This is what I’ve been wearing lately. I’ve had 2 pairs of them, and I have one I’m wearing and a spare. The 3s are out, so I got a great deal on the 2s just recently -
In my group we wear lots of different brands. I’ve also worn K Swiss and
ASICS. Another person wears Wilson, another Mizuno.
H wears K-Swiss Men’s Express Light Pickleball Shoe. I think it’s around $100. He only plays indoors, about twice a week.
I wear Asics gel-rocket volleyball shoes. Many people I play with also wear those. It is a good quality shoe at a good price.
New PB shoes are a smart investment, to keep you playing comfortably and avoiding injury. I’m glad you asked because although my initial pair are OK, but I want to upgrade to something that is a little more cush-y.
(My starter pb shoes are FILA from the DSW clearance rack. I actually brought home 3 pair from DSW. Hubby studied them all, and I gave each pair good long test on home carpet. For my foot, those clearance FILA seemed best. But at that point the main thing was just to quickly get out of my running shoes into a more support style.).
I wear the Asics Gel Game 9. I have a running shoe store I go to and that’s what they had in stock, so I did not try on any others. I have had zero issues and they’re comfortable for me. Several of the women I play with wear the same shoe.
Any court shoe should do well. Unless your a really good player I wouldn’t be spending $150 on pickle ball shoes.
Finally got my new paddle. The Vactic Saga Flash 16 mm with the shorter 5.3 inch handle.
I was playing with the cheapest Amazon paddle with a smooth surface Just two days in and there is a noticeable difference in my game in a positive way
In Chicago one of the known park districts just released one tennis court for pickle ball for seniors . MWF from like 10-12 for free for the summer. Hope that works out… Lol
Just got back playing the 30 up crowd. I am tired. Lol
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This is also a saw blade belt cleaner. It’s the exact same thing as the pickle ball cleaners to remove the ball dust /scuff marks after playing a game. Works really well. I cut off a piece. It’s just like a hunk of rubber. Lol. Many people use them.
Yesterday was fun. At 7am 12 of us retired ladies filled 3 courts at the indoor place. (Our coordinator is having surgery, so I’ve taken over - went old school and brought a clip board to get folks for next Friday since the group text messages can get overwhelming.) Then some of us continued on to some outdoor courts that are on my way home. None of us is very good, except for a son that joins us sometimes - outside we only had 7 players, so he fended a court on his own… quite successfully.)
Over that past week I’ve been somewhat sick with cold/allergies. Still I’ve managed a record of playing PB 7 of 8 days. (I did do covid test - Negative…. prior to indoor play and also wore a mask when playing with a gal who was on 1 week countdown to knee surgery.) It’s a bit of a fluke involving some planned and unplanned sub shifts. This time of year I’m usually ramping up to more running, but PB is more fun/socializing. ,
I played open play PB indoors for a little over 2 hours yesterday. My Apple Watch said I had well over 800 calories. It was me and another guy from my group (both probably rated 3.5-3.75 - at the club we rate ourselves as 3.75 because ratings are inflated), playing with one younger guy who is rated 4.25 or 4.5, and another much closer to his level than ours. I lost more games than I won for sure, but I got lots of exercise. The really good guy is very nice, but I get jittery when i start playing with him. I calmed down, and was then fine/had fun.
Today was the 6th week of our 8-week competitive league. I moved into the top spot after week 1 and have held it since, with a match record of 13-5. There are 2 other good competitors on Court 1, and then a slight drop-off in ability with the other 5 players. Spot #4 on our court changes from week to week (the player with the most wins on court 2 moves up while the one with most losses on court 1 moves down), and generally the 3 better players on our court win the games we play against #4, and lose the game we play when that person is our partner. Last week I won all 3 games which I felt good about. The points you earn and the points you lose in each game count when the players are seeded each week. My DUPR has gone from 2.5 to 2.9.
I’m not entirely sure how I feel about competitive play. It’s definitely different, with pressure to win points that I don’t feel in the same way when playing for fun. It requires a higher level of focus and strategy, which has improved my game. But it is exhausting! One thing I have learned from this format is to let go of being deferential to my partner to take a ball between us. In regular play I give up so many points to balls down the center line because I don’t want anyone to think I’m a ball hog or taking over the court. In competitive play, you have to go for it (and call it!) if you have the better angle or even any confidence that you can return the ball. And playing with the same partners over the course of the league gives you a much better sense of how you can play together as a team to get those tough balls.
The coach for our league just came back from the PB US Open in Naples, where he both played and reffed. He won singles bronze for his age group (last year he won gold.) The most fun part of league is when we play for fun after our DUPR matches, and we get to play a game with him. I always choose to play against him, and was happy to return most of his serves today and actually score a point on a shot he missed!! Of course he was probably dialing back his play even though it was still far better than anyone else we see! I don’t get jittery when I play against him because he is so good I know he’s never going to slam it into me. So I enjoy the challenge.
Next week I am taking a footwork and positioning clinic with a pro who is at our club during the summers and coaches in Naples for the winter. I believe she also competed last week but haven’t heard yet how she did. She’s a really good coach so looking forward to learning some new things from her.
How are you liking your new paddle?
Love the paddle!! Thx for asking. Played twice yesterday with it. Morning /evening. I am sore today. Lol.
Everyone has commented on improvement in my game with this paddle. So not just me seeing the different. But this company has a few flavors of this paddle and different shapes etc. This one is a slight heavier, more top heavy, but I actually really like that. But this version has a year warranty and why I went with the Saga version. Definitely took a few games to get used to it. It’s a nice control paddle with power when you need it. BTW. Have to get it from their store or their Amazon store. Lots of counterfeits out there I guess. It’s a popular company and paddle. Lots of reviews online. People usually compare it to paddles costly much more. That I like.
I have the Vatik Pro Prism Flash 16 mm - like it a lot!
Mine is the 16 mm also but just went with the Saga since it’s newer and 1 year warranty. Anything would of been better then what I had. But it was a hard choice for me to get the Prism flash or the Saga flash. Even reviews where saying the regular flash is great compared to the Saga and if the $30 upcharge is worth it. But I just decided to go with what is newer for now. Plus the reviews compared it to the Honolulu J2k that I wanted. Even their Rep(I play pickle ball with ), told me it’s a great make and very similar for much less. Someone told me it doesn’t really matter. Just get used to what your using and play well /fun. Even very high elite pickle ball players use these. The new Gen 3 foam paddles are coming out. I just don’t see the need of getting a $250-300 paddle. I am probably a 3.0-3.5 player at this point. I will use this till it wears out and go from there.
I also just picked up some Fila retro style tennis shoes from Burlington. $19.99.They were $75.00 on Amazon. Really make a difference for side to side movement /gripping. I like sales 
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Going to play again today. Can’t wait.
Are you playing doubles or singles. I have only played doubles. I don’t know how long I would make it in singles. Lol. Not sure.
I am thinking about taking some lessons. I am trying to do a slice serve. I can slice on a return but serving consistently with it is a work in progress. Lol.
I love your post. I used to get nervous sorta playing against much better players. Now I can play against them. I have like one good game and one that sucks and so on. Just getting used to the speed actually. Most of our local community center that play are all really good players. We definitely will take off speed on newer players but sometimes you got to mix up the serve anyway. But I am noticing that some of the newer players are quickly coming up to speed. That was me last year. Lol.
I started watching Pickle ball pick - a - part on you tube. He evaluates every level of play. I searched for 3.0 player matches. Then he break it down and gives suggestions like… Serving to the opponents “left” foot. That will back them up and give you more time to get to the kitchen or the transition zone. It works!! 
Twins
I bought my Prism Flash about a year ago and picked it for reviews and price point. I have no idea if spending $100 more on a pricey paddle would improve my game any, but I’m happy with what I have and don’t see the need to put down big bucks.
I always play doubles, although when we play for fun against the pro it’s like he’s playing singles because he can get to virtually any shot on the court. One of the issues I see at our club is that the better players have a game that’s all speed and power. The pro’s are actually trying to get us to slow down the game by dinking at the kitchen line, waiting for the opportunity to use a put-away shot. It’s actually very fun when you start doing this effectively! I don’t like playing with the uncoached 3.0+ players because they are just slamming the ball but don’t always have control and I don’t trust my own reflexes to defend a shot coming towards my face. With the pro, he can put that ball exactly where he wants it, so I can play right up at the kitchen line without fear that an errant shot is going to take me down!
Thanks for you YouTube rec - will check it out!
Pickle ball pick a part is great for me at least to learn some new thing’s.. He points out other’s mistakes so you can improve your game. I have learned lots of little thing’s that I try to implement. I am just glad he’s not looking at my game’s.
I 100%agree. My last game on Wednesday was with really good players but slamming was required. Lol. I am also starting to appreciate a controlled game. They were slamming and I used a spin Third shot drop and they rushed up and missed the ball. The one thing I gained with playing with them was that I am confident I can return their spin serves that come in low and fast. A few understand how to change up their serve so to me it’s a challenge and fun. I also don’t like being at the kitchen with rapid fire but… As I force myself up now I can get into those battles per se. This paddle is giving me the confidence and my hands seem faster now to react. As I play more it seems like the game is" sorta", slowing down a bit.
I hope today goes well. Lol.
