DALLAS, TX – I’m over the moon that pickleball paddles are getting fancier.

Sure touch, power, and control are great attributes, but give me an aesthetically pleasing paddle with a large sweet spot and I’m going weak at the knees. 

I’ll be blunt. Pickleball paddles used to be ugly. Before the sport's boom in popularity, paddles were black or bright blue with electric yellow or red explosion designs that were alarming and unattractive. 

Today, there are so many paddle companies focusing on visual appeal.

I'm convinced that the best on-court accessory for your pickleball outfit is your paddle.

But, how far is too far? At what point does paddle design become so distracting that it affects gameplay?  

This question came to me while browsing RAD Pickleball's collection of paddles. 

Their aesthetic is akin to a skater-surfer brand with bright colors, crazy patterns, and sometimes overstimulating designs. The artwork is beautiful, intricate and incredibly fun, but is it too much?

So, I investigated further. 

I took the Madsteez Face Pro paddle out for a spin to see how distracting it could be. Just looking at it online leaves a lasting impression, so I was curious. It's almost as if the paddle is staring into your soul. Perhaps it's a good intimidation tool against my opponents. 

When I saw it in person, though, I was surprised. Call me crazy, but it’s a lot more subtle than you’d think. The purple is a softer color, and it’s not as jarring as I initially thought.  

In fact, the Lucid Dream was surprisingly more distracting on the 20x44. It has similar visual busyness as those sub-$100 paddles that exist only to photograph well for a player’s Instagram account.

I switched with my partner so that I could see what it would be like playing it. Since the Madsteez Face is a monochromatic purple, it was incredibly easy to still see the ball off the paddle, which is a common complaint for other colors like white, yellow, and green. 

To read more about how the color of your pickleball impacts gameplay, click here.

That being said, I was definitely a little more intimated with those eyes staring down at me at the kitchen line, but no paddle was more intimidating than the JOOLA Gen 3. 

At the rec level, pickleball paddles are an excellent extension of your court persona. After all, you can tell a lot about a person by their paddle. 

I adore the designs from brands that are upping the aesthetics of pickleball gear. Some designs, though, are so bold and distracting that it’s like looking at a moving neon billboard. I can’t even focus on the game when I have a rainbow explosion design getting into a hands battle with me across the court. 

Go for a bold paddle, but use discretion and avoid those colors that match the ball. That's when you might run into some naysayers and drama queens at your local courts who refuse to play with you. You could be better off with a more subtle design, or at least one that avoids those pesky white, yellow, and green colors. 

Is it art or is it pickleball? Leave us a comment on Instagram and X (formerly Twitter).