These paddles bring the heat

Upsets and controversy at PPA Sacramento

April 21, 2026

 

Let’s be honest: Most amateur players just want to be able to hit the crap out of the ball. The thrill of blasting a third-shot drive for a winner or hitting an overhead that strikes fear in your opponents is sometimes more satisfying than winning the game.

We’re here to help. Last week we tested 15 of the most popular power paddles to answer the question on everybody’s mind: Which pickleball paddle actually hits the hardest? Check out the results below.

Also in this issue:

  • Should blowing a ball over the net be legal? 🤔

  • Send us your best amateur highlights 🎥

  • Upsets and controversy at PPA Sacramento 👀

  • How VAIR is changing the way pickleball players are rated 📈

  • The best sibling duos in pickleball 🤝

Let’s get cookin’. 🧑‍🍳

HIGHLIGHT OF THE WEEK

Should blowing a ball over the net be legal?

Eric Oncins was hailed as a genius just a few weeks ago in Asia for executing the old “Blow the ball over the net” trick. It’s technically legal under USA Pickleball and UPA rules, but when Oncins tried it again last week at the PPA Tour Sacramento Open, PPA Tour head ref Don Stanley gave him a technical warning for “unsportsmanlike” conduct.

Stanley repeatedly said “That has nothing to do with pickleball” and called it a distraction when explaining his decision to give the warning.

We’re not 100% sure where this leaves us in terms of whether the shot is legal or not on the PPA Tour (they could be writing a rule for it as we speak), but almost all of you reading this right now are definitely still allowed to go for it at your local courts.

🔗 Check out the replay on Instagram, Facebook or TikTok

SUBMIT YOUR HIGHLIGHT

Get featured on our Top 10 Amateur Highlights of the Month!

Got a highlight clip worth sharing? We’re looking for the best amateur pickleball moments to feature in The Kitchen’s Top 10 Amateur Pickleball Highlights of the Month on YouTube.

First place will receive a prize from a selection that includes:

  • A $500 DoorDash gift card

  • The Kitchen merch

  • Pickleball gear

HOW TO SUBMIT YOUR CLIPS

✍️ Fill out this google form. Make sure to include your email, name, location, Instagram handle, and WeTransfer video link.

🎥 Videos must be filmed horizontally.

🎬 Please limit submissions to two clips per person.

Whether it’s a clutch point, a wild rally, an insane trick shot or pure pickleball chaos, we want to see it!

THE PROS

PPA Tour Sacramento Open recap: Eric Oncins wins fist mixed gold, Hunter Johnson disqualified

Chris Cali from the Sorry Not Sorry pickleball show is breaking down all the best pro and amateur highlights from around the Picklesphere.

The PPA Tour Sacramento Open went down last week and we saw some crazy moments. Crashouts, upsets, terrible line calls, a paddle throw that lost Hunter Johnson a match and another blow over the net from Eric Oncins that wasn’t well received by PPA officials.

The only thing crazier than the action is Cali’s breakdown of it all.

BIG BREAKTHROUGHS

Aside from the controversial call involving Oncins, he had the best week of his career, winning gold in mixed doubles with Tyra Black — they defeated JW Johnson and Jorja Johnson in a close 5-game final on Sunday.

There were also a couple new faces at the top of the podium in women’s doubles, as Parris Todd and Rachel Rohrabacher took down Johnson and Black to win their first women’s doubles gold medal of 2026.

FEATURED STORY

VAIR is rewriting how skill is measured in pickleball – and where players belong

Despite pickleball’s historic growth over the past decade, the sport has faced a persistent challenge that could be prohibiting even further expansion: How to accurately rate players in a way that keeps games evenly matched and enhances the experience.

For Mike Barker, the solution didn’t exist – so he built one.

At first it started as a side-project to help organize matches at his four-court facility in Upstate New York. In order to make sure like-skilled players were on the courts with each other as much as possible, he teamed up with a programmer and algorithm specialists to create what would eventually be called VAIR, which stands for Visually Assessed International Rating.

SOLVING PERSISTENT PROBLEMS

There has long been a fragmented ecosystem of ratings, leagues and tournament structures across all levels of pickleball. While multiple rating systems exist, many rely heavily on self-reported scores or limited datasets, often failing to capture the nuances of player performance across different formats, partners and competitive contexts.

For clubs and facilities, the consequences are tangible:

▪️ Mismatched play groups
▪️ Frustration among recreational players
▪️ Concerns around “sandbagging” in competitive environments

“Most amateur players just want to fit in and play games where they belong,” Barker said. “Our system is designed to solve that problem and help people enjoy the game as much as possible.”

HOW IT WORKS – THE VAIRIFIED RATING SYSTEM

VAIR uses skill assessment by trained experts alongside AI to combine “data science, probability theory and adaptive modeling to accurately account for age, gender, mixed play and wheelchair classifications.”

Unlike single-number rating systems, VAIR generates a comprehensive profile for each player, including:

▪️ Age-based ratings
▪️ Gender doubles and mixed doubles ratings
▪️ Singles ratings
▪️ Recreational vs. competitive distinctions
▪️ An overall composite rating

“Players don’t just want a number,” he said. “They want to know where they belong — and they want to feel confident that it’s accurate.”

GEAR

We tested 15 power paddles ... this one hits the hardest

We recently set out to answer a question every power player has asked: Which pickleball paddle actually hits the hardest?

Instead of guessing, we used a Pocket Radar Smart Coach radar gun and tested 15 of the most talked-about power paddles. We hit 5 serves with each, tracking both top speed and average serve speed to see which paddle truly delivers the most power.

Below are a few of the paddles that performed well in our test. No opinions. Just data.

Luzz Inferno: This paddle has been extremely popular among amateur players for a reason … it brings the heat. Get it here — use code “KITCHEN” for 15% off.

Enhance Turbo MPP: This paddle performs incredibly well and is only $99.99 after using code “KITCHEN.” Get it here.

Six Zero Black Opal: This paddle generates huge power from the baseline without feeling overly stiff like many modern foam paddles. Get it here — use code “KITCHEN” for 10% off.

Friday Aura Pro: This is another great option for power players at a great price — just $159 after using code “KITCHEN.” Get it here.

Honolulu J6CR: It has one of the most advanced foam cores we’ve seen, with interior cutouts that create more of a "pocketing" effect on contact while maintaining high-end power. Get it here — use code “KITCHEN” for 10% off.

ALL IN THE FAMILY

The Top 10 sibling duos in pickleball

There are more than a dozen sibling duos in pro pickleball. We recently put our heads together to rank the Top 10. We considered current combined rankings, longevity in the sport and popularity among fans. Enjoy!

  1. JW & Jorja Johnson: Over the past 2 ½ years they have appeared in 19 PPA finals, won 5 gold medals and beat Ben Johns/Anna Leigh Waters twice. In Major League Pickleball they teamed up on the Dallas Flash and went 26-7 in 2024 and 32-5 in 2025, leading the Flash to the MLP title in 2024.

  2. Ben & Collin Johns: If we had done this ranking in 2023 or 2024, they would have been No. 1 without question. But they haven’t played together since the 2025 Masters. Still, they won a total of 34 gold medals together on the PPA Tour. That’s gonna be hard for any sibling duo to beat moving forward.

  3. Jade & Jackie Kawamoto: They are fan favorites whenever they play together in women’s doubles. They also are a threat to win against just about anybody on the women’s side right now. Since 2025 they have competed in six tournaments together, with 1 gold, 3 silvers and 1 bronze medal.

  4. Hunter & Yates Johnson: They’ve only played doubles together once this year, but both brothers are exceptional singles players. In our latest Men’s Singles Power Rankings, we had Hunter at No. 3 and Yates at No. 19.

  5. Alix & Jonathan Truong: Both are ranked in the Top 25 in their respective gender doubles rankings, and are capable of making a deep run when they play mixed together.

QUICK HITS

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