That's it. You have to take lead tape. There you go. I'll have to take lead tape, but I just, I can't use two hands. Or just not put it on the throat at least. I'll tie, you have to AB set up. Put it up top. All right, so let's go through. We officially have our five slots.

[00:43:17] Give me your five slots and I'll go through mine. So I had, for my number one paddle, I had the Thrive Ignite. Number two, Coral Pro. Hybrid shoes, I had the Jetmog Rally 3s. Bag had the ADV Flex. Ball was the diadem one. And then lead tape. Those are two. You got two bad ones. For me, paddle one, I got the Bantam 12.7. All shot in special. I got the Spartus Spitfire for paddle two. I got the Yolo Rally shoes.

[00:43:44] The Carbon Pearl Pro Tour bag. The Lifetime Ball and Pickleball Effect Tungsten slash tuning tape. It's a pretty good. So you have better paddles. I have, I think, maybe better than the rest. And you have great paddles and everything else kind of stinks. Thanks. All right. There's our, there's our, there's our list on, on one pick. That was fun. I like that. So please go in the comments below and you have to pick a list. Which one are you taking? Are you taking mine or are you taking, you're taking yours?

[00:44:13] I feel like you really came out ahead though. Just getting the Lifetime Ball just makes everything else better. I got no lead tape. I got the Lifetime Ball. Spitfire is an elite budget paddle. But I still think more people would probably want the Coral Pro and Ignite. But we all stayed away. We, we, we played nice. No one, no one drafted the Honolulu's. No one drafted the 11-6. No one, you know, we were, this was a fair fight. So go in the comments and let us know who, who won One Pick Wonder. And we'll have to bring it back in the future. Maybe play with a guest.

[00:44:43] Over to you and Paddle, Babble, and Gear. All right. So Paddle, Babble, and Gear. We're going to first talk about, report back on playing AB's. Hammer set up. And then some final thoughts on the Rhombus Tenon that launches this week. And then we're going to, I'm going to give you guys a list of paddles that we think are going to resurge once durable grit reaches their faces. Okay.

[00:45:10] So neither of us have the actual Yola Pro 5 14 mil that Anna Wright plays with. I did the 3S16. I love that you, I love that you busted out the 3S for this test. Anyways, we both weighted it up so that it was 128, which is right around where her setup is. We were, we were judgy. We were judgy last week. We're like, how does she play so well with this? We kind of just concluded that she's just really good and better than us.

[00:45:38] And it would be difficult for amateurs to play with this much weight. And so we put it to test. We went and put it on the court to see what we thought. So I'll give you my, my, my kind of bullet points on this. And then you can tell me your experience. But, you know, first bullet is like, it's not as bad as, as you think something about, at least with this being like a 14 millimeter wide body. I know you played the 16, but like the 128 doesn't feel as heavy as like an elongated 128 16 mil. Like it's a, there is a little difference there though.

[00:46:07] It definitely feels, feels heavy. One of the, the benefits was like drives, like no doubt you're carrying through the ball really well. And something about having that much weight on the tip of the paddle made it easier to keep the ball lower on drives, which was really nice. So that, that was the highlight was, was, was attacking even, even flex. Like everything just seemed to stay a little bit lower. The tip of the paddle was just engaged a little bit more than what I, you know, I'm typically using. And so that was, that was a benefit of having that much weight up high, but it definitely slowed me down at the net.

[00:46:35] Like you could feel like you weren't as quick as normal though. You could probably get by, like there wasn't too, like there were some situations. I was like, oh man, I may, that may have been different if I had, you know, my typical like lighter paddle, but it didn't come into play. Like as much as you would think. And the fast hand exchanges where I did come into play the most for me was on my backhand flick. So I have that backhand flick that I like. I can usually get quite a bit of pace on it, but accelerating through that. Cause it's just so risky and it's on the backhand side, which is weaker.

[00:47:04] Getting that paddle through the ball with any sort of head speed was, was tough. I would definitely lost some pace on that shot. Wasn't getting as much heat on it. I, I think in general, I lost some, some, some pace outside of drives just because I was just slower. I was just slower through the ball. Um, but when I had time to set up, like I was doing more than I could with like a, like a typical weight setup. So those are the pros and cons, you know, I'm, it'd be fun to tinker with this even further.

[00:47:33] Just not do as much weight at top. Maybe more just like the top corners. Give us a little bit more weight than maybe that we're accustomed to. Then that'd be like target. But definitely I wouldn't go like one 25, like, like maybe like a one 18 or like a one 16 in a wide body with the weight up higher. So the static weight stays low. That could be interesting. Yeah. What was your thoughts? Uh, so my, I did the 16 and I didn't have a 14 and have the profile. So I did a, uh, the Colin John's 16 millimeter square PS.

[00:48:02] Uh, my stats after waiting it up was 129, 8.4. Um, I completely agree that it feels heavy in your hands, but with the wide body, it wasn't as heavy as I expected. So I think a one 29 with an elongated would have felt a lot more heavy than a one 29 with a wide body, just because the balance is kind of wider.

[00:48:21] Uh, my big takeaway was I, I think I can handle a lot more weight than I expected and it could be paddle shape, but like I want to go like all my favorite paddles that I'm really playing. I want to do an experiment where I really weight them up like more than I ever have. Not like getting twist weight to a ridiculous number. Like I don't think anything over, I think anything over the eight is ridiculous. Um, but like I, I want to experiment like, like right here, this is a Friday war pro.

[00:48:48] I want to get this maybe like one 23, one 24 and really try it beefed up and see how that feels. Because I really actually enjoyed how much weight was on here. My biggest con was it just felt unbalanced. Like there was so much weight up here that I just think it needed like a full 16 ounce cap coin to counterbalance it. But it wasn't that the paddle felt too heavy. It just didn't, it just didn't feel balanced. So because you had so much weight up here, it just needed, it needs weight down here to feel sturdy.

[00:49:15] But I went from this to, to my Honolulu hybrid, which is, I think this has 1.5 grams on each side. So the swing weights like what, 106, 107. And so I went from 129 to, to like 107 on swing weight, just to kind of like feel like a 20 point swing difference. And this thing felt like a feather, but also I would say in like a bad way, it felt like it really had no stability and got pushed around. And so we talk about all the time how swing weight metrics and things like that matter so much more than static weight.

[00:49:44] But I was walking away feeling like I want to weight up my paddles a lot more because I really did enjoy the experience of having a paddle with a lot of weight on it. Like the stability felt good. Drives felt good. I agree. It was like naturally easier to keep the ball low. And I hadn't hit the 3S in a while. Like this thing kind of felt like upper all court. Like it really didn't feel like it was crushing the ball. And so it's just crazy to think like this was an elite power paddle two years ago. It's not core crushed yet. It's not core crushed yet. Definitely not. Raw power, right?

[00:50:14] Precision power, raw power, sand power for my dune lovers. So yeah, I actually enjoyed it a lot more. I would agree. Dune lovers like the show? Yeah, the movie. Dune. They say like sand power in the movie a bunch of times. They're always like desert. They say desert power for the Fremen if you're a movie lover. I just saw. I've never seen it. So when you said that, I just thought of like regular sand dunes. It's like, oh, there's just a population of people that just are dune people.

[00:50:45] Well, I'm like, I'm in a movie mode. I went and saw Odyssey, Christopher Nolan's latest movie. So now I'm like thinking about all the best movies that are coming out. But regardless, I really liked how much weight was on this thing. It just didn't feel balanced. But I am kind of like, oh, I was going to talk about hand speed. Yeah, it's heavy. But wide bodies, I think, are so much more forgiving for hand speed. I think if you already have good hands and you play with anticipation, like this isn't going to be your problem on why you're missing balls.

[00:51:15] Like, yes, I do think like a one-handed backhanded flick is a much harder shot with a heavy paddle. But I think you could learn it. You could adjust to it. And two, like I didn't think I was losing hands battles because this paddle was too heavy. I was losing hands battles because I had poor paddle placement. I was playing with bad anticipation or I was just getting beat. Because when I switched to the, like, it's not like my hands immediately got lightning with this. Like, it was an adjustment because it was just so light. So I just, sometimes, it kind of made me realize that I wonder how much swing weight is overblown

[00:51:45] because we're just living in this context of where paddles are. If you can just adjust to another paddle and stick with that paddle, I think you could really gain some of the benefits that all the weight is actually doing. So yes, it's, yes, I do think it's a ridiculous weight setup, but not as ridiculous as I expected it to be. Yeah. Yeah, it definitely made me kind of reconsider, you know, what, you know, maybe what the optimal setup is. Try in a little bit more ways, you know, see what happens.

[00:52:13] Though there are like some nuances here and there that, you know, can be good and bad, you know, either way. But yeah, that was, that was kind of a fun one. Somebody help me. It's Aaron, the editor. I'm stuck in a Pickleball Central ad read. Whenever you need new paddles, balls, shoes, or anything you can pick a ball, think of Pickleball Central and hit the link in the description to apply the best discount site-wide. And make sure you're joining the rewards program. So you're getting in-store credit for every time you buy. Help me get me out of this ad read. But tell me the only way you can help me get out is by clicking the link, saving some cash and supporting the show while you're at it. Let's move to just some final thoughts on the Rhombus Tenon. So this paddle launches.

[00:52:44] A couple of them here. This week on July 24th, we've talked about this, you know, the last couple of weeks. And we were both feeling pretty good about it last week with it being kind of this unique, softer, dense feel, but still, you know, high power, a little bit toned down pop. And it kind of filled in like just a less popular kind of feel and power profile or less made, not as many of them.

[00:53:11] And but I, like we had both said it was kind of tricky to adjust to, though I had mentioned I was getting better with it. And so I played with it a couple more times this week and I just could not dial it in, dude. I would, I always have, you know, at least two paddles with me, you know, when I'm playing and I'm switching between. So I'll switch between this one and that like mission first one that I showed at the beginning. And I could control the mission first so much easier. And it's a power paddle, too.

[00:53:39] And it's more of that just kind of typical stiff, hollow, boomsticky type, you know, style paddle. But something, something about the tenet, man, I just could not dial it in. I would still send things long on returns occasionally where I just didn't know or understand. Like I didn't feel like I was hitting it long. It would just go long. And then on resets, I just, I was just a little bit everywhere. Like I just wasn't as, um, as good as I am with, uh, you know, most other paddles.

[00:54:06] And so I, uh, I, I wanted, like, I wanted to like it. I wanted to dial it in cause I liked the general idea of it. And it was just, it's with it being like a soft, dense power. It's kind of, it's normally my wheelhouse. Like that's normally the kind of stuff like I'm like drawn to and I can usually, you know, connect with really well. But something about this one just wasn't working. My only conclusion is that maybe the face is just a little bit unpredictable. It's just not giving you what you expect every single time. And so I, uh, that one's not on top of my recommendation list, uh, at the moment.

[00:54:37] Did you get a chance to hit it again this week? That's so funny. This is why I love having two people on a podcast. I actually felt like I dialed it in a little bit more than last week. Did you? But one thing that I had to do when I, when I first got the J2 CR and the J6 CR is I needed, we, we talked about it and I felt it kind of like stiff and poppy and like I hadn't dialed it in. When I went and played a couple of times this week, uh, one night I just brought, I only played the tenant. So I was like, I'm going to fully adjust. I'm not going to go back and forth.

[00:55:05] I find it really challenging when you're playing with paddles in different quadrants, feel charts, switching can really mess you up. Every time I play with like an intense power paddle, it takes a while for me to get back to the coral, coral pro because the feels are so different. And my, like my strokes are different. So I just stuck with the tenant for a night. And when I did, when I stuck with it, kind of like when I gave the CR a chance to like really dial in, I did feel myself, um, find it. It was still too much power more than I like. I really liked living in that all court zone.

[00:55:34] So I don't think I played my best pickleball with it, but I think if, if you know that you want that soft dance, you want a power paddle, you're okay with the upper firepower. I would just say, just give, give you time to adjust to it fully. And it might take a little bit longer than you expect. Um, so no, I actually felt like I found it a little bit more than I had the previous week, but for me, it was just the discipline to stick with it, find the weight set up and then just not play anything else. So I could kind of like fully calibrate on that paddle.

[00:56:01] It still ended up being a good amount of power more than I liked. And I wish, I wish it was grittier. I know that's like a lame complaint, but it's just, um, I didn't, don't feel like it's got like some of these new elite textures coming out. I know the data is pretty good on it. Uh, remind me spend retention. It was tier three, right? So upper mid to upper eighties, which is a good place to live. Um, especially for USAP approved pre October.

[00:56:24] Um, so yeah, I would say like, you know, as far as stock charts, it's higher than last week, but still not something where I'm like, um, I'm still wanting to grab the spitfire out of my bag a little bit more than I want to grab the tenant. So I think that's kind of where I landed, but just give it time to fully, to fully adjust to the paddle before you, before you judge it, I would say. That's a good comment. I like that. And then last thing we're going to end with here is paddles that we think are going to resurge with durable grit.

[00:56:51] So we know that we're, we're on the cusp of durable grits, just being on everything with, uh, USAP changing to the spin outcome test. And so we, we put some, we both, uh, put some, um, paddles on this list that we thought of like series that have kind of gone dormant in the era of, of durable grit textures that we think are to come back. The number one we've, uh, we decided was the logo series. So this is the bread and butter logos.

[00:57:19] These paddles still perform very well. Like I, I, uh, I really enjoy playing with them, but it is like well known that the grit just wears out really quick. So I think people have kind of just put that aside in favor of durable grits. But as soon as that thing gets a durable grit texture, I think that thing will be very popular again. Plus with it being as popular as it was, like there's just so much affinity to it.

[00:57:44] I think that it'll also, it'll just bring a lot of those people back in addition to bringing in a potentially new audience. So the logo series is our first one here. Second one is the J2 and F series. This is, there's not too many great, there's just hardly any durable grit textures in that all court space. And as soon as this, the J2 and F NFK, just all those, um, all courts from, from Honolulu come back to the market with a durable grit texture, whether it's their blue grit or something else.

[00:58:14] I see those getting, you know, popular again. Yep. I love that one. Uh, next, next one we have is the, the aura pro from Friday. This one isn't as, you know, maybe as dated as some of these others, but it's, it never really took off the way I thought it might. Because I think it got held up from like the durable grit texture innovation. Cause this thing plays really well, um, for a power paddle. Like for me, this is one that I can connect with really, you know, like it has, it just feels very predictable to me.

[00:58:44] It's just something I wasn't getting from the tenant though. Um, I'll, I'll take your advice and just go give it a full dedicated session and see if that changes anything. But, um, that, that aura pro plays well. I think you get a durable grit texture on that. Plus the Friday fund branding and all their cool colors. They do. I think that one can see not a resurgence, but just a surgeon. Is that a word? Yeah. Just surgeons. Uh, take a, it takes it from good to elite or like great to elite. Like the feels really good.

[00:59:09] It's got a good, like hollow field that I think gen three players like Fridays brand is at all time high. They're signing pros. Like they're doing a really good job. It's just like, I think advanced paddle players, paddle nerds will just pick something else that has a durable grit. And so if this thing had a durable grit, even if it was in tier two, 90% above doesn't have to be your hex grits or blue grits. Even if they wait till October, which I get and just come out with a better version, that's all the paddle needs to be great. Like they came out with the hybrid. That hybrid is great.

[00:59:38] They're doing amazing colorways. It just needs like, this thing is just like, I love this paddle, but it's just smooth. And it's for me, it's like, if I'm going into a tournament, like I want the confidence of a durable grit that that gives me both on like a subject or like objectively on the data that we know. And then subjectively, um, you get this like insurance feeling knowing that I'm playing with like a gritty paddle and it's like, you know, I can make, I can like make these shots that I maybe can't. If you miss shot, you're like, ah, I feel like it's slipping.

[01:00:05] And sometimes like the psychological element can kind of play into it. But only thing Friday Pro is missing is that durable grit. And for me, I would put this right back in there with the Core Pro as a paddle that I could easily want to main. Like I want to main this. I just want, I want a little bit more from it. And then the next one we have is the VATIC, VATIC Pro VESOL. Yes. Love this one. The Pro Pros.

[01:00:31] Yeah, dude, these, these still, you know, construction wise, the core, the, like the performance level of these is fantastic. But like the, the big, and these got really popular for a minute. Right. And then, um, but there hasn't, the only Spitfire is the only paddle that has made a durable grit texture in that a hundred dollar price range. I imagine these guys will be close behind. The advantage that VATIC Pro has is just the amount of shapes like that you get. And they're all really, they're all, uh, for the most part, pretty good shapes.

[01:01:00] And I think they're actually changing like their hybrid shapes to be more square topped, uh, kind of following that trend there, which will be cool. But they have, they have this, the biggest variety of, of options with, um, and then you throw at a hundred dollars and then you throw in the durable grid on there. And I think those are going to come back as a really popular a hundred dollar option. Absolutely. Uh, last one, Yola, Yola Pro 5.

[01:01:24] This is less of a, I think it'll be a resurgence, but more of, do you think it'll have a surgence if the Yola Pro 5 gets a durable grid texture? Yeah, absolutely. I think there's a lot of paddle nerds who are fully locked in on Gen 3 paddles and they're okay with recycling a Gen 3 paddle every two or three months for performance. Like they're, they're like, Hey, I'll keep buying these. I know a guy that plays a pickler that is fully locked in on the Pro Cannon. It's this perfect feel.

[01:01:54] It's this perfect paddle. And because it's $90, he buys like one a month. He'll either core crush it or just buy a second one. So we can always have grit. He's locked in on Gen 3 feel, um, but he can't have durable grit. He knows that he wants it, but he won't jump to foam. So his solution, uh, is to just cycle them. So if, you know, if they're locked, if a player that loves Gen 3 is locked on the Pro 5, is locked in on some of the, um, the Friction Pro, Friction Pro V2, is any other Gen 3 paddle.

[01:02:19] Um, I do think there's a population of Gen 3 field nichers that just want a durable grit. Um, and for Yola, I think it would, it would give Yola sycophants one more word on, um, why like, you know, the Kool-Aid is stronger than ever. So, yeah, I think there needs to be a Gen 3 with a durable grit. It would definitely be great for Yola, but I think there's a need for either a budget category, some of them, the RPMs or, you know, these like top five elite Gen 3 paddles.

[01:02:48] Yeah, I love that. I agree. There's, it's still a paddle that gets used a lot, even without the durable grit texture and with its polymer core. It still has like some, the unique elements of it that makes it kind of that dynamic playability that's, but you still get that Gen 3 feel. And so, yeah, it's, it's very possible that that one could pick up a lot of steam if you throw a durable grit texture on there. I think that's their easiest win. I don't know if they're, if they're going to go to foam, uh, immediately.

[01:03:13] They might have like an adjacent paddle that's a foam option, but I don't, I'd be surprised if they ever totally ditch polymer, at least in the next couple of years. Right. With, uh, with their kind of pro focused, I guess, approach. As a reviewer. Their tendency for a polymer course. You can only pick one paddle of this list to get durable grit, but it's a tier one UPA hex grit crystal blue endurance. What, as a reviewer, now this isn't for your own selfish ambition.

[01:03:41] This is for the greater good of pickleball. Which paddle do you imbue with a durable grit texture? I mean, look at this lesson and think about it. Uh, yeah. Yeah. Yeah. Do, do, do, do, do, do, do, do, do. I got my answer. You got yours? I'm going to say loco. Loco. Tell me why. What do you say? I'll go, I'll go second. I, I, I still think it plays great and it still has a little bit of its own, you know, life.

[01:04:07] Like there's been so many power paddles that have come out and I live in that kind of stiff hollow response, but there's just something about the loco. That's just kind of special, unique. I think that just is super easy to connect to. And a lot of people connect to it in that kind of power category. And, uh, you know, I, I think that shape series is solid. What, uh, what would you pick? I think I landed on the NF. I think the NF, um, is not a worse paddle than the CR, but there's this consensus that since the CR came out, the NF is like not relevant anymore. Not good.

[01:04:36] I think the construction of the notched foam, it plays great. It's in that soft dense category. They were experimenting with face layers and Honolulu has a crystal blue endurance in the factory. Um, I would love to see an, like a, another version of an all core, you know, more in like the soft dense, whether it's like the Genesis area, whether it's the coral area, um, with, with a durable grit. We have the coral pro it's great, but again, it's, it's slightly leaning stiffer and regardless, even if they play similar, I would rather just have competition in the market.

[01:05:06] I think there's still needs room for another tier one, um, all core durable grit. And for me, it's the NF, which is not a worse paddle. It just has a different field chart and a little bit less firepower. I would love to see crystal blue endurance on the J two, uh, enough for me as far as, is it the most needed? Maybe the most needed, I think would be something that would break pickleball. Is anything really needed? Nothing is needed. A gen three needs durable grit. That would be great. And, um, a budget paddle needs durable grit. That would just break pickleball. It's going to happen at some point.

[01:05:36] Spitfire got close is the best one right now by a mile. We'll see more. So if you put a durable grit on the Vatac Viesel, that definitely breaks pickleball. But what does it do for all the $200 paddles that are great? Uh, I think if not NF, then I would go gen three. I would, I just want to see a better grit on a gen three paddle because right now there's either a legal peel plies pre October USAP era, or there's baby butt smooth pro fives. So it's just, it's a tough market. Yep. There we go. So that's our list.

[01:06:05] Let us know what you think. If we missed any, uh, put them in the comments. Thanks everybody for tuning in. That'll wrap up for us. We're going to miss next week. I'm going to be out of town. Uh, so we'll see you guys in two weeks. We'll see you guys.