Sports and Fitness Industry Association, Element Space & Defense and equipment manufacturers collaborate on development.
USA Pickleball’s equipment testing will evolve to include paddle/ball coefficient of restitution (PBCoR) in Q4 of 2024.
Over the last 8 months, USAP has worked with a committee comprised of the Sports & Fitness Industry Association (SFIA), Element Space & Defense and equipment manufacturers to collaborate on the development of the PBCoR test to advance equipment testing standards.
The committee met this week to propose the PBCoR roll out timeline and ensure the most accurate approach to the development of enhanced tests to address new materials, processes and equipment configurations.
“USA Pickleball’s equipment certification has philosophically taken a ‘crawl walk run’ approach. Our team wanted to ensure our process was timely, affordable, implementable and had input from manufacturers so we could respond appropriately to equipment developments in the industry. We’re excited to announce we’ve now entered the ‘run’ phase,” said Carl Schmits, USA Pickleball’s Chief Technical Officer.
“Working to protect the integrity of sport has always been USA Pickleball’s mission and something we’ve driven since the start. Equipment testing is not a large income generator for us, but the testing is important to ensure the sport remains accessible for all.”
PBCoR is the ratio of the rebound speed to the incident speed of two colliding objects. This is often used to measure exit velocity and, in this case, quantify the power of a paddle.
A test for spin rate is underway and is planned to be released late 2024.
In 2015, USAP’s equipment testing began with Element Space & Defense, formerly NTS, an independent accredited third-party world-class laboratory spearheading testing efforts.
Following the growth of the sport and in response to new coatings placed on paddles, USAP’s equipment certification grew to include a test for coefficient of friction (COF) which measures a paddle’s friction characteristic, a significant contributor to spin.
A ball compression test was developed in 2019 followed by a cantilever beam screening function which evaluates paddle rigidity when open throat paddles were introduced in market.
With the flood of gritty molded resin paddles known as “raw carbon” which entered the market in 2022, USAP undertook research to implement 3D optical scanning to better define the terrain of the paddle face. This technology will be introduced to push the boundaries of field-testing innovation.
In Q4 of 2024, USAP’s testing will once again evolve to include the PCBoR test.
For more information our USAP’s equipment testing process, visit usapickleball.org.
The post Advanced Equipment Testing with New Coefficient of Restitution (PBCoR) Launching in Q4 2024 first appeared on USA Pickleball.