0-0-2: How Technology “could” transform Pickleball (upcoming weekend read)

🏓 2 minute read

Future smart paddles, AI coaching apps, and wearables could change how the game is played. I say could because nothing in this world is guaranteed, and searching for tech and pickleball these days doesn’t exactly return a TON of products or ideas that feel revolutionary. Yes, there are a few products “under development” that if they do pan out could be very interesting and I’m sure the investors in those products are just hoping for a viral hit, but are they just hoping success after launching a HAIL Mary?

I mean, the numbers don’t lie: pickleball has become one of the fastest-growing sports in America. In 2024, 19.8 million Americans played pickleball, a 45.8% increase from 2023 and a 311% increase over three years, making it the fastest-growing sport in the U.S. for the fourth consecutive year. At some point, tech folks were going to say, “so many people love this sport, how can we make money off of them?!” So, back to that search of what’s out there I warned you about earlier. This is not a long article, but hey ask me to rewrite it in 12 months and the picture could change. Maybe?

Smart Paddles

The Potenza SMARTx Paddle. So, this one drips with sci-fi feels. Apparently a group of eggheads, err scientists, engineers, or maybe all three, came up with the idea of a smart paddle with a bunch of embedded sensors in it. Pressure sensors, accelerometers, and an all-foam core, which lately seems like all the rage. Personally, my wife and I have a pair of CRBN Genesis paddles that work really well. So, foam core feels like a good start point. Personal take – good luck getting this thing certified by UPA-A. I really doubt you’ll ever see this in the hands of Ben Johns or Anna Leigh Waters. Now, if neither of those names rings a bell for you, its time to click on them and study up on your Wikipedia.

All that said, the SMARTx paddle will track: power, velocity, and spin on every hit and sync all that data to your smartphone. My question is this. Pickleball paddles are all about weight (overall or swing weight) and feel. For many people they have a favorite paddle. At $595, this is no cheap option, and if you can’t use it in tournament play then what? Open play? Sure, until Bob and Nancy complain that it’s not regulation. No offense to any Bobs or Nancies out there; I just picked those names at random. Granted, It is still in R&D land as of this writing and only available as a pre-order, so no one has actually played with one yet. But if it delivers, hey maybe it will help your game at the expense of your wallet?

Coaching Apps

SwingVision is a relatively well know app. Granted, I’ve heard about it more for golf or tennis, but apparently it’s going after pickleball as well. It uses your phone’s camera to detect and categorize shots, track movement, and give feedback on speed, spin, and accuracy in real time. Set up your phone courtside and it does the rest. There’s a FREE option if you want to try it out.

PB Vision focuses on post-match breakdowns. At first glance, this one looks pretty slick. It analyzes your footage to track shot speed, placement, consistency, and errors, and generates highlights, heatmaps, and shot breakdowns. They have some demo videos showing how it cuts out dead time letting you just see those killer rallies. There’s a free try out option for one game analysis, as they call it, but in the long run it will cost you $20/month. However, I checked today and they’re running a special of $99.99/year that works out to $8.33 a month. Sounds interesting, might give this one a try soon and will report back if we do. Works on iOS and Android. Now, I need to get a mount for my iPad or my phone to record stuff. This one looks good.

PickleWatch – This one might be more of a novelty. It’s supposed to track your swings in real time on the Apple Watch. As its FREE I’ll have to give this one a try next time we play to see if it really does what it says. It claims to: detect shot types, give color-coded feedback, and track trends over time to spot patterns. Will it do what it says? We’ll see… I can be rather picky about my apps. It just launched in 2025, so its early days for them. Reddit is a mixed bag on this one, but everyone’s got an opinion.

Apple Watch Health – Yes, it has Pickleball as a workout type and it does the usual calorie burning, heart rate, and time tracking so it’s worth a try to monitor your exercise/torture levels.

What’s a DUPR for?

Silly comment aside, DUPR is the standard for player ratings in the U.S. It tracks match stats and gives you a rating you can compare against players nationwide. Most serious recreational players use it to find competitive matches and keep tabs on their improvement. And yep some players use it for bragging rights. I say, “Whatever.” 😉

So, what’s next.

Smart paddles might be either the next thing or a fad. Apps might make you better, but only if they work well and do not frustrate you. Time will tell, and folks will continue to try out new things. Maybe it’s better to get apps and self-improve versus paying for that pickleball coach at your local courts? Then again there’s always free videos on Youtube and PickleballTV, Major League Pickleball, and Championship Sunday!

Get your dink on and Happy Pickleball!

Sources

• SFIA 2025 Topline Participation Report (press release): https://sfia.org/resources/sfias-topline-participation-report-shows-247-1-million-americans-were-active-in-2024/