About The UPA-A
The UPA-A Mission
CHAMPION, REGULATE, and GROW the sport of pickleball all around the world.
UPA-A believes pickleball has all the qualities to bring communities together, help participants learn new skills, and allow everyone to engage in a more active lifestyle. Pickleball truly has something for everybody, whether you are a beginner just having some fun, or an aspiring pro with Olympic aspirations, pickleball has a place for everyone.
As pickleball grows, new players are introduced, and countries around the world begin to build out the infrastructure necessary to fuel this sport, proper guidance and regulation is imperative.
UPA-A is committed to the development and growth of the sport by funding and partnering with organizations all over the world to provide the necessary guidance, support, and regulations for pickleball to be a competitive, fun, and inclusive sport.
The UPA-A has established our own guidelines and identified best in class partners to apply UPA-A standards to equipment, tournaments, tournament directors, teaching professionals, and referees. UPA-A has vetted and partnered with approved organizations to also provide tournament management software, rating systems, and provide guidance for building courts, facilities, leagues, and communities.
In the collaborative spirit of the game, UPA-A is always open to partnerships and collaborations that will help grow pickleball.
Frequently Asked Questions
Back in 2022, PPA and MLP began to see issues with paddles behaving differently over time. Manufacturing issues like break-in periods where paddles changed characteristics and behavior were occurring, or delamination and core crush, or even paddle manipulation by players were identified. At the time, there were no processes in place to protect the game against such issues. MLP hired Pickle Pro Labs (PPL) to do paddle testing on site for each of their events, and with the success of their testing and protocols, PPA also contracted them for each stop on the PPA Tour.
But on-site testing is not enough to ensure paddles behave properly, do not provide an unfair advantage, and behave more consistently. UPA-A developed the most comprehensive testing process and certification program in collaboration with PPL and University of Massachusetts Lowell.
UPA-A Certification will be enforced for the professional ranks of UPA-A events starting September 1, 2025. Performing comprehensive testing in a lab is labor intensive. Ensuring paddles made for play at the highest, most competitive levels of the sport requires incredible attention to detail. We have taken a different approach to regulations, moving from a materials based approach to an output based, performance testing method.
UPA-A will test and measure coefficient of restitution (COR), which we refer to as Paddle Efficiency Factor (PEF) and the spin by measuring Rotations Per Minute (RPM). PEF measures the ratio between the incoming and exit velocity of the ball striking the paddle. Performing such tests essentially puts a speed limit on how hard balls can be hit to ensure power does not go unchecked. Spin will be measured directly as opposed to using grit or friction as a proxy, as there are different surfaces that can create spin that are not identified by current testing methods.
UPA-A Paddle Certification Submission Guidelines
To ensure a smooth and efficient certification process, paddle manufacturers must adhere to the following steps when submitting paddles for UPA-A Certification:
1. Submit Paddle Certification Request Form
Paddle manufacturers must complete and submit the official Paddle Certification Request Form before sending paddles for testing.
2. Paddle Submission Requirements
All submitted paddles must meet the following criteria:
- Artwork Requirements
– Paddles must be submitted without production artwork.
– Artwork submission and approval will be handled digitally.
– If paddle cosmetics may be in violation of UPA-A guidelines, a physical sample may be required. - Certification Logos & Markings
– No UPA-A certification logos or markings should be present on the submitted paddles.
– UPA-A Stamp artwork will be available after paddles are submitted for testing. - Brand & Model Identification
– Paddles must have the brand name and model name, and model number* permanently marked and readily visible to an observer. - Grip Installation
– The grip must be installed on all submitted paddles.
3. Shipping Instructions
Paddles must be sent to the official certification test lab:
Pickle Pro Labs
1181 South Rogers Circle, Suite 14
Boca Raton, Florida 33487
4. Tracking Information Submission
Once paddles have been shipped, manufacturers must submit tracking details via email to certification@pickleprolabs.com
5. Confirmation & Follow-Up
Upon receipt of the paddles, Pickle Pro Labs (PPL) will confirm delivery and provide any necessary follow-up communication via email.
Please note: UPA-A Certification takes 6-8 weeks to complete. Expedited services available on the registration page.
No, UPA-A certification is only required for professional players competing in pro divisions at UPA-A events for the 2025 season. UPA-A Certified paddles are eligible for play at all UPA-A events for both pro and amateur levels. USAP approved paddles, even those without UPA-A certification, are still permitted at all UPA-A amateur events.
2026 UPA-A Certification costs $10,000 per brand. This is an annual fee to be eligible for play at UPA professional events. Each paddle in play must be tested and certified in order to be eligible for play. All paddles with physical differences that would lead to different performance must be certified. Instances of physical differences would be thickness, length, weight, surface material or grittiness, width, handle length, etc… The cost of a paddle to be tested is $3,000 per paddle and that paddle will remain eligible for 24 months from the date of approval. After the 24 month period, if the paddle is still used in play, it would require being tested once again to remain eligible for play.
Purely aesthetic or design differences do not require certification, but must have a model number printed on the face, below the UPA-A Stamp in order to be eligible for play.
No. In 2026 testing fees are $3,000 per paddle and that is good for 24 months as well as an annual $10,000 per brand in order to be eligible for play at the pro level of UPA events (PPA & MLP). The UPA-A certification is also eligible for all UPA (PPA, PPA Challenger, MLP, etc) events for both professional and amateur.
If you have professionals playing on the PPA Tour and/or Major League Pickleball, having a branded paddle in play requires a Marketing and Broadcast License from PPA & MLP. The annual fee for this license is $50,000, however if the brand is a sponsor of PPA or MLP and has a minimum sponsorship of $100,000, the Marketing and Broadcast License fee is not necessary.
2026 UPA-A Certification takes up to 8 weeks, with an opportunity to expedite this timeframe to 4 weeks or super expedite to 2 weeks. Paddles go onto a list when they are registered and 5 paddles of each model, properly marked are received at the lab. Details of how to submit can be found on the 2026 UPA-A Certification Checklist.
If paddles get to the top of the list before the agreement has been signed and payment completed, the paddles will go to the back of the list of immediately eligible paddles and the 8 week timeframe will be reset and start once all documentation and payments are completed.
No. UPA-A certification was established to bring the performance of paddles under control and provide a level playing field. Paddle technology is changing rapidly, providing some types of paddles advantages over others due to a combination of poorly written rules, indirect testing methods, and an inability to test paddles for break-in.
UPA-A has invested heavily and along with our partners at the independent lab Pickle Pro Labs (PPL), Dr. Patrick Drane from the Baseball Research Center at UMass Lowell, have create new standards and operating procedures for testing pickleball paddles.
Instead of testing indirect methods, like how much grit is on the surface of the paddle, UPA-A uses lab tests to determine how much spin the paddle can generate. Instead of using deflection as a proxy for power, we use a ball canon the coefficient of restitution, which we refer to as Performance Efficiency Factor (PEF).
UPA-A is setting the standard for the sport of pickleball.
No. UPA-A Certified paddles are actually less powerful. UPA-A limits paddle performance to a Paddle Efficiency Factor (PEF) of .385 when new and a maximum of .405 after the paddle has been broken in. This ensures that paddles maintain fairness, emphasizing skill over technology.
UPA is the parent company of the PPA Tour and Major League Pickleball, the two preeminent professional pickleball league/tour in the world. Since the PPA’s formation in 2019, the PPA has relied on USA Pickleball’s paddle certification as our standard. But with paddle technology outpacing the regulations and testing procedures, we recognized a change was necessary.
In 2025, UPA paid their athletes over $33 million in compensation and winnings. With such high stakes and significant money on the line, better regulations, testing, and enforcement was necessary. UPA invested in their own regulatory organization, the UPA-A, and invested in partnering with the independent Pickle Pro Labs, who along with UMass Lowell, took on the scientific and academic challenges of identifying the problems with the current system and designing new and more effective ways to ensure fairness in the sport of pickleball.
UPA-A regulates the play for all paddles at UPA events at the professional level. Amateurs are still able to play with USA Pickleball certified paddles as long as they are currently on the approved list.
In late 2025, UPA-A makes the transition from LLC to not-for-profit 501c6 status.
It depends. UPA-A does not limit grit directly, instead, UPA-A measures spin performance and sets a maximum limit of 2100 RPM.
Extensive research was conducted on many of the highest-grit, highest-spin paddles on the market, and 2100 RPM was determined to allow plenty of spin for dynamic play without fundamentally changing the way the game is played.
By contrast, USA Pickleball measures grit (texture) as a proxy for spin, not spin itself. UPA-A’s approach is more direct and ensures that paddles are judged by how they perform, not just how rough they feel.