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

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.

Keep reading, because I'm going to show you how you are a much better Pickleball player today than you realize - you just don’t know it yet.

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.

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

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.

It’s exhausting to be filled with self doubt and uncertainty before, after or even during a friendly pickleball match.

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

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.

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.

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.

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 that's about it - just fun.

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.

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?

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

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.

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.

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 vanguard, 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.

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.

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 with my declining performance and none of my efforts in getting me to the level I knew I could play at without risking injury.

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 elements of the game and I would be winning matches I should be winning.

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,

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

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

Steve pulled out a prototype of the newest invention from Prokennex and gasped.

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

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

The Pro Spin features an industry and first ever:

The “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.

It felt like I discovered the cheat code to a video game.

All my hours and hours of practice and training were finally paying off now that I had a paddle that responded in a way that allowed me to play Pickleball how it was meant to be played.

I was in the ZONE. Each shot was effortless. Finally, Pickleball was FUN again.

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.

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 it knowing that it would save them boatloads of money and agony in the long run.

It’s a work-of-art, the first truly crafted Pickleball paddle, but what about the common player?

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.

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.