Pickleball Gear: What You Need (& Don’t)

If you’re looking into playing pickleball, you may wonder what kind of gear you will need. So here is a round-up of all your pickleball gear basics you should have and what you can skip.

Pickleball Gear

You definitely do not need much to start playing pickleball. With just a few essentials, you are on your way to having a blast on the court.

The Paddle

The first item you will need is a paddle. As a beginner, you definitely do not need the fanciest or most expensive paddle. In fact, most players will never need the latest and greatest paddle on the market. So you may wonder how do I choose the right pickleball paddle for me.

The most important factor when choosing a pickleball paddle is how comfortable you are with the weight of your paddle. While one or two ounces difference in weight may not seem like a big difference, it really is when you’re playing a few games. Especially if you have a history of wrist pain or injuries.

Too heavy of a paddle will be uncomfortable and slow your movement. But, too light of a paddle means you will not get a lot of power. While there’s no one perfect weight number, you can filter out paddles that are beyond a certain weight range. Paddles between 7 and 8 ounces are standard and comfortable for most people.

Keeping the overall paddle weight in mind, there are really only three features of pickleball paddles that make them different.

Type of paddle: A pickleball paddle can be a traditional paddle or an elongated paddle. A traditional paddle is a paddle that you will see most people use. They’re about 8×16 inches. An elongated paddle will be longer in length and narrower in width, with a more rounded shape at the top.
Material of the paddle face: You will find a pickleball paddle face made of graphite, fiberglass, wood, or composite. Graphite and fiberglass are the most popular.
Paddle handle: Paddle handles come in slightly different lengths and thicknesses. You will want to pick a paddle that feels most comfortable in your hands.

To help with your selection, check out the next article.

Read Next: How To Choose A Pickleball Paddle

Overwrap Tape

If you’re like the thousands (maybe tens of thousands) of people that get into pickleball and absolutely LOVE the game, you will want to protect the grips on your paddles from overuse and wearing down. An overwrap tape will also help with your grip and add a bit of thickness to your handle because most pickleball paddles do come with thinner handles.

So for those with larger hands, you may have to wrap around your paddles a few times. You can change the tape as it wears down so your grip will always be consistent. Overwrap tapes are also great to absorb hand sweat and change them as you need.

Pickleball Balls

You may already know that you will need the right balls to play pickleball. The best balls to use are ones that are USAPA-approved. The Dura Fast 40 and the Franklin Sports Outdoor are the most popular balls since they’re often used in pickleball tournaments.

You will want to have extra balls since they do eventually crack. If you’re planning to do practice and do pickleball drills, having extra balls is extremely handy so you don’t have to keep chasing them.

Court Shoes

The very last item that is essential to have is proper court shoes. While pickleball does not require as much running as tennis, it is still being played on a court. You want to make sure that you have the correct footwear with the right traction, support, and grip.

Regular shoes will also wear out faster with movements but court shoes will last you longer. Most athletic brands make tennis shoes so you can pick any brand that you normally love and buy court shoes that feel comfortable on your feet. For example, Asics makes a court shoe version for both men and women.

Pickleball Gear You Don’t Need

While you know your lifestyle best, there is certain pickleball gear that is only for convenience and not necessarily needed. One pickleball gear that you don’t need is a paddle cover. Paddle covers are advertised to protect your paddle. But putting your paddles in a different compartment does the job. Unless your paddle comes with one for free, you can skip the fancy cover.