The United Pickleball Association of America (UPA-A) released its official 2025 Equipment Rules and Regulations on Thursday, including comprehensive standards and operating procedures for paddle certification and compliance at the professional level.

Click here to view the 2025 Equipment Rules and Regulations.

The UPA-A collaborated with Pickle Pro Labs (PPL) and engineers from the Baseball Research Lab at UMass-Lowell to develop a framework of research-based standards to
establish clear and enforceable limits on pickleball paddles used in competition.

Key highlights of the 2025 UPA-A Standards include:

● Applicability: The new standards apply exclusively to professional competitions at
UPA events, including PPA Main Draws, Qualifiers, PPA Challenger Series Events,
and Major League Pickleball. Amateur competitions at PPA events will continue to
adhere to USA Pickleball's (USAP) approved paddle list.

● Expert Collaboration: The team at Pickle Pro Labs (PPL) and UMass-Lowell provided expertise to address challenges unique to pickleball like equipment break-in periods and performance stability.

● Innovation-Friendly Standards: While establishing clear performance limitations,
the UPA-A standards encourage manufacturers to explore innovative construction
methods and materials with ample production runway time and transparent
guidelines and procedures.

More than 30 paddle brands have already participated in UPA-A Provisional Approval and Interim Certification, with more expected to join.

“We are thrilled to announce these new standards, which represent a major milestone for the sport of pickleball,” said Jason Aspes, President of UPA-A. “Our approach prioritizes fairness, limiting unmitigated power, protecting the integrity of the game, and at the same time promoting the manufacturing innovations that drive this sport. We’re confident that manufacturers and players alike will benefit from these advancements.”

Registration for UPA-A Certification will start on February 1, 2025.

UPA-A 2025 certification will be required for all professional play on September 1, 2025.

For more information about UPA-A’s 2025 Standards and Regulations, visit
upaa.unitedpickleball.com/paddle-testing

For information about having testing done on paddles, please contact Pickle Pro Labs at
ron@pickleprolabs.com