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Complete guide for adding weight to your paddle
Connor Garnett says pickleball's growth is far from finished
A few weeks ago a video from well known entrepreneur and investor Michael Girdley made the rounds in pickleball circles. Girdley argued that the pickleball boom was already over, and the sport was in decline.
Pro player player Connor Garnett sees things differently. He responded to Girdley’s concerns by pointing to pickleball’s accessibility, increasingly young player base and low barrier to entry as reasons its growth is far from finished.
We break down both sides of the argument below.
In this issue:
Singles matches in Asia are crazy 🤯
The best amateur highlights from July 😮
MLP quarterfinal matchups are set 🏆
Easy pickleball paddle weight guide ⚖️
It’s hard not to laugh at this one 🤣
Let’s cook! 👨🏻🍳
HIGHLIGHT OF THE WEEK
Singles players in Asia are on the rise
PPA Tour Asia events have come a long way in the past year. We are now regularly seeing insane highlights from pro matches throughout Asia as the sport continues to grow overseas.
In this clip, Japan’s Nasa Hatakeyama and Vietnam’s Hien Truong put on an absolute show at the MB Ho Chi Minh City Open in Vietnam, with Truong ultimately winning the point and match. He would go on to finish third in the event, while U.S. players Luc Pham and Adam Harvey made the final — Harvey won 11-4, 11-4.
🔗 Check out this week’s highlight on Instagram, Facebook or TikTok
HIGHLIGHTS OF THE MONTH
Top 10 amateur pickleball highlights | July 2026
Each month, Chris Cali from Sorry Not Sorry Pickleball is breaking down the Top 10 amateur highlights from across the country (and world), powered by PodPlay Technologies.
We sifted through hundreds of submissions and picked the best of the best from July, as well as our NOT Top 5 plays, featuring funny moments and embarrassing fails.
THE PROS
Major League Pickleball Playoffs: Top seeds advance, but not without drama
All four matchups in the first round of the Major League Pickleball playoffs resulted in sweeps for the higher seed, but there was still plenty of drama in Dallas to kick off the MLP postseason.
Both matches in the Texas vs. Atlanta series went to a Dreambreaker — with the Ranchers winning both.
SoCal made things interesting against the heavily favored Brooklyn Pickleball Team, but Brooklyn ultimately prevailed.
Chicago’s Zane Navratil turned heads with an over-the-top celebration directed at Palm Peach’s Casey Diamond, which led to a somewhat heated exchange between Navratil and the Palm Beach bench. The Royals took care of business in the end.
The Dallas Flash continued their hot streak and have now won 13 matches in a row dating back to July 12.
QUARTERFINAL MATCHUPS SET
In Major League Pickleball, the top seeds get to select their opponent in the playoffs. As the No. 1 overall seed, the New Jersey 5s were able to pick from the No. 5-8 seeds (Brooklyn, Dallas, Palm Beach and Texas), followed by No. 2 St. Louis making their selection, then No. 3 Los Angeles. Here’s how the quarterfinals matchups shook out:
No. 1 New Jersey vs. No. 7 Palm Beach: New Jersey won the only regular-season matchup between the two teams.
No. 2 St. Louis vs. No. 8 Texas: The Shock are 3-0 against the Ranchers this season.
No. 3 Los Angeles vs. No. 6 Dallas: The Mad Drops and Flash split their prior matches 1-1.
No. 4 Columbus vs. No. 5 Brooklyn: These two teams haven’t played each other yet this year.
Matches start Friday from Newport Beach, California. Look for a full preview in Thursday’s newsletter.
PADDLE CORNER
Pickleball paddle weight guide: How to add more power, stability or hand speed
Adding weight to your pickleball paddle is one of the easiest and cheapest ways to change how your paddle plays, but where you put that weight can make a HUGE difference.
In this video, we break down the different ways you can add weight to your paddle, including lead tape, tungsten tape, tuning tape, reusable weights and cap coins. Then we discuss the different zones of the paddle and how adding weight to each area can change the stability, swing weight, power, hand speed and sweet spot of your paddle.
HOW WEIGHT CHANGES PERFORMANCE
These are the most common ways adding weight changes how a paddle feels and plays:
More power: Any weighted tape added above the bottom corners of the paddle will lead to an increase in power. How much of an increase depends on how much weight and how high up it’s placed.
More stability: Adding weight anywhere along the sides of the paddle will lead to an increase in twist weight, which measures how easily a paddle twists when pressure is applied near the outer edges (like when you mishit a shot). A higher twist weight will generally make the paddle feel more stable on those off-center hits.
Bigger sweet spot: Adding weight alters the size and location of a paddle’s sweet spot.
VIRAL VIDEO
We’ve all been there … but it’s hard not to laugh
Raise your hand if this has happened to you: The opponent hits a lob or popup that is heading right into your strike zone. You’re going to absolutely destroy this ball. It’ll be the most satisfying thing you do all day.
Then you go to hit it, and somehow you only feel air as your paddle whiffs the ball completely. It lands behind you, the other team wins the point, and anybody who happened to see it can’t help but laugh at your expense.
The first rule you learn in any sport applies in this case: Keep your eye on the ball.
🔗 Check out this viral video on Instagram, Facebook or TikTok
FEATURED STORY
Pro player Connor Garnett pushes back on claims that pickleball is ‘doomed’
Pickleball’s explosion over the past decade has created plenty of believers, but it has also produced a growing number of skeptics.
Well known entrepreneur and investor Michael Girdley recently argued that the pickleball boom may already be running out of steam. His case: padel is gaining ground, older players are aging out of the sport and pickleball franchises are going bankrupt.
Professional pickleball player Connor Garnett sees things differently.
Garnett, currently the No. 10 men’s player in the PPA Tour rankings, is a former investment banker who has an interest in the business side of pickleball.
He responded to Girdley’s concerns by pointing to pickleball’s accessibility, increasingly young player base and low barrier to entry as reasons its growth is far from finished.
So, is pickleball actually in trouble — or is the sport simply entering its next phase?
PICKLEBALL’S BIGGEST ADVANTAGE: ACCESSIBILITY
According to Garnett, pickleball’s greatest strength is how easy it is for new players to get started.
Public courts are available in communities across the country, while the equipment and court fees required to play are relatively inexpensive. The sport is also easier to learn than many of its competitors.
That separates pickleball from padel, which requires an enclosed court that is more expensive to build, and tennis, which can be more physically and technically demanding for beginners.
For pickleball, that low barrier applies both financially and from a skill standpoint. New players can get on a court and enjoy a competitive game without spending hundreds of dollars or spending months learning the fundamentals.
QUICK HITS
More please: Pro exhibitions are the best
That’s cold: He got his revenge instantly
The GOAT: We never get tired of watching Ben Johns
Unlikely victory: These guys beat two top pros
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