How to Protect Your Elbow (and Your Paddle Investment)

The pickleball paddle industry just entered a new era. On April 7, JOOLA filed a patent infringement lawsuit against eleven competing paddle brands — a legal action that could reshape which paddles are available, how much they cost, and how companies innovate going forward. It is, by any measure, the most significant intellectual property dispute in the sport's history, and we break down exactly what it means for you.

We also tackle a topic that matters to anyone who wants to play this game for decades: how to choose a paddle that protects your elbow. Our science-backed guide covers core thickness, foam vs. honeycomb, swing weight, grip sizing, and specific paddle recommendations for players dealing with tennis elbow. Plus: Pickleball Slam 4 is days away, MLP trades are heating up, and we have a Jamaican bucket list destination that might be the most complete resort-and-pickleball experience in the Caribbean.

Let's get into it.

JOOLA FILES PATENT LAWSUIT AGAINST 11 PADDLE BRANDS: In the biggest legal action in pickleball history, JOOLA filed a patent infringement complaint with the International Trade Commission on April 7, targeting Franklin Sports, Engage Pickleball, Paddletek, Proton Sports, Diadem Sports, Adidas Pickleball, RPM Pickleball, Friday Labs, ProXR, Volair, and Facolos. The dispute centers on JOOLA's patented "Propulsion Core Technology" — the horseshoe-shaped EVA foam ring design featured in their Pro IV and Pro V paddles. If JOOLA prevails, affected paddles could be pulled from shelves or subject to licensing fees. Full analysis below.

PICKLEBALL SLAM 4 ARRIVES TUESDAY: The Pickleball Slam 4 takes over Hard Rock Live in Hollywood, Florida on April 15 with a $1 million prize purse and live ESPN broadcast. This year's matchup pits tennis legends Andre Agassi and James Blake against Anna Leigh Waters and Genie Bouchard. The event continues to be the sport's highest-profile crossover spectacle — and a powerful signal of pickleball's mainstream momentum.

MLP TRADE WINDOW 2 RESHUFFLES ROSTERS: Major League Pickleball's second trade window produced a flurry of moves. Brooklyn acquired newly crowned #1-ranked Chris Haworth, the LA Mad Drops added Genie Bouchard, and the Texas Ranchers bolstered their roster with Dylan Frazier, Matthew Barlow, and Layne Sleeth. These trades set the stage for what promises to be the most competitive MLP stretch of the season.

THE RISE OF GEN 4 FOAM PADDLES: The paddle technology arms race continues with The Dink reporting on the growing wave of "Gen 4" full-foam core paddles entering the market. These paddles replace the traditional polymer honeycomb core entirely with multi-density foam, promising enhanced power, a larger sweet spot, and reduced vibration. With CRBN, Chorus, and several other brands now offering foam-core models, the technology is moving from experimental to mainstream — and the timing is notable given JOOLA's lawsuit targeting specific foam implementations.

On April 7, 2026, JOOLA — one of the largest and most recognizable names in pickleball — filed a patent infringement complaint with the U.S. International Trade Commission against eleven competing paddle manufacturers. The defendants include some of the most popular brands in the sport: Franklin Sports, Engage Pickleball, Paddletek, Proton Sports, Diadem Sports, Adidas Pickleball, RPM Pickleball, Friday Labs, ProXR Pickleball, Volair, and Facolos. It is the most sweeping intellectual property action the pickleball industry has ever seen.

At the center of the dispute is JOOLA's patented "Propulsion Core Technology" — the specific paddle construction that powers their flagship Pro IV and Pro V models. The patent protects a design in which an EVA foam ring is arranged in a horseshoe or inverted-U shape around the top and sides of the paddle, layered over a traditional honeycomb core. This hybrid construction creates a larger sweet spot and generates additional power on off-center hits — a performance advantage that has made the Pro V one of the most popular paddles on the professional tour.

An important distinction: JOOLA is not suing every paddle that uses foam. The lawsuit specifically targets the horseshoe-shaped foam ring design. Brands that use a full foam perimeter — where foam surrounds the entire edge of the paddle — are not named in the complaint. This means paddles like the CRBN TruFoam Barrage and the Chorus Coda, which use full-foam or multi-density foam cores, appear to fall outside the scope of this particular patent. The legal question is narrow but consequential: did these eleven brands copy JOOLA's specific foam placement architecture?

The potential consequences are significant. If JOOLA prevails at the ITC, the commission could issue exclusion orders that block the import and sale of the infringing paddles in the United States. That could mean popular models from Franklin, Engage, Paddletek, and others disappearing from retail shelves — at least until those brands redesign their cores or negotiate licensing agreements with JOOLA. Financial damages for past sales are also on the table.

What this means for you: If you own a paddle from one of the eleven named brands, don't panic — your paddle isn't going anywhere immediately. ITC proceedings typically take 12–18 months. But if you're considering a new paddle purchase, it's worth paying attention to which brands are named and which core technologies they use. The safest bets right now are paddles with full-foam cores, traditional honeycomb-only cores, or JOOLA's own lineup.

Tennis elbow — lateral epicondylitis — is the most common overuse injury in pickleball. It's caused by repetitive stress on the tendons that connect the forearm muscles to the outside of the elbow, and every time you strike a ball, vibration travels from the paddle face through the handle and into those tendons. The wrong paddle amplifies that vibration. The right paddle absorbs it. If you want to play this game for decades, understanding the science behind paddle selection isn't optional — it's essential.

Core thickness is the single most important variable. A thicker core — 16mm is the current standard for arm-friendly paddles — absorbs significantly more vibration than a thinner 13mm or 14mm core. The additional material acts as a buffer, dissipating the shock of ball impact before it reaches your hand. If you have tennis elbow or are at risk, a 16mm core should be your starting point, not a luxury.

Core material matters almost as much — and foam cores are the biggest leap forward. Traditional polymer honeycomb cores work by creating a grid of air-filled cells that compress on impact. The problem: vibration travels along the rigid cell walls and concentrates at the edges, sending shock spikes directly up the handle. Foam-core paddles eliminate this entirely. A solid or multi-density foam core absorbs impact energy across the entire paddle face rather than channeling it through a rigid structure. There are no cell walls to transmit shock — just continuous foam that dissipates energy in all directions. The newest generation of foam paddles uses dual or triple-density foam systems (like CRBN's TruFoam, Chorus's Treblefoam, and Selkirk's BoomCore) that layer different foam densities to tune both feel and vibration absorption simultaneously. For players with tennis elbow, this is the most meaningful equipment innovation in the sport's history.

The weight question is more nuanced than most people think. A lighter paddle reduces the total force your arm has to manage, which seems intuitively better for an injured elbow. But a slightly heavier paddle absorbs more of the ball's impact energy on contact, meaning less shock is transmitted to your arm. The sweet spot for most players with tennis elbow is a mid-weight paddle (7.6–8.2 oz). More important than static weight is swing weight — how heavy the paddle feels when you swing it. A lower swing weight puts less rotational stress on the elbow joint. Look for paddles that publish their swing weight data.

Grip size is the variable most players overlook. A grip that's too small forces you to squeeze the handle tighter, which increases tension in the forearm muscles and aggravates the tendons at the elbow. Most experts recommend a grip circumference of 4.25 inches or larger for players with tennis elbow. If your current grip feels small, an overgrip wrap is an inexpensive fix that adds roughly 1/16 inch of circumference.

CRBN TruFoam Barrage (Hybrid) — $279.99: 100% floating foam — no honeycomb at all; carbon-reinforced perimeter stabilizes off-center hits

Chorus Coda Hybrid 16mm — $174.99: Treblefoam triple-density core; "dampens vibration without eclipsing feedback" — best value foam paddle

Selkirk LABS Boomstik Widebody — $333: BoomCore dual-foam (EPP + EVA) + MOI Tuning System to adjust swing weight to your arm's needs

RPM Q2 Widebody 16mm — $249.97: SW 107.4 + TW 6.85 — best arm/power combination; foam feel with honeycomb-like feedback

11SIX24 Vapor Power 2 16mm — $209.99: SW 107.55 — serious offense without arm fatigue; 91 Firepower score, ranked #1 foam paddle 2026

Enhance DUO Widebody 16mm — $199.99: TW 7.25 — highest twist weight on this list; maximum stability on mishits reduces elbow shock spikes

The bottom line: The best paddle for tennis elbow combines a 16mm core, vibration-dampening technology (foam or Kinetic), a mid-weight build, and a properly sized grip. But equipment is only part of the equation. Strengthening your forearm extensors with eccentric exercises, warming up before play, and using proper technique — especially avoiding wrist-dominant shots — are equally important. The goal isn't just to manage tennis elbow. It's to prevent it from ever limiting your time on the court.

01 — Half Moon, Montego Bay, Jamaica: Set on 400 acres with two miles of private beachfront, Half Moon is one of the Caribbean's most storied luxury resorts — and it now boasts eight floodlit pickleball courts with professional instruction available daily. Private lessons run $65 per hour; group clinics are offered every morning at 10 AM for $35 per person. Beyond the courts, the resort features a championship golf course, the largest spa in the Caribbean, the award-winning Sugar Mill restaurant, and a full complement of water sports. The villa experience is particularly compelling — each comes with a dedicated cook, housekeeper, and butler. Rooms start at approximately $600 per night, with villas commanding a premium. For the player who wants world-class pickleball with world-class luxury in the Caribbean, Half Moon is the definitive choice.

In keeping with this week's tennis elbow theme, here's the single most effective pre-play stretch for elbow health. Extend your playing arm straight in front of you with your palm facing down. Use your other hand to gently pull your fingers toward the floor until you feel a stretch along the top of your forearm. Hold for 20 seconds, release, and repeat three times. Then flip your hand so the palm faces up and repeat the same stretch in the opposite direction. This takes less than two minutes and directly targets the extensor tendons that are most vulnerable to pickleball-related strain. Do it before every session — and again after. Your elbows will thank you in five years.

Enhance Pickleball — one of the most respected instructional channels in the sport with over 300,000 subscribers — just dropped "5 Mistakes Most Pickleballers Are Making | And How to Fix Them" (published April 11, 6,200+ views and climbing). The video is specifically designed for players in the 3.0–4.0 range who feel stuck, and it identifies the five most common errors that separate intermediate players from advanced ones. The production quality is excellent, the advice is immediately actionable, and the format is tight enough to watch during your morning coffee. Watch on YouTube →

THE PADDLE: 11SIX24 Vapor Power 2 16mm — $209.99

This week's gear pick is the paddle that best embodies the Pulse of Pickleball mission: serious performance that doesn't cost you your body. The 11SIX24 Vapor Power 2 was ranked the #1 foam-core paddle of 2026 by Matt's Pickleball — an independent, data-driven review platform that tests 475+ paddles. The reason it tops the list is the same reason it tops ours: it delivers a 91 Firepower score (elite-level offense) with a swing weight of just 107.55 — low enough to reduce rotational strain on the elbow with every single swing. The 16mm foam core absorbs vibration across the entire face, not just at the perimeter. The thermoformed unibody construction eliminates the hard seams that create vibration spikes in traditionally glued paddles. The carbon fiber face with patent-pending HexGrit surface generates serious spin without requiring wrist-dominant mechanics — one of the primary causes of tennis elbow aggravation. At $209.99, it sits below the $280–$333 price point of many premium foam paddles while outperforming most of them. If you want to play this game for decades, this is the paddle that makes that possible.

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See you on the court,

The Pulse of Pickleball Team

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