PICKLEBALLS
50
for these companies. The blend generally
involves poly‑ethylene and some form of
thermoplastic elastomer or thermoplastic
rubber to provide flexibility. The hardness
of the ball can be adjusted by mixing these
materials.
For indoor use, manufacturers create
softer, more flexible balls that won’t skid
on wood floors. Softer balls will also
bounce higher and play slower. For outdoor
use, the opposite — a harder ball is made
that will play faster and provide a fair
bounce off the hard-court surface. others. Manufacturers using rotational
molding point out that most cracks occur
on the seams of two-piece balls. They also
claim that their one-piece balls are less
likely to come out of round.
Two-piece manufacturers claim that
the most important function of durability
is the correct polymer mixture making up
the ball and how it is heated/cooled in
production. Companies such as Onix use
two-piece injection molding and have an
excellent reputation for ball quality and
durability.
Process: One Piece or Two. The process of
how the ball is made is another function
of its playability. Most balls are created in
two halves and then joined together (i.e.
two-piece injection molding).
The #1 indoor ball on the
market (Jugs) uses this
process.
A more time consuming
and expensive process,
some manufacturers create
balls using rotational
molding where the ball
is created in one piece,
then all holes are
drilled simultaneously
afterward. The #1
outdoor ball on the
market, Pickle-Ball Inc.’s
Durafast 40, uses this
process.
Why do balls break? All
tournament pros know that
some manufacturers’ balls
tend to crack sooner than Hole Size, Count and Pattern: The smaller
the hole size, the less wind can disrupt
play. Nearly all indoor balls have larger
holes not only because wind is not a factor
inside, but also to grab the court a little
more.
Additionally, some balls have more
holes. For example, the Onix Pure 2
2019
❘
Outdoor ball has 40 smaller holes,
whereas the Pure 2 Indoor has 26 larger
ones.
Hole pattern is also important to
balls being lopsided (out of round). Some
manufacturers clearly make balls that are
more uniform than others.
Diameter, Weight: The new ball diameter
range established by the IFP is between
2.874” and 2.972”. Weight is to be set
between 22 and 26.5 grams. There is no
steadfast rule as to which weight is better
or worse for indoor and/or outdoor use.
Bounce Height: Softer balls tend to
bounce higher than harder balls. To test
appropriate bounce height, the IFP has
established the following criteria: The ball
shall have a bounce of 30-34 inches when
dropped from a height of 75 inches onto
a concrete floor (at 75 to 80 degrees).
With newly manufactured balls bouncing
higher and higher, this was one of the lead
reasons that the IFP clamped down on ball
specs. The intent is to maintain the sport’s
dinking integrity.
Color: What color is best for indoor play?
For outdoor play? The answer is in the eye
of the player. When planning was underway
for the Gamma Pickleball Championships,
an indoor event, the steering committee
debated for hours which color ball to use.
In the end, three different colored balls
were evenly split on player preference. The
maintenance crew was called in to help
resolve the debate.
There are currently not less than nine
colors used by the ball manufacturers.
yellow and neon green by far the most
common.
In summary, while nearly every ball
from a given manufacturer is identical due
to the materials and hole-cutting process,
there is tremendous variation of balls
among competitors. Generally speaking,
there are no two balls alike across the
various manufacturers.
As of the time of this printing, there are
33 IFP approved balls. With the growth of
the sport and economic potential to the
manufacturers, we can imagine that there
will be many more approved balls coming
down the road.
To order any of these products, call 888.308.3720 or go to Paddlesandmore.com