IN A FIX
BREATHE NEW LIFE INTO YOUR EQUIPMENT
WITH THESE CLEVER TIPS.
By Jim Shults
What can a
74-year-old 3.0+
with one year in
the game suggest
that you don't
already know?
As a former rifle competitor, my
team and I worked hard to win state,
regional and national championships.
Each year, we did hundreds of hours
of dry firing—think pickleball wall
drilling, and a lot of live fire practice—
think dinking drills and volley practice.
As top master level shooters (like
our top-tier 5.0+ players), we had to
keep our equipment competitive, in
premium condition and compliant with
very strict (every match inspected)
rules.
Pickleball rules say you cannot
alter the paddle, meaning cut, slice
or dice the paddle face or handle or
augment the hitting surface. But, you
are permitted do other things with grip
material and tuning weights, so here
are some tips to keep your equipment
(and you) in top shape, so it will last.
TIP
66
YOUR PADDLE
Name it! Most folks don't, but I put
my name and phone number on my
paddle in case I leave it at the court.
I’ve even written “Watch Ball” on the
paddle, which I ignore most of the
time.
Clean it! Over time, the pores of many
paddle surfaces fill with dust, dirt,
abraded shoe sole and ball plastic
that is transferred from the court. Every
once in a while, I take a damp cloth,
using care not to allow water to get
into the edge banding, and scrub the
paddle surface, removing amazing
amounts of dirt and contaminates. I
then dry it with a cotton towel using
light pressure to restore the surface—
this makes a difference in paddle
traction for me.
Weight it! Paddle balance and
weight can be adjusted to individual
preferences by applying lead golf club
tape to the outside edge of the paddle.
This could be a placebo effect, but I
know some top 5.0s who do this to
heavy-up the overall weight of their
paddles for more power. Others use it
to fine-tune balance on the top and/
or sides. Once the lead is applied, it's
typically covered by regular electrical
tape to prevent it from coming off
during play. The tape also helps
protect the paddle edge from strikes
and scrapes from low hits on the court.
Back in the day, we protected the
tops and strings of our wooden tennis
racquets with tape.
Grip it! As for the grip, keep it factory
original if that works for you. However,
adjusting the handle to fit to your
hand might prove advantageous by
increasing the contact surface between
hand and paddle handle, which
translates to better control for me.
There are excellent products such as
I.Q. Grip and, of course, various top
brands of professional overwraps.
Personally, because it works for me, I
wrap self-sticking gauze designed for
horses. I found it online and in some
western supply stores for about $3
a roll. It comes in a variety of colors,
including pink and purple with silver
sparkles—my wife uses this!
Use self-sticking gauze, the kind designed for horses, to adjust your grip. Slice the 4-inch wide
rolls into ¾-inch wide rolls with a sharp knife, and wrap around the paddle handle to suit your
needs. This allows for fine-tuning and thickening of the grip and works for me to fill the palm of
my hand for more paddle contact. When the tape gets dirty or worn, simply remove it and wrap it
with fresh gauze. It’s low-cost and very effective for both hand fit and a high-traction feel.
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