The 2026 Paddle Shift Is Here

How you can land on the highlight reel. The pickleball party you don't want to miss.

Author

Empower Pickleball
February 17, 2026

Every year Merriam-Webster names its Word of the Year. For 2025, they chose “slop,” which feels a little lazy but also fitting for the same reason.

If pickleball had its own Word of the Year, “foam” would definitely take the cake for 2025. Foam cores, foam balls, foam edges. If you weren’t hitting foam with foam in 2025, you were falling behind the pack. And the trend is set to continue in 2026.

Inside:

  • Catch up on paddle trends in 2026

  • Pickleball’s highlight reel plays

  • The party you don’t want to miss this year

📑 The 2026 Paddle Report: New Tech, Quiet Cores, and What Actually Matters

Paddle technology has officially entered a new era. After years of “power wars” and marketing hype, 2026 is shaping up to be about smarter materials, better feel, and real-world performance. Here’s what’s actually worth paying attention to before your next paddle purchase.

The Core Revolution: Foam Is Leading the Shift

Polypropylene honeycomb cores dominated the market for years, but foam-enhanced and full-foam designs are now taking center stage. These builds expand the sweet spot, reduce vibration, and create more consistent energy return across the face. Players are noticing improved reset control and less arm fatigue—especially during longer sessions. This isn’t just a tweak; it’s the biggest material shift we’ve seen in years.

Quiet Cores: Useful, But Situational

Quiet paddle tech is growing, and more brands are investing in sound-dampening construction. In noise-sensitive neighborhoods or shared public spaces, these paddles can be the difference between playing and not playing. But for the standard everyday player at a club or dedicated facility, sound isn’t the priority. Feel, spin, forgiveness, and balance matter far more than reducing decibels.

Smarter Surfaces & the Return of Control

Surface technology has become just as important as the core. Durable raw carbon and high-friction textures are delivering more reliable spin without wearing down quickly. At the same time, players are shifting away from max-power paddles toward more balanced, controllable builds. In 2026, consistency and all-court performance are winning over pure pop.

🗓️ Read more about the current state of paddles here.

🌎 Around the Picklesphere

🚔 The 20-person pickleBRAWL that led to arrests
🧠 Why one good shot erases a full day of losing
🌎 A devastating earthquake led to a thriving pickleball sanctuary serving 300+ people

🎥 The Highlight Reel (Without Losing the Point)

Photo courtesy of The APP

The ATP. The Erne. The Tweener. Fun to hit. Easy to overuse.

Here’s the quick reality check on all three:

ATP: It’s a patience shot.

The opportunity isn’t there until the ball is clearly outside the post. Let it travel. The wider it goes, the better your angle. Expect to contact it lower than normal.

And here’s the key most players miss: aim deep. Toward the baseline. Most failed ATPs don’t hit the net—they die short.

Depth makes it a weapon.

Erne: It’s a pattern shot.

Erne opportunities don’t fall out of thin air. They’re created with a good setup shot and pattern recognition.

Start with a well-placed dink that forces your opponent to turn away from the court. Recognize when they’re dinking the ball down the line. Jump into action and ambush their shot.

Tweener: It’s a commitment shot.

Tweeners are reserved for desperate times, when no other option is available.

For the tweener, run directly at the ball instead of trying to loop behind it. Right-handers should plant with their right foot, then stride over the ball with their left leg.

Let the ball pass between your legs and behind your body to leave room to hit it up and over the net. Try to drop the ball into the kitchen to give yourself time to recover.

The real highlight isn’t the shot. It’s recognizing when it’s actually there. Win the rally. The clip will follow.

👉 Get the full debrief and additional pro tips here.

📱 Train Smarter, Play Better With AIM7

Want to take your pickleball game to the next level? It starts with personalized training plans built for your game and your goals. Top pros like Megan Fudge and Zane Navratil trust AIM7 to help them build strength, improve endurance, and recover faster so they can dominate on the court.

👉 Get AIM7 Premium free for one year. Download the app today and start training like a pro!

🪅 When Pickleball Feels Like a Party

You hear the bass before you see the courts. Lights cut through the room. A DJ sets the tone. Somewhere in the middle of it all, people are playing pickleball.

Project P, created by Sydney Steinaker, turns open play into an event people actually want to walk into. No skill checks. No awkward paddle stacks. You can watch first, jump in later, or just hang out and meet people.

The result is simple but powerful. Connection comes before competition. Players who arrive as strangers leave with plans to play again.

👉 Less pressure. More energy. And a version of pickleball built for showing up.

🇲🇾 The APP’s Big Swing Into Asia

Photo courtesy of APP Malaysia

Last week, the APP Tour landed in Kuala Lumpur and made a statement about the its global ambitions.

The Kuala Lumpur Open drew more than 1,700 players, making it the largest pickleball event ever held in Malaysia. Over 20 top U.S. pros made the trip, creating cross-continental matchups that felt bigger than a typical tour stop.

This was infrastructure building. Government support. International livestreams. A new development pathway through APP NEXT to connect local juniors to the U.S. system.

One event does not define a strategy. But this one made it clear the APP is thinking long term, and Asia will be a major part of their calendar moving forward.

👉 Learn more about The APP’s approach to global expansion here.

Interested in having your event listed? Reach out to us and let’s chat!

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