Pickleball Pundits

First giveaway! Tungsten tape bundle

Alex Matathia
August 21, 2025

GIVEAWAY:

I’m giving away a weighted tape bundle from Pickleball Effect. Putting weighted tape on the sides of you paddle can increase the sweet spot, add power, and reduce unwanted vibrations.

This package includes 2 different weights (0.5g/in and 1g/in) as well as a Cap Coin Sampler to add weight onto the bottom of your paddle to increase feel and power without increasing your swing weight.

Each person you refer to this newsletter is one entry into the giveaway!

The more people you refer, the more entries (Click Share Below)

More foam paddles are arriving…

Typical paddles have historically used honeycomb polypropylene cores but more paddle manufacturers are switching to foam.

Why is foam better?

✅ Better durability (no core crushing)

✅ More dwell time = more spin (that doesn’t wear off when the paddle grit does)

New official ball of the PPA:

The Lifetime LT Pro 48

How does it differ than the Vulcan VPRO Flight?

✅ Higher bounce

✅ Better durability

✅ Consistent bounce

Did you know pickleballs deform briefly after hitting an overhead?

Check out this slow-mo clip (from Pickleball Studio) of the new Lifetime ball side by side with a Franklin X-40 . The Lifetime ball snaps back and uncompresses almostly instantly on contact, while the Franklin ball stays decompressed a fraction longer.

Via Pickleball Studio

Stop driving the ball so hard!

While driving the ball as hard as you can is fun, it causes more errors and is still relatively easy for your opponent to block back. Aim for hitting drives at 70% power focusing on keeping the ball low just over the net.

Major League Pickleball Finals is this weekend!

Matchup to watch:

Anna Leigh Waters team (New Jersey 5s) vs. Ben John’s team (Los Angeles Mad Drops) tomorrow at 1:30 PM EDT on Pickleball TV.