As pickleball continues to grow, the average age of players continues to get younger and younger. The game that was once considered “your grandparent’s sport” has now become packed with young, elite athletes who are dominating nearly every division. It won’t be long before pickleball takes over the NCAA, high schools (hopefully as a recognized team sport), and even elementary gym classes as a required sport to learn. With many schools already adapting pickleball into their curriculum, we won’t be shocked when junior programs start to explode around the country. In this article, the Paddle Experts at JustPaddles outline two of the best pickleball paddles for young athletes who are either just getting into the game or are already on the court dominating their parents. Let's dive in.
.png)
Best Pickleball Paddles For Junior Players
Youth paddles, also known as pickleball paddles for kids, are typically best for younger players due to their lightweight and smaller grip size. These junior paddles can weigh as light as 5.8 ounces, giving young players the ability to react quickly and maneuver their paddles to the ball. In addition to a lighter weight, these paddles come in grip sizes as small as 3 ½”, which is great for smaller hands. In comparison, the average adult grip size is 4¼”. With that said, let’s run through an alphabetical list of quality pickleball paddles for kids.
Oneshot Juniorshot Jurassic Composite Youth Toddler Pickleball Paddle
Who doesn't love dinosaurs?! This one-of-a-kind design from Oneshot caters to the child in all of us. With a fiberglass composite hitting surface and a weight of around 5.8 ounces, this paddle is extremely durable and lightweight. Plus, the wide-body construction gives it a bigger sweet spot to help with any potential mis-hits. Other notable features include:
- Paddle Core: Honeycomb Polyproylene
- Paddle Length: 12 2/5"
- Paddle Width: 6 9/10"
- Grip Size: Thin - 3 1/2"
Vulcan V300 Lightweight Composite Youth Pickleball Paddle
Perfectly designed for your young star with enough power and performance to make the game come easy to them. Next time you head to the court, no longer look for a babysitter and bring the love and game to your young star. The Vulcan V300 Lightweight Composite Youth Pickleball Paddle is designed for kids ages 10 and under. Notable features include:
- Paddle Weight: 6.7 ounces
- Paddle Length: 15"
- Paddle Width: 7"
- Made In The USA
- 1-Year Limited Warranty
--
If none of the youth pickleball paddles we have at JustPaddles fit your needs, here are a couple of tips and tricks that you can use to pick out an “adult” paddle that would still be a good fit for your junior player:
- Consider age, ability, and how often they play. If your junior player will be growing quickly and playing a lot, it might be worth investing in an adult paddle so you won’t be shopping again a few weeks later when your player outgrows his youth paddle!
- Grip size is huge! Well…you don’t want it to be huge, actually quite the opposite. Grip size is a huge factor in the performance of a paddle as well as your player’s comfort. Several paddles have grip sizes as small as 3 ⅝”, which is considered small for an adult. Use our Grip Size filter to weed out grips that might be too big for your junior player!
- Light, light, light! Swinging a heavy paddle can be difficult and slow down reaction times. When looking for a youth paddle, try to keep it as close to 7 ounces or less, if possible.
--
There you have it. We hope this list of the best kids' pickleball paddles was helpful. Do you have additional questions? Reach out to our Paddles Experts today. They are standing by and ready to help your player find the right gear. Call them at 866-382-3465, email them at experts@justpaddles.com, or click here to live chat. Don't forget, we're JustPaddles, and we're with you from Click To Court.
&url=http%3a%2f%2fwww.justpaddles.com%2fblog%2fpost%2fbest-pickleball-paddles-for-kids%2f){kind=small}
