Have you ever had self-destructive and negative thoughts creep into your mind when playing Pickleball?

“I suck at Pickleball”, “How could I be so dumb to miss that easy shot” “Have I peaked?”

Although intrusive thoughts of self doubt are normal - it doesn’t have to be this way. 

In fact, these negative thoughts are NOT an accurate reflection of your current abilities. 

How could you have made so many embarrassing mistakes? Did my teammate just talk about my poor performance behind my back? Your mind starts to unravel.

Just a few weeks ago, you felt so excited and full of promise knowing that you’d FINALLY found a game you were actually good at.

But It didn’t take long, and you were failing at pickleball again..

Your first drive sailed straight into the net.

Your next dink was so soft it came flying back as a lethal air attack. 

You haven’t seen your pickleball partner look this troubled since their messy divorce. 

Your mind frantically raced through all the mechanics and Pickleball lessons you have learned over the years. You start to overcompensate with power only to sacrifice precision and placement.

Now your arm and shoulder aches from over-exertion.

Time and time again, mistake after mistake. 

Your mood had changed from hope and excitement to failure and sadness. 

You are better than this and you know it at your core.

I think that it’s safe to say it’s happened to a lot of us.

You are not alone.

I'm actually embarrassed to admit this, but a few months ago, after being beaten by an inferior (and extremely annoying) player at my local Pickleball club, I actually CRIED in my car.

However, this was the moment of clarity that was necessary to lead me down the path of redemption.

The real reason for my mental, physical and emotional pain from my declining Pickleball performance was much deeper and simpler than I realized.

These weren’t tears of sadness but rather frustration.

I was no longer the phenomenal athlete I used to be - I was devastated and my ego was bruised. Many years ago I was a collegiate tennis player on scholarship at an Ivy league school. 

What happened? What happened TO me?

I felt like I was losing my footing as a sociable, fun loving and active citizen of the world.

Even worse, I was scared that my self debt was sucking the joy and fun out of the game that I loved so dearly. 

What did my future hold? Would I still be picked for doubles? Or would I be sequester to my dingy living room with the blinds drawn never to step on a Pickleball court again?

The self-critical thoughts swimming in my head were spiraling out of control after every match.The thought of slowly being resigned to the sidelines of pickleball society sent shivers down my spine.

I want to tell you my story so I can save you countless hours of wasted time and thousands of dollars in therapy. Trust me, I tried it all. 

I'm a competitor and a fighter so I wasn’t going to accept my fate as a failed pickleball player shunned from my local community. No way!

From my painful insights, here is what NOT to do if you are having a ‘set back’ in your Pickleball playing career.

Online coaching and Youtube: the blind leading the blind. 

There are countless tips, tricks and strategies that all us feverishly love to consume. It is fun to learn about Pickleball in this format, but thats about it - just fun, but a huge waste of time.

Let's be honest, do you really think Jennifer Dawson, Tyson McGuffin or Ben Johns rose to the top of the Pickleball kingdom by watching youtube videos by mostly unqualified “coaches”? 

No one-shot or strategy is standing between you and taking your pickleball game to the next level.

In person coaching and training camps: abbreviated, unpersonalized and expensive. 

Are you ready for this? I spent over $3,367 dollars on pickleball coaching and training camps - yikes! 

Sure, the camps were fun and I met a lot of great people, but most of the “coaching” was canned and generic. Where were the insights and advice that would really give me the edge against my competitor?

Everyone is learning the same dinking drills and ‘shake and bake’ methods as the next player. Although these lessons were great, they didn’t get to the root cause of my lackluster performance on the court regardless of age or skill level.

Strength training and conditioning: pickleball is about finesse and technique not brute power.

As a former collegiate athlete I know a thing or two about fitness, training and performance. However, the harder I trained, the less it translated in scoring more points on the court. 

It wasn’t until I watched Pickleball champions that I had that ‘ah ha’ moment. The strongest and fastest person in the world would probably be HORRIBLE at Pickleball.

Pickleball is chess and focusing on physical ability alone is playing checkers. Pushing your body to its limits results in aches, pains and even injury. I quickly learned I had to play smarter not harder if I was going to regain my abilities.

Equipment: Is it you or your paddle?

Let’s face it, pickleball paddles have come a long way since the game was invented in 1965. New materials, design and technology is one of the main variables in giving a Pickleballer an advantage over their opponent.

I experimented with Selkirk's Vanguard paddle, the infamous crbn paddle and other paddles that all promised more power and while I saw improvements in my drives, I still wasn’t playing with the touch, spin and accuracy that is necessary to win matches.

I was beyond disappointed in spending well over $1,000 on “premium paddles” that promised “insane power” only to be left with a sore arm and my shots flying out of bounds.

These paddles were a shotgun when what I really needed was a sniper rifle with pinpoint accuracy to get my game back on track.

Pickleball is all about hitting your target..

I've practiced dinks, lobs, air attacks and trick shots for countless hours so I knew that my muscle memory and technique was solid, so I set out on a search to find a paddle that would compliment my existing skill set.

Like I said, you are a better Pickleball player than you realize. You just need the proper tools for your skillset.

I scoured the internet, talked to my local pro and tested all my friends' paddles to find a paddle that would actually do what I wanted it to do. I tested over 27 paddles! I even have a detailed spreadsheet to prove it. 

This is when my exhausting search led me down a rabbit hole of what is legal and illegal paddle design..I was desperate to get my playing performance back from the depths of pickleball despair. 

Unfortunately, I learned the USAPA has cracked down on textured paddles to some extent due to them being an ‘unfair advantage’, but I knew this is what I needed.

I found a few remaining paddle options since the USAPA crack down that can help you literally "get a grip" on the ball and naturally create INSANE spin.

Yes, talk to any Pickleball pro and they will say the same thing, “spin and control NOT power is my secret weapon”.

The only textured paddles I found that were USAPA approved were the Apex, 30P-XL and Graphite Z5.

These textured paddles were great until they weren’t.

FINALLY I was hitting the shots I knew I could make so I knew I was on the right track, but I had shooting pains up my arm and shoulder after every match.

Pickleball elbow is a real thing and these paddles felt like I was holding a brick in my hand every time I went for a power shot - ouch!

I wasn’t satisfied. I was exhausted.

I was about to quit Pickleball. No, I'm not joking - I was so discouraged from my declining performance. None of my efforts were producing results on the court, only putting me at increased risk of injury. It wasn't worth the risk.

To boost my morale I headed over to the SoCal Classic APP tournament at Bobby Riggs Racket and Paddle last month.  

Fate had me standing in line next to legendary player, coach and paddle inventor Steve Dawson.

Naturally we started talking about Pickleball and I mentioned my frustrations with experiencing “Pickleball plateau” (more like Pickleball decline).

He knew exactly what I was experiencing.

Steve was a college tennis player just like me so he understood that both Tennis and Pickleball are games of angles, placement and spin.

He told me to master these three elements of the game and I would instantly start winning more matches.

Steve muttered that if a Pickleball paddle could function more like a miniature Tennis racket rather than a clunky block of wood that it would change the game forever.

As a former tennis player I agreed, but I replied to Steve,

“but Pickleball isn’t tennis—there are no strings to help grip the ball or allow it to “sink into” the surface of your paddle”.

“You’re wrong”, Steve said with a twinkle in his eye.

WAIT….What! What on earth was this ingenious paddle inventor talking about?

“Follow me, I want to show you something”, said Steve in a quiet tone.

Deep in the back office of Bobby Riggs Racket and Paddle a Revolution in Paddle Design was happening right under our noses.

And what I saw will blow your mind.

Steve pulled out a prototype of the newest invention from Prokennex. I gasped when I saw the most insane paddle design the sport has ever seen.

I quickly started taking photos with my SLR camera as I knew my Pickleball buddies wouldn’t believe this paddle was real. 

I asked “What is this?”.

Naturally, Steve replied “The Pro Spin”.

I frantically started taking notes as Steve graciously divulged the details of this revolutionary paddle design..

The Pro Spin features an industry first:

“3 Ways to Access Spin” allows any player to activate rotation from textured surface and non-slip applicant in their short game while engaging the strings during groundstrokes, serves and returns for maximum spin.

Sure, this paddle looks amazing and the technology is ingenious, but how does it feel to play?

A pro player may make any paddle work for them to a certain extent, but it’s also true that certain paddles will complement your strengths better than others.

Have you ever switched paddles after thinking the problem was you, only to find a “night and day” difference?

I took the paddle for a test drive and instantly I knew I had found the answer to my befuddling performance issues. 

My dinks were precise.

My serves were powerful and in control.

My drives and drop shots went EXACTLY where I wanted. 

My spin shots were fluid and unlike anything I had ever hit before.

My hitting partner was FLOORED. 

I now had the answer to my problem. The problem wasn’t me - the problem was that I wasn’t using a paddle that complimented my type of play.

The paddle responded to every hit, stroke and dropshot like it was a natural extension of my hand. I was once again playing at the level that I knew I was capable of.  

The boost to my confidence on the court was immediate and immeasurable. 

The best part?

As with every ProKennex paddle, the Kinetic system reduces shock and vibration by 43%, helping eliminate the epidemic of arm injury and strain in Pickleball.

Say hello to spin and control and say goodbye to arm pain and strain!

And this is where things get tricky.

This groundbreaking pickleball paddle has technology in it that no other paddle on the planet offers (saving players emotional and financial woes worth a fortune).

But Steve told me selling the Pro Spin to the masses was cost prohibitive. 

They would have to sell the paddle for $400 just to break even due to the insanely complicated manufacturing process of integrating the strings into the paddles surface.   

Wealthy people would buy the Pro Spin knowing that it would save them tons of money on personal coaching and pickleball camps, but what about the common player? 

It's a work-of-art, the first truly crafted Pickleball paddle with embedded strings for spin and accuracy and kinetic technology to reduce arm pain and strain. 

I thought long and hard about how I was going to be able to afford such a well design paddle that would surely elevate my game to the next level.

Luckily, Prokennex wanted to make sure this paddle was accessible to the majority of pickleball players and that the benefits of the Pro Spin (and kinetic technology) could be widespread.

They knew this paddle would catapult the brand and leave all the other paddle companies in the dust. Even if they sold the paddle at a loss now they would gain a customer for life.

That is why Prokennex decided to ignore the true market value of the paddle and for a limited time offer the Prokennex Pro Spin at a discounted cost of only $400 $219.95.

Due to the high cost of manufacturing they only ordered 2000 paddles Total. No more Pro Spins will be made, ever again.

You could continue playing with outdated technology and exacerbate your current ailments and endanger your pickleball playing days by slowly becoming isolated from your pickleball tribe.

Or you can switch to a paddle that will allow you to play Pickleball for the next 5, 10 or 40 years with pain free grace and precision.

This is a decision you should not take lightly, but I wouldn’t take too long to decide as other resellers are already sold out of this revolutionary paddle due to feverish demand.

Prokennex is only offering this exclusive deal of $219.95 for a limited time as supplies are limited Click Here.

Once you click on the button that says “YES! I Want My Own Pro Spin Paddle” you will be taken to a check out page where you can buy the paddle direct from Prokennex ensuring you get an authentic Pro Spin Paddle and not some counterfeit model sold by imposters.

They ship with care directly to you from the warehouse at the Bobby’s Riggs Racket & Paddle Club in Encinitas.