Welcome to the Pickle Madness Weekly!

A pickleball paddle fanatic’s review of the Electrum Pro II, how to prepare for a pickleball tournament, and more!

So you’ve been practicing and playing games nonstop and are now a pickleball addict, and you’re starting to think about entering a tournament. How do you know you’re ready? Everyone probably has a different answer some play after a couple of months, while others may never play one. It comes down to your confidence level, your affinity for competition, and if you’ve been having success in rec play. For me, I probably played about six months and was winning most rec games when I decided I had the confidence to sign up. I enjoy the competition and testing my skills against new players and different shots. This was the main reason I felt I was ready to tackle a tournament.

The question then becomes, how to you prepare for a tournament? I was unsure going into my first one, but since then I’ve gained valuable experience and knowledge. I’ve learned what works and what doesn’t to make your first tournament more enjoyable and less stressful. Hopefully these tips will help make your tournament debut a fun experience.

CLICK HERE TO READ FULL ARTICLE

Want to be featured as a guest author?

Send your submission to [email protected] for a chance to have your name and article published on www.picklemadness.com and the weekly newsletter!

First Impressions: The Diadem Edge 18k Paddle

As I have stated before, I am a paddle addict – an unabashed, unapologetic paddle lover! I love to try new paddles, and unfortunately for my wallet, I love to buy new paddles! My love of purchasing doesn’t just apply to paddles, so throughout the years, like any respectable consumer, I have learned to appreciate a good sale. So when I saw Electrum had placed three of their carbon-faced paddles on sale, I wanted to take a look.

This week I got my hands on an Electrum Pro II, which was just put on sale from $199.99 to $149.99. The Pro II has a slightly elongated handle. It is 11 mm thick, or thin in this case, which provides lots of pop when playing. The thinness and heavy head weight put this paddle squarely in the power category. The Pro II has a gritty carbon fiber face.

 Here are the specifications:

• Paddle Weight: 7.9 - 8.2 oz

• Paddle Face Material: Raw Carbon Fiber Face

• Paddle Core: Whole Cell Polypropylene Honeycomb

• Paddle Shape: Standard

• Paddle Length: 16''

• Paddle Width: 8''

• Grip Thickness: Standard - 4 1/4''

• Handle Length: Long - 5 1/2''

• Core Thickness: 11 mm

• Colorway: Black & Yellow

• Electrum offers a 6 MONTH WARRANTY

• USAPA Approved

My impressions:

I like that the Pro II comes with a paddle cover. To really make a carbon fiber face last, it needs to be covered to keep the carbon face from getting damaged when in your bag. The paddle has a nice clean look, black carbon face and gold/yellow trim edge guard with a black leather grip – it all makes this paddle look classy.

I could tell right away that this is a power paddle. Since the thinness of the core provides a good pop, I had to be more precise with my soft shots and more focused to get good control. This made resets and blocking a little more difficult, but I got used to it pretty quickly. The weight was good for me and I really was impressed with the power I got on my ground strokes and serves. The gritty surface provides a nice spin without a lot of effort.

The black leather grip looks good and is comfortable, but I found that as I sweated in the Florida summer heat, it became slippery. Overgrip solved the problem. I found the slightly elongated handle length allowed me to use a two-handed back hand if I needed to.

If I hit the ball in the sweet spot this paddle was magic, but if you miss the sweet spot and especially if you hit the edge guard, the shot can really go awry. This seems to be more exaggerated with this paddle because the Pro II edge guard protrudes more than most on other paddles I have played with.

Recommendation:

Like most power paddles the Pro II is better suited for an intermediate to advance player. And for the players who have good control but need extra power. At this new price point it’s a good buy if you are looking for a medium weight carbon face power paddle. An added bonus is the included paddle cover.

You can purchase the Electrum Pro II HERE.

Rule Review of the Week

Need one of pickleball’s confusing rules cleared up? Let us know and we’ll include it in next week’s issue.

3.A.6 Distraction – Physical actions by a player that are ‘not common to the game’ that, in the judgement of the referee, may interfere with the opponent’s ability or concentration to hit the ball. Examples include, but are not limited to, making loud noises, stomping feet, waving the paddle in a distracting manner or otherwise interfering with the opponent’s concentration or ability to hit the ball.

6.D.10. – While the ball is in the air, if a player yells “out”, “no”, “bounce it,” or any other words to communicate to their partner that the ball may be out, it shall be considered player communication only and not considered a line call.

The 3.A.6. distraction rule says actions by a player that are ‘not common to the game’ shall be considered a distraction, while 6.D.10 makes it clear that yelling out communication to one’s partner while the ball is in the air is ‘common to the game.’ So yelling “out” to your partner is fair game while the ball is in the air. Yelling out any other time could be a considered a distraction if it is during play and not making a line call. Other types of distractions are left to a referee to decide if the actions is ‘common to the game’.

Wow! You made it to the end of the newsletter! We’re glad you’re part of the Pickle Madness family. If you know other pickleball fanatics who would enjoy Pickle Madness content please share this newsletter with them. If you have any suggestions or would just like to say “Hi!” you can reach out HERE or send an email to [email protected]

See you next week!

Discount rewards can be redeemed at www.picklemadness.com