Hi friends!

There’s some big news in the paddle-sphere I’ll cover in this one, as well as some new gear, and, well, a minor personal tragedy involving my high-speed camera. Again. If you're keeping score at home, that's four cameras now. Four.

But before we get to my basement woes, there's a lot to unpack this week. JOOLA is suing 11 other paddle companies for copying their patented technology, Proton got banned from the PPA. Pickleball officially has 24.3 million players.

I just got back from the Black Desert Resort in Utah where I filmed pro interviews for the new Clocked series. We announced the giveaway winners from Episode 100 (almost 3,000 of you entered). And we hit with some interesting new gear, including a $400 paddle that looks like it belongs in a Padel court.

In this week’s email:

PICKLEBALL NEWS

JOOLA isn’t just going after Gen-3 ‘diving board’ honeycomb paddles — they’re claiming ownership over the entire concept of removing core material and replacing it with foam or other fillers to tune power, feel, and vibration.

JOOLA asserts two patents:

They are seeking:

👉 Translation:
This could remove paddles from the U.S. market, not just result in fines.

More to come, but depending on how broadly they interpret the patents, this could affect not only ‘copycat’ JOOLA paddles, but maybe even any paddle that uses foam (or any filler, even air) between the core and the edge. That would include all existing Gen-3 and even full-foam (Gen-4) paddles with multi-density foams.

This one hit while I was at the PPA Black Desert/Zion Cup in Utah. A Proton pro showed me her phone mid-tournament with the email from Connor Pardaro, and we were all reading through it like, "Holy crap."

What happened: Proton fell behind on their financial obligations to UPA (the umbrella organization that oversees the PPA and UPAA). They've apparently owed money for a long time and never rectified the debts. After the tournament wrapped, they were officially banned from pro play going forward.

Important distinction: this is not about the paddle failing equipment testing. UPAA and Pickle Pro Labs, the independent lab doing paddle certification, did not flag any issues with Proton paddles. This is purely financial.

The email also mentioned that Proton reportedly owes several of their pros money. Combined with last year's involuntary bankruptcy trial with investors wanting their money back, there's a lot of smoke here.

Can they come back? If they pay up and get their finances in order, yes. But can they raise the money if investors don't trust them anymore? Eddie and I aren't optimistic.

What about amateur play? Proton paddles are still USAP-approved. You can play with them at any non-PPA event. The email did mention they might consider banning Proton from PPA amateur events too, but that hasn't happened yet. Eddie and I both think that would be an overreach. If the paddle passed certification and they paid for that certification, it is what it is.

For the pros who were playing Proton, the question now is: what paddle plays like the Flamingo? The answer is any small-cell polypropylene Gen 3 paddle. There are options. The Flamingo was a good paddle, but it wasn't anything so far beyond the competition that they can't find something comparable.

Remember when Andrei Daescu left Proton for CRBN back in Episode 100? That's feeling more significant now.

A new SFIA report confirmed that pickleball is still the fastest-growing sport in America. Some numbers that stood out:

The study breaks players into casuals (1-7 times per year, 16.8 million) and core (8+ times per year, 7.5 million). Eddie and I both thought that "core" threshold was pretty low. Eight times a year doesn't feel core to us. But 7.5 million people playing that frequently is still a massive number.

What's really encouraging is the youth factor. Every PPA tournament I go to, I'm seeing more and more teenagers competing and socializing around pickleball. At St. George last week, there were probably 12 early teenagers hanging out together in a group talking about how they’re doing in the competition and otherwise having a blast. The average age at the clubs Eddie plays at has dropped from about 65 to around 40 in just a few years.

The takeaway: it still has not leveled off. No sign it's slowing down.

GIVEAWAY WINNERS

Almost 3,000 of you entered. Eight winners were picked by a random number generator. Here they are:

1. 11Six24 Vapor Power 2: George Pointer

2. Chorus Harmony Grit: Alvin Ore

3. Honolulu J2CR Blue Endurance Grit #1: Joe Stutzman

4. Honolulu J2CR Blue Endurance Grit #2: Marie Sin (a friend of the show, and it's her birthday in April!)

5. Honolulu J6CR: Gerald Ang

6. Selkirk Boomstick: Jonathan TR

7. Six Zero Coral: Scott Skinner

8. Spartus P1: Maryanne Brazinski

PADDLES OF THE WEEK

We have to talk about this one.

Yes, it's $400. Now making it the most expensive paddle on the market. Yes, it looks like a Padel racket. Yes, it has throat holes. Eddie actually likes the holes. I’m not a fan of the holes, although there are some aspects of this paddle that surprised me.

Some interesting construction: the core is PU foam center with carbon rib struts, surrounded by an outer EVA foam perimeter. It's a fully floating, full foam, thermoformed, edgeless design at 18mm thick. The surface is a nanotech friction coating, sprayed on and sandblasted to a suede-like feel. No grit. Very similar concept to the original Proton Series 1 type A surface.

The specs tell a story:

Eddie's on-court take: a small hot spot in the center that rips, but everything outside of that is soft and unpredictable. Launch angle was way off. His thirds were going up like lobs. His drives were hitting the net.

My take: I came in expecting to hate this paddle. I actually played one of my best games of the day with it. I immediately recognized it as control-oriented, started resetting everything, and it threw off my opponents. When you hit the sweet spot, it feels really good. Dense and soft with a unique feel I haven't experienced with any other paddle.

But the dead spots are real. Up near the top, dead. Down by the throat holes, dead. Off to either side, dead. And at $400, that's a tough pill to swallow.

Still, even if this were the best performing paddle in the world, it doesn’t matter because its dimensions exceed the Rule of 24 (max length + width can’t exceed 24 inches). Mine measures 16.5 × 8.0. That’s 24.5 inches total - beyond the legal limit.

The honest verdict: if Kobo put this same core and nanotech surface into a traditional shape with an edge guard, I think it would be a genuinely good paddle. There's real potential in the construction and surface technology. They just missed the boat on the form factor.

The lightweight version is currently available in widebody and hybrid only.

Here's how the widebody stacks up against the original:

Everything is just subtly lower. Nothing hugely different. They likely reduced the EPP foam density in the core.

The big improvement: the handle. They made the circumference smaller and less chunky. It's probably around a 4.1, and it feels great. That alone is worth noting.

On court, Eddie and I both noticed the lightweight feels a bit stiffer than the original. The original Coral sits in the soft and dense quadrant of the feel chart. This one is edging up into stiffer territory. Eddie described it as "a little harsher" than he remembered.

Eddie added 5 grams per side of perimeter weighting, which took away some of that stiffness and added forgiveness. But then you're basically back to the original weight. So the question becomes: what's the point?

My honest take: this is a welcome addition, if your preferences are a very lightweight paddle with a skinnier handle, and you like that stiffer feel. I do think that if they had made the swing-weight-to-twist-weight ratio more favorable (lower swing weight, higher twist weight), that would better justify this variant. There are players who are sensitive to overall static weight, though, and the handle upgrade is real. Same price as the original at $200 before code.

This is Anna Leigh Waters' first signature paddle with Franklin. Three thicknesses are available: 12.7mm (her spec), 14mm, and 16mm.

Quick specs on the 12.7mm:

Eddie's exact words were "This thing feels like a toy." But here's the interesting part: Eddie noticed that when you're dropping, it plays soft.

When you're driving, it stiffens up and gives you density and power back. That changing dynamic depending on how much energy you're putting into the swing is kind of cool. You don't get that with every paddle.

The fun question: Anna Leigh isn't even playing with her own signature paddle yet. She's still on the hybrid shape. Kind of funny. But at $230 before code, it's reasonably priced for having the biggest name in pickleball on the box. Good on Franklin for keeping it accessible.

The spin is impressive. Very aggressive texture that produces good spin for shaping the ball.

GEAR OF THE WEEK

Right out of the box, no break-in needed. They fit like a slipper, although they’re stiffer than the previous Jet Mach 3s. The laces lock everything down.

What changed from the 3s: new foam in the forefoot for more energy return, reinforced lateral support, a new fabric developed with Chamitex (Aramid and Polyamide fibers) for more durability, and the same Michelin outsoles. That translates into more support, but a slightly stiffer feel. And they weigh a bit more, too.

The big personal win for me: my toes aren't hurting anymore. The size 11 Babolots used to crush my toes, and 11.5 was too big. Something about the Mach 4 toe box gave my feet more room. At $159 before code JOHNKEW, these are easily in my top two shoes alongside the Selkirk Court Strikes.

There’s another contender, though: JOOLA just released their first pickleball court shoe, and initial impressions are good. I’ll talk about them on the next podcast.

The squeaking issue is fixed (at least based on my initial use; I’ll keep an eye - and an ear - on them). Blumaka reformulated the bottom coating on all their insoles, and I can confirm it does not squeak anymore in either my Selkirks or the Babolats.

I played a session in Nashville without them and my feet were killing me. I can't play without these things now. They lock your foot in place, eliminate the toe-crushing on hard stops, and absorb the pounding from the court. If you deal with foot pain, try a pair.

These are more lifestyle shoes that can also go on court. Think one-shoe-fits-all for travel. You're going somewhere, you don't want to pack court shoes separately, and you might want to play. That's the use case.

Two models: the Classic at $138 and the Pro at $158. Both have EVA foam midsoles and Infinigrit outsoles. The Pro has a mesh upper with visible ventilation. Very Vans-esque skateboarder vibe. Comfortable as house shoes. I haven't tested them in competitive play yet, so can't speak to on-court grip, but for casual play and lifestyle wear, they look and feel great.

Use code JOHNKEW for discounts on: