Best Pickleball Paddles for Beginners
What a first paddle actually needs, why the expensive one is usually the wrong answer, and when to upgrade.
Pickleball Paddles
Face material, core thickness, shape and weight. What each one changes in your hand, and how to stop overpaying for the wrong thing.
The paddle is the only piece of pickleball gear that changes how you play. It is also where the marketing is loudest and the prices are silliest. Start with the pillar guide.
Start here
How to Choose a Pickleball Paddle
Face material, core thickness, shape, weight and grip size explained, and how to match a paddle to the game you actually play.
Read the guideMore in pickleball paddles
Control vs Power Paddles: Which One Fits Your Game
The single decision that matters most when buying a paddle, settled by how you score points rather than by how you would like to.
Paddle Weight and Grip Size: The Fit Guide
How to measure your grip size, what paddle weight changes in your hand and your elbow, and how to fix both cheaply.
Gear referenced in these guides
Affiliate links. See the disclosure.
Selkirk
Selkirk Vanguard Power Air
Players who want reach and a large hitting area at speed
Check priceadidas
adidas Adipower Pickleball Paddle
Players who want a known brand at a mid-market price
Check priceFranklin
Franklin X-40 outdoor balls
Outdoor play, and the ball used at many tournaments
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