The pickleball starter kit

Three things get you on a court: a paddle, balls that match the court, and shoes that grip sideways. Here they are, with one pick for each and the reason, and the gear that can wait until you know you're playing next month.

A paddle, balls and court shoes laid out before a game

Before you buy anything

Go to one open-play session with a borrowed paddle. Most sessions keep loaners, and the people there will hand you one. You'll learn whether you like the game, whether your courts are indoor or outdoor, and what ball they use, which decides two of the three purchases below. How open play works explains the session; the rules take ten minutes.

Product links on this page go to Amazon. If you buy through them, Your First Paddle earns a commission. How we pick and earn

1. A paddle

Approved, around 8 ounces, with a grip that fits your hand. One for each situation; the paddle page compares nine.

Mid-range fiberglass

JOOLA Essentials

JOOLA's entry paddle: a fiberglass face over a polypropylene honeycomb core, approved for tournaments, from the brand most of the pros play.

Weight: 8.2 oz
Handle: 4.75 in
Size: 15.5 × 7.9 in
Face: Fiberglass
Core: Polypropylene honeycomb
USA Pickleball: Approved

Suits: A first paddle with a little more pop than the graphite budget paddles, for someone who likes to hit.

Weigh: An Amazon-only line, so the specs come from JOOLA's listing, not a spec sheet. 180-day warranty.

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Mid-range, light, small grip

JOOLA Journey 10 mm

JOOLA Journey 10mm

A light 7.8-ounce paddle with a 4-inch grip and a thin 10 mm core, which JOOLA aims at beginners and at adults and kids sharing gear.

Weight: 7.8 oz
Grip: 4 in
Size: 15.8 × 7.8 in
Face: Fiberglass / graphite
Core: Polymer honeycomb, 10 mm
USA Pickleball: Approved

Suits: Smaller hands, teens, and anyone who found a standard paddle tiring to swing.

Weigh: A thin core means more pop and less control than a 16 mm paddle; fine for learning, less so once you start dinking. Amazon-only line, 180-day warranty.

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Carbon fiber, beginner to intermediate

Selkirk SLK Evo Control Max

A real carbon fiber face (Toray T700) over a 16 mm polymer core, from Selkirk's SLK line, which exists to put the brand's construction in a beginner's hands.

Weight: 7.6–8.1 oz
Grip: 4.25 in, 4.85 in handle
Size: 16 × 7.85 in
Face: T700 carbon fiber
Core: Polymer honeycomb, 16 mm
USA Pickleball: Approved

Suits: Someone who knows they will keep playing and wants a paddle that will not need replacing in six months.

Weigh: The same listing sells the XL version with a longer handle; make sure the cart says Max. One-year warranty.

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2. Balls that match the court

Outdoor courts take a hard 40-hole ball; a gym takes a softer 26-hole one. Buy a dozen of whichever your courts use. Why they differ.

Outdoor ball, the tournament standard

Franklin X-40 outdoor balls

Franklin X-40 Outdoor

The ball most tournaments and most open-play sessions use: 40 machine-drilled holes, on USA Pickleball's approved list, sold in packs from 3 to 100.

Use: Outdoor
Holes: 40
Colors: Optic yellow, plus lava, ember, purple, blue, green
Packs: 3, 6, 12, 36, 100
USA Pickleball: Approved

Suits: Anyone playing outdoors. If you buy one kind of ball, buy this one.

Weigh: Like every hard outdoor ball it cracks in cold weather and after a few weeks of hard play. Franklin's own page is unreachable, so the hole count is from its listing.

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Indoor ball

Franklin X-26 indoor balls

Franklin X-26 Indoor

The indoor version of the X-40: 26 larger holes and a softer plastic, made for gym floors where an outdoor ball skids and bounces too high.

Use: Indoor
Holes: 26
Colors: Optic yellow, orange
Packs: 3, 6, 12, 100
USA Pickleball: Approved

Suits: Rec-center and gym sessions. Ask what ball the session uses; indoor is usual.

Weigh: Too soft and slow for outdoor play. An indoor ball on an outdoor court is the most common wrong purchase.

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3. Court shoes

The purchase beginners skip, and the one that keeps ankles intact. A hard-court tennis shoe works too. All five shoes.

Outdoor court shoe, wide sizes

K-Swiss Express Light Pickleball

A light outdoor court shoe made for the sport, with a rubber outsole, a plantar support chassis for sideways movement, and medium and wide widths.

Court: Outdoor (hard court)
Outsole: Aosta rubber, DragGuard
Midsole: K-EVA
Widths: Medium, 2E wide
Women's: ASIN B07V3G6R1F

Suits: The default first court shoe, especially for wide feet. Men's listing; the women's is B07V3G6R1F.

Weigh: K-Swiss sells a separate "Express Light Indoor"; this one is the outdoor-court version, fine on gym floors too but the sole wears faster outside.

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Court shoe, Goodyear outsole, extra wide

Skechers Viper Court Pro 2.0

Skechers' pickleball shoe: an Arch Fit insole, a cushioned midsole and a Goodyear rubber outsole made for the stops and starts of the sport, in extra-wide for men.

Court: Outdoor and indoor
Outsole: Goodyear rubber
Midsole: ULTRA GO foam, Arch Fit insole
Widths: Men medium, extra wide; women medium, wide
Women's: ASIN B0DDW445GD

Suits: Players who want more cushion than a tennis shoe, and very wide feet. Men's listing; the women's is B0DDW445GD.

Weigh: The cushioning that feels good standing around gives up a little stability in a hard sideways push.

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What can wait

A bag. Your paddle rides on the car seat for a month without harm. When you're carrying two paddles, balls and a water bottle, the JOOLA sling holds exactly that.

An overgrip. Only if the handle is too thin or gets slick. A pack of Tourna Grip fixes both.

A net. If the nearest court is a drive away and you have a flat driveway, a portable net turns it into a practice court. Most people never need one.

A second paddle. After a few months you'll know whether you want more power or more control, and whether you dink or drive. That's when a top-tier paddle makes sense, and not before.