Choosing the right pickleball paddle is all about matching its qualities – like weight, balance, and plow-through – to your style of play. For singles, you’ll often want a setup that leans heavier, and more top heavy. Your paddle should support a game that asks more of groundstrokes than dinks. Below, you’ll find our top singles-focused paddle picks to help you choose one that’s built for how you play.
– Speed & Maneuverability (cat & mouse, winning points at the net)
1) Selkirk LABS Project 008 Tour – $288.00
https://www.pickleballwarehouse.com/Selkirk_LABS_Project_008_Tour_Pickleball_Paddle/descpage-SELAB8T.html
2) Six Zero Ruby 16 – $199.00
https://www.pickleballwarehouse.com/Six_Zero_Ruby_Pickleball_Paddle/descpage-SZERUBY.html
3) Wilson Vesper Power 14 – $249.00
https://www.pickleballwarehouse.com/Wilson_Vesper_Power_Pickleball_Paddle/descpage-WVPWP.html
– Balanced Playstyle
1) CRBN TruFoam Genesis 1 – $279.99
https://www.pickleballwarehouse.com/CRBN_TruFoam_Genesis_1_Pickleball_Paddle/descpage-CBTFP1.html
2) JOOLA Ben Johns Perseus Pro IV – $279.95
https://www.pickleballwarehouse.com/JOOLA_Ben_Johns_Perseus_Pro_IV_Pickleball_Paddle/descpage-JPERP4.html
3) SLK ERA Power Elongated – $199.99
https://www.pickleballwarehouse.com/SLK_ERA_Power_Elongated_Pickleball_Paddle/descpage-SLKERAE.html
4) ProXR Signature 3 – $149.99
https://www.pickleballwarehouse.com/ProXR_Signature_3_Series_Pickleball_Paddle/descpage-PXRSG3.html
– Power & Aggression
1) JOOLA Andre Agassi Pro IV – $279.95
https://www.pickleballwarehouse.com/JOOLA_Andre_Agassi_Pro_IV_Pickleball_Paddle/descpage-AAPDP4.html
2) Gearbox Pro Ultimate Power – $274.99 https://www.pickleballwarehouse.com/Gearbox_Pro_Ultimate_Power_Pickleball_Paddle/descpage-GBPULPW.html
3) Paddletek Bantam TKO-CX – $249.99
https://www.pickleballwarehouse.com/Paddletek_Bantam_TKO-CX_Pickleball_Paddle/descpage-PTBTKCX.html
Chapters:
0:00 – 0:20 Different Singles Playstyles
0:20 – 1:37 3 Paddles Best for Speed & Maneuverability
1:37 – 2:20 4 Paddles Best for a Balanced Singles Playstyle
2:00 – 3:16 3 Paddles Best for Power & Aggression
3:16 – 4:28 Final Thoughts
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Based on how my game has evolved in
singles, I wanted to break down three categories of paddles that best suit the
evolution that I experienced on court, ranging from shot placement, the
cat-and- mouse game to pure drives and power. And which paddles within this
lineup best suit each style of play. So, this style of singles is going to be at the
net. You’re going to be in those cat-and- mouse games. You’re going to want to win those hands
battles. You want something that is control oriented, allows you to put away a ball, but not
with the most power that you’re sacrificing hand speed for it. One thing we focus on when choosing
a paddle is weight. But another category that’s almost equally, if not more important is balance.
So when we refer to a paddle’s balance point, we are saying where amongst the paddle is the
center of the balance. And this has to do with weight distribution each manufacturer puts into
each paddle. So, with each of these three paddles, they have a balance point that is near the center,
but it’s within one inch towards the head. So, they’re slightly head heavy, but they’re not
very headheavy. This puts them in the singles category because they are balanced more towards
the head than the handle, but they’re not so much in that direction that they’re luggers.
They’re not super high in swing weight. So, these paddles feature a above center balance
point, but a lower swing weight compared to other paddles that are better oriented
for power. So, these three paddles, the Selkerk O08, the Six Zero Ruby, and the
Wilson Vesper Power, each fit in that speed and maneuverability category. Again, you’re
someone who likes to approach the net, you’re not winning points from the baseline as often as
you are winning them from the cat and mouse game. If your singles game is a good balance of at the
net cat and mouse play as well as winning points from the baseline with drives, these four paddles
are going to sit in that category perfectly tailored for you. So again, referencing that swing
weight in balance point of each of these paddles, it’s going to be a little bit higher in both
directions. So each of these four is going to have a swing weight higher than the last three
in that speed and maneuverability category, a little less than the full power oriented paddles.
These four paddles, the Carbon TruFoam Genesis 1, the JOOLA Perseus Pro IV, the SLK ERA Power,
and the Pro XR Signature 3 are going to be great options if your singles game is a
very balanced mix of power and control. If you’re looking for the most amount of power
from your paddle, you’re winning singles games from the baseline with your drives, with
your passing shots, and with your overheads, each of these three paddles is going to
feature the highest balance point. So, it’s most towards the head of that paddle and
the highest swing weight. So, usually these two numbers are kind of tied together. Obviously,
if the weight distribution is shifted higher, you’re going to have a higher swing weight or
plow through from these options. So each of these options, the JOOLA Agassi Pro IV, the Gearbox Pro
Ultimate power, and the Paddletek TKO-CX is going to have a higher than average amount of swing
weight and a higher shift of balance towards the head of the paddle. It’s going to feel more
like a hammer in your hand. These are not meant to be quick paddles to whip through the air and
win many hands battles with, but when you get the right ball and you need to put it away, no better
paddle out there than these three options for you. Each of the paddles we have gone over have some
common traits to them. The average length of these is going to be 16 1/2 in. That puts them in
the elongated category. Most of them are going to have at least a 5 1/2 in handle. So for singles
play, we typically see people prefer a longer handle because they want to fit that second hand
on the handle for that backhand drive versus having only one hand on it, which you’re used to
at the net for dinking and resets. Within that, there are some paddles that feature a
6-in handle, like the SLK ERA Power, and some with a little bit shorter handle, like
the Wilson Vesper Power 14. So, if you know your handle length, that can kind of be one preference
that leads you in one direction or the other. But, most of these paddles are going to feature a
that 5 1/2 in handle. Overall, it’s tough to pick a paddle specifically for singles cuz most of
us play a good mix of both singles and doubles on court. If you’re looking to really tailor a paddle
to your singles game, though, any of these could be great options. And if you know which style of
play you fit in out of the three we’ve brought up, we hopefully give given you three to four
options to choose from that’ll be very tailored for your game. To shop these paddles and
more, check us out at pickleballwarearehouse.com.
