Pickleball bats banned from July 1

(Dan Tri) - Starting today (July 1), many pickleball rackets will be banned from tournaments in the US.

USA Pickleball, the governing body for pickleball in the US, has just announced the list of banned rackets as of July 1. The list of banned rackets includes the Joola Perseus Mod TA‑15 14mm and 16mm versions, Gearbox Pro Power Elongated, and versions of the ProKennex Black Ace including: Ovation, Pro, XF.

Joola Perseus Mod TA‑15 14mm and 16mm.

All of the rackets on this list have excessive bounce, which can lead to increased ball speed as they leave the racket. Excessive bounce can be detrimental to the game by reducing the finesse, control, and skill of pickleball.

Factors that make pickleball bats banned:

Excessive surface roughness: Some models such as JOOLA Perseus and ProKennex Black Ace exceed the limit of 30µm, creating a lot of spin, creating unfairness in the match.

The Gearbox Pro Power Elongated racket has been banned from pickleball tournaments in the US since July 1.

Exceeding the standard core thickness: For example, the Gearbox Pro Power racket has a core thicker than 1/2 inch (12.7mm), while the standard racket core thickness is 10mm. Thick rackets help players control the spin and direction of the ball, reducing vibration. This affects the fairness of the match, violating Article 2.2.1 of the competition rules.

Material Violations: Some rackets use advanced materials that exceed permitted limits. Banned materials include certain types of carbon fiber and high-stiffness polymers.

The 2025 US Open has seen an athlete disqualified for using a banned racket.

Of course, in tournaments outside the US (including Vietnam), the above series of rackets are still used normally.

Source: https://dantri.com.vn/the-thao/nhung-cay-vot-pickleball-bi-cam-ke-tu-ngay-17-20250701192710588.htm