COACH JOE'S FAVORITE PICKLEBALL PADDLE

MY NUMBER ONE PADDLE PICK IS NOT LISTED IN THE 2020 PADDLE BUYERS GUIDE. THEY WERE LIMITED EDITION.

You may be able to find one on eBay if you are lucky, but be prepared for a sticker shocking price tag.

BEFORE MY INJURY I PURCHASED THE PADDLETEK LIMITED EDITION 2019 NATIONALS COMMERATIVE PADDLED, NAMED THE "TEMPEST" AFTER THE FIRST "TEMPEST" MODEL HIT THE SHELVES in 2016, AND WAS QUICKLY BANNED BY THE USAPA FOR OVERPERFORMANCE, ABOVE AND BEYOND OTHER MAJOR BRANDS ON THE MARKET AT THAT TIME.

THIS PADDLE REVIEW IS NOT TAKE FROM ANY AD OR MANUFACTURER'S PROMOTION.  THE FINDINGS ARE BASED ON MY OWN PERSONAL EXPERIENCE IN USING THIS PADDLE.  SOME MY AGREE AND SOME MAY DISAGREE . . . THAT CREATES GOOD DIALOGUE. 

  THIS PADDLE HAS A THICKER FACE (0.5mm) THAT RESULTS FROM THE IMPROVED NOMEX CORE BETWEEN THE CARBON GRAPHITE TEXTURED SURFACE.  THIS NEW CORE PRODUCES OUTSTANDING DIRECTRIONAL AND DEPTH BALL CONTROL,

MORESO THAN ANY OTHER PADDLE I HAVE TESTED OR PLAYED WITH.  ITS TEXTURED SURFACE AND REACTIVE INNER CORE,  CUSIONS AND TRANSMITS POWER IN THE HANDS OF THE PLAYER. 

I FOUND THAT THIS PADDLE CAN REDUCE THE INCOMING ANGLE OF INCIDENCE AND SQUARE THE ANGLE OF REFELECTION  TO 90° OR LESS. THIS ALLOWS FOR MORE ACCURATE AND LINEAR RETURN, ESPECIALLY WHEN COUNTERING THE EFFECTS OF OFFENSIVE SPIN. WHEN APPLYING OFFENSIVE SPIN ESPECIALLY "UNDERSPIN" THIS PADDLE HAS THE ABILITY TO DANCE THE BALL AROUND ON THE OPPONENTS COURT.  OF COURSE THIS ALL DEPENDS ON THE SPIN SKILLS OF THE USER.

ANOTHER FEATURE OF THIS NEW AGE NOMEX IS ITS ABILITY TO CONVERT FAST PACE AND POWER INTO SOFT FINESSE SHOTS. ON THE FLIP SIDE IT CAN GENERATE  POWER AND SPEED ON SLOW MOVING INCOMING BALLS.  

THIS PARTICULAR PADDLE IS A ONE TIME LIMITED EDITION, REVIVAL OF THE ORIGINAL PADDLETEK "TEMPEST" WHICH SCARED THE HELL OUT OF THE OTHER MAJORY PADDLE MANUFACTURERS TO THE POINT THAT THEY PRESSURED THE USAPA TO BAN THE TEMPEST FROM COMPETITION. AND THEY DID.

I WAS LUCKY ENOUGH TO PURCHASE ONE OF THE ORIGINAL TEMPEST PADDLES, AND STILL HAVE IT.  BUT IT IS STILL BANNED BY THE USAPA. 

THE 2019 LIMITED EDITION TEMPEST HAS MUCH OF THE SAME IF NOT MORE OF THE GREAT FEATURES OF THE ORIGINAL "TEMPEST."  IT STILL HAS A LOT OF THE HERRINGBONE DESIGN SURFACE TEXTURE BUT THE INCREASED CORE MATERIAL & THICKNESS OFFERS GREATER BALL CONTROL THAN THE ORIGINAL TEMPEST.

HOWEVER THE PADDLE WAS HARD TO GET, AND EXTREMELY EXPENSIVE.  NONE OF THE RETAILERS HANDLED IT OR WOULD ORDER IT.  I GOT MINE THROUGH A CONTACT IN THE PADDLETEK CUSTOMER SERVICE DEPARTMENT.  AND IT TOOK OVER A MONTH TO RECEIVE IT.  THEY WERE ACTUALLY PRODUCING THESE PADDLES ON A ONE BY ONE BASIS AND LIMITED PRODUCTION. 

THESE PADDLES WERE INTRODUCED AT THE 2019 NATIONALS, AND WERE BEING OFFERED FOR SALE BY A PADDLETEX REP. AS WORD SPREAD AROUND THE EVENT, THESE PADDLES SOLD OUT BEFORE THE FIRST DAY WAS HALF OVER.

SOME PURCHASERS WERE LUCKY ENOUGH TO GET THEIR PADDLE AUTOGRAPHED BY THEIR FAVORITE PRO PLAYER IN THE COMPETITION. THE RIGHT SIGNATURES ON THIS PADDLE WOULD BRING BOO-COO BUCKS.

DUE TO THE PROHIBITED PRICE OF THIS PADDLE, I SERIOUSLY DOUBT IF PADDLETEX WILL MAKET THE "TEMPEST" IN THEIR LINE.  THE VAST MAJORITY OF PLAYERS WOULD NOT SPEND THE MONEY TO BUY ONE NO MATTER HOW GOOD IT IS.  

AND THEN AGAIN, A GREAT PLAYER CAN PLAY WITH MOST ANY PADDLE AND STILL OUT PERFORM HIS OR HER COMPETITION. BUT A MEDIOCRE PLAYER MAY NOT EVEN POSSESS ENOUGHT SKILL SETS TO TAKE ADVANTAGE OF THE MANY FEATURES IN THIS PADDLE.

THE LUCKY PLAYER WHO IS ABLE TO GET HIS OR HER HANDS ON ONE OF THESE PADDLES AND TEST IT OUT (HA, HA) ON THE COURT, AND USE IT TO THEIR ADVANTAGE TO IMPROVE PERFORMANCE WILL PAY MOST ANY PRICE TO OWN ONE. 

I STILL CANNOT DECIDE IF I WANT TO USE THE LIMITED EDDITION MODLE IN PLAY AND COMPETITION WHEN I RETURN TO THE COURT.  THEN AGAIN, IF IT HELPS MY GAME OR INSTILLS GREATER MENTAL CONFIDENCE, WHY NOT?