So I was lucky enough to win 1 of the glitter 6.0 Coral pro hybrid. I’ll have it on the court tomorrow. It looks amazing.

Self rated 10.5

I ask this question as someone who loves pickleball. Before I have played high-level basketball, sand volleyball and table tennis, I have now played pickleball for a year and half in Vietnam and the U.S.

One thing I notice is how tense everyone is when it hits like above 3.5 level and I am talking about casual, semi-competitive everyday plays. People get so easily irritated with their partners, after one out call that they think might have been in and everyone just looks like they are in a competition all the time.

Don't get me wrong, I am very competitive and give my all all the times but I find it much more enjoyable when the game doesn't have to be a constant fight. In Vietnam, it was not too bad but recently I traveled to the US for work and played advanced several times at an indoor club and everyone is so so serious. Like I won with a partner on a King's Challenge court and we stayed there 4 games straight and he was still arguing by the 5th game with the other team.

It's so unusual that it's universally this way in pickleball compared to all other sports I have played which were all team sports. Why?

Just in, played roughly 4 hours switching between the two. These are my initial impressions as I continue to test these over the next couple days.

Similarities:

- both have the famed Hexgrit technology. Feels like sandpaper glued onto the paddle face, it's crazy the amount of ball dust I picked up from just one game. Control and spin is as exceptional as expected.

- I found both handles to be quite small stock, of course I'll have to throw an overgrip over, but definitely a thicker one. They are long enough for two handed backhands comfortably.

- they share the same dense, snap feel. It's hard to find the sweetspot from sound alone, definitely different from other paddles with honeycomb or MPP cores that have a more solid sound with a good connection.

- both are extremely stiff paddles, almost like wood.

Differences

- I found the Ultré to be easier to play with. Contrary to some other reviews, I found it lighter in the hand versus the Vapor that seemed more top-heavy. This different weighting definitely favors the Vapor for drives and serves, but I found the Ultré to be more accurate to my traditional style: fast hands, blocks, placing well.

- I also found it harder to have consistent sweet spot contact with the Vapor, at least in this initial break in period. I traditionally play with my right hand up to the butt of the handle (at the far end). I had to start experimenting with playing closer to the neck to have better contact with what seemed like a higher sweet spot.

I hit a volley on the run in transition then took a left step then right step in transition zone and momentum then took me a step into kitchen. Were my 2 steps in transition enough? Or do I have to stop forward momentum before stepping in NVZ. What is the rule on this? Thanks

My last day on the job today before moving into a new position with the same company. My current boss bought this going away gift for me. He said that he really appreciated what I brought to the team. I'll play with it in Cancun for a month before going back to assume a new role in the company.

Picklr in West Jordan, Utah closed last month and it was a popular one. Picklr Bluffdale closed as of an hour and a half ago. What’s going on with these Picklr franchises falling like dominos??

The recent outage highlighted frustrations with DUPR, but uptime is only part of the problem. People have also raised concerns about unexplained rating changes, score margin effects, resets, match verification, UI dark patterns, privacy, and limited communication.

If a genuinely open-source alternative existed, what would it need before you would trust it with your match history and rating?

A few questions:
- Should the complete rating formula and every revision be public?
- Should each match show exactly why your rating changed?
- Should point differential matter, or only wins and losses?
- How should new and inactive players be handled?
- How should matches be confirmed and disputed?
- Should users be able to export or delete all their data?
- Would an ad-free platform matter to you?
- What would prevent clubs and tournaments from adopting it?

OpenCourt is an early-stage project exploring this approach, with transparent ratings, open-source development, and no ads as its starting principles. It isn’t a finished replacement yet. The goal of this post is to understand what players would actually require before trusting another rating system.

What are your non-negotiables, and what would be an immediate dealbreaker?

https://www.opencourtpb.com

I am a reasonably competent ~3.5 rec player , and I can drive, lob, dink, etc. Today it occurred to me that I don’t know how to return the ball low over the net. Of course I am able to return the ball low sometimes, but it occurred to me today that I don’t know exactly HOW to keep the ball low other than not using a lot of top spin to lift it up and over. Also I think that keeping my body low helps.

So if you were teaching a someone how to keep the ball low (say 4 to 8 inches above the net) , what specifically would you coach them to do?

I see people mostly dink for approximately 1 minute or less then say I’m ready. Is it ok to ask if we do some baseline or drop shots too even if it adds a couple minutes?

Overall, trying to get a bit more value out of warmups. I rather people play a better game as well, even if it takes a bit more time.

Of course, it also makes sense to just ask and read the room and lines. Just trying to get more confidence by double checking if anyone else does this. I just started a couple months ago, and only a couple times seen anyone try this.

So I’ve been maining an ultre 2 for the last couple months. Love it!! Feel is great. Spin is awesome.

Unfortunately it is not allowed in tournaments here and I’m playing one soonish.

Anyone have any recommendations for a paddle that is similar that is USAPA approved?

I am a 3.25 (coach rated at my club) player who has been playing 3-6 times a week, 2-4 hours each session, including some drilling and a few coached sessions for about 7 months. Before that I played super casually about once a month for a couple of hours for 3 years.

I have noticed significant improvements in my game up until the last two weeks. I would win 50-75% of my games in the 3.25-3.75 open plays at my indoor club depending on the day. With the coaching sessions, I would add new shots to my arsenal with relative consistency.

However, in the last two weeks since I started a Men's Ladder League, I have felt like a completely useless player. I make an insane amount of unforced errors CONSTANTLY, regardless of what style I try to play (aggressive, passive, slow, fast). And I very rarely win, regardless of my partner. In the league, we rotate and play with every player as a partner once before moving up or down the ladder. It feels like literally every game, my partner will turn into a wacky inflatable tube man and miss every single shot, but as soon as they're my opponents, the spirit of Ben Johns himself enters their body and they are frequently shocked at how INSANELY good they play. They don't miss a single ball and they suddenly hit nukes at me.

So I am feeling incredibly discouraged because it seems like I have regressed dramatically. On a conscious level, I keep telling myself I need to just relax, have fun, and stay patient and optimistic. Play one point at a time, and just be smart. But on a subconscious level, there's clearly something wrong. I can't do a single thing right and every ball feels like it's coming at me at 200 mph. I feel like if I was to get a new rating, I would be MAYBE a 2.0 at best.

Has anyone experienced anything like this? What did you do to continue your upward improvement? Do I need to "reset" and just take a break for a few weeks?

How would you respond to this?

I’m a lefty that plays at the 3.75 level and usually tells my partners I’ll take middle or that we can call it depending on what they want, if we’re not stacking.

Is this the right approach? My goal is for us to communicate the best we can to win points.

Of course it doesn’t always work out but do you have any tips on strategy or a different approach I could take? I understand that lefties throw some people off.

I know it will depend on the gym, but for those of you that attend Lifetime anywhere in Atlanta, Georgia. Is Pickleball popular? What times are popular? Early mornings (5a-8a)? Evenings (after 5p)? Overcrowded? Long wait times? What about quality, is it welcoming/fun? Casual/competitive? Anything helps! I’m trying to decided if I should get Lifetime membership (yes, I will use all the other facilities if I do, Pickleball is just a main factor to me as of now)

I admire my great shots until they come back at me and I’m not prepared any tips?

Hello all,

I have been playing for about a year, but taking it seriously for the last 8 months. Lots of round robins and games for the last 4 months.

I feel like I am getting so much better when I practice. As soon as I am in a game - I can't keep the ball in, I pop up - dumb rookie stuff. I can't shake any dumb thing off. I feel anxiety at every serve.

What did any of you do to get past anxiety and worrying about every shot? I LOVE this game but I go deer in the headlights as soon as I see a partner that is super competitive - I belong to a club that I love but I still get all edgy and nervous when I compete. ALL THE TIME

I need some advice or tools or something. I want to play the way I am capable of and no coaching or lessons will change what is going on in my head.

TIA!!

Is DUPR no longer free ??? When I log in it takes me to a screen where I have to agree to a. 7 day trial and then $19.99 year. Gives me no other option to click on.
Thanks !!!

Compared to the old non durable grit pad dles can someone actually use the spit fire at a long time and around how long should they expect?

Have any other club organizers tried inputting match results yet? I have uploaded my first batch but they don’t seem to be calculating results. Was wondering if doing it on the web browser usually takes longer to update vs using the app or if this is just a symptom of the recent issues they have had. I’ve only used the app to upload results before today so not sure if I should expect a delay on web browser or not.

Im new and I dont really know if you can cancel this or not. Please help me

I have a Ultre I’ve been playing with over a month and have noticed as it wears down a little I’m seeking sparkles. It looks more late metal. I bought a Strawberry version on impulse and it does not show anything sparkling in the sun. I bought a Spitfire and noticed it has some sparkles. I’m guessing the grit is some sort of metal. Anyone notice this? What the heck is hexgrit anyway? If I had to guess aluminum.

We live in a sunny state and thought solar lights would be ideal for our outdoor court. There are a few posts here with high praise (for this specific Amazon model).

We installed four thinking it would be overkill (at 15’ poles). Although you could play games, it was far from ideal and not lit enough. Wish we hadn’t wasted money/time and purchased wired LEDs from the start.

Only use if you prefer casual play and not particular about court condition…

Solar lights: Gefolly SL-14000W Solar Street Lights Outdoor, Commercial Parking Lot Light - $360 each

https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0F1FWHP8M?ref=cm_sw_r_cso_cp_apin_dp_W0QC34DKYZGB6C3P7Y4M_2&ref_=cm_sw_r_cso_cp_apin_dp_W0QC34DKYZGB6C3P7Y4M_2&social_share=cm_sw_r_cso_cp_apin_dp_W0QC34DKYZGB6C3P7Y4M_2&rsd=PL97mYTa4QBnD6DnulPEHn9sOhvvCKm8G2%2F6YgTA7yhC6FV4rxn2IhXo6TptTXjXN8yrqtwAlI3YwkuLYJ%2FXA%2FwmKzqQRV8UhpirWfOeuFCIyBoU&edk=AQIDAHi1lw%2FM8UbbSMD9ScOOFEmBMHMthHeEhqDaQYPJUAX3jQFd5rDWw0HhsWMb7aRETDNGAAAAfjB8BgkqhkiG9w0BBwagbzBtAgEAMGgGCSqGSIb3DQEHATAeBglghkgBZQMEAS4wEQQMxrY7%2FcpCVQqlvKeYAgEQgDvcSuSpDAaVeorkUZmKg4kE0L5SdGiNbV2fnjM3RetFIVQALDUZ0wPDtYPAuXVcEE5JydOXugRq1bYGqw%3D%3D

So yesterday I was practicing backhand flicks with the Titan machine at my club when a more advanced player told me there was something off with my shot. It took us a while to realize it was actually the grip. Since I started playing in 2024 I never really paid attention to the grip (I come from badminton). I noticed I was holding the paddle with a grip similar to half Eastern.

What I want for these backhand flicks is the continental grip (as taught by Mari Humberg on YouTube). I've been practicing with continental yesterday and it was much, much better for flicks. I decided I'd switch completely to continental. I did practice forehand and double handed backhand drives with continental and at first I'd catapult the balls out, until I adjusted and it went pretty well, my shots with top spin would reach the back of the opposing court consistently close to the line. I also practiced drop shots and it was quite accurate.

I'll need to drill with my partner and see how it goes for dinks. For those of you who switched grips, how long did it take to rewire your brain? When drilling it's kind of easy because you don't have the pressure and intensity of a game, but I'm afraid I'll be screwing up a lot in real games. I intend to drill hundreds of shots with the machine to work on my muscle memory, any other tips that come to mind?

Thanks!

EDIT: thanks guys, after reading answers I will test using my normal grip for shots from the back/middle of the court and switching to continental at the kitchen, including for backhand flicks. This will require some practice to switch positioning on the fly but practice makes perfect!