I was forced to give up Tennis a few years ago because of back problems. I was a solid aggressive 4.5 USTA league player with a pretty heavy forehand from the baseline and slightly above average net skills for my level. I had a fast and somewhat accurate serve and loved to come to the net. I could place the ball pretty well, but I was definitely more a power hitter than a finesse player.
Yesterday, some friends invited me to join them and a group of what I’m guessing were advanced beginners. Judging by some YouTube videos, I’d say most were about 3.0 players. I played with some crappy generic kit paddle someone lent me and, once I got use to the ball not bouncing up like a tennis ball, I really hit well. Being an aggressive tennis player, I naturally hit hard and, no doubt, over-swung here and there and might have stepped into the kitchen a few too many times…but, because I still have good (but rusty) footwork, good hands and very I’m athletic, I was easily one of the best players in the group and dominated many points and hit a fair amount of winners. I could dink okay, but because many of these guys were not great players, high balls would come back and I could put them away pretty easily. I found that my volleys had good pop and my placement was way more accurate than I anticipated, having not played tennis for several years…and, playing with a cheap paddle. I was also able to do some fairly nice slices with good spin from the baseline. I should also add that although I’m in my mid 60’s, I’m a highly competitive player as opposed to someone who just wants to bat the ball around with a bunch of old men while drinking beer. I come to play. I now need to buy my own paddle. But, I am desperate for help. YouTube is great, but would love to know what people who have been in a similar situation think.
Please note…I am fully aware that the best way to make a proper selection is to demo a few paddles. However, I live in Spain and Pickleball isn’t super popular. It’s almost impossible to find any stores that sell Pickleball paddles. If they do, they only have a few low-end ones. So, I’m forced to buy online without the benefit of trying them out. Price isn’t a really a concern as most paddles seem to be under €280.
Also, my paddle choices are limited because I’m in Europe. However, we do have several reliable online stores like Tennis Warehouse. I seem to be limited to the following brands:
- CRBN
- Diadem
- Franklin
- Gamma
- Gearbox
- Head
- Holbrook
- Joola
- Onix
- Paddletek
- Selkirk
- Six Zero
- Skin Up
- Vulcan
- Zcebra
Any advice would be helpful and much appreciated.