The “boring” tech that will change pickleball

This week, we’re zooming in on pickleball’s next growth engine—officiating tech, replay systems, and the “data rails” that make the sport easier to watch, run, and play.

Plus: a masterclass in movement (or lack thereof?) from China, and a look at Japan’s steady, longevity-first path.

→ This Week: The invisible layer | Stillness wins points | Japan’s slow-burn growth

Every sport that goes/is already global builds the same invisible layer: standardized officiating, replay, and data, because it makes competition portable across countries and credible on broadcast.

Pickleball’s next leap won’t come from paddle designs, it’ll come from the invisible layer: officiating tech, video systems, and the data rails that make the sport easier to watch, run, and play.

The headline example is automatic line calling. Major League Pickleball plans to introduce electronic line-calling in 2026 via Owl AI, a software-based system that can generate calls from 4K video using smartphones or broadcast feeds positioned as a far cheaper alternative to traditional, hardware-heavy setups.

The United Pickleball Association has also partnered with PlayReplay to bring electronic line-calling across events within the next two years. Meanwhile, pro pickleball is already building the replay muscle: PPA’s rule updates formalized video review/challenge procedures on courts with replay, including changes to how challenges and timeouts work.

Player-facing analytics are accelerating too: SwingVision markets automated scoring, stats, highlights, and even line-call challenges from your own footage. CourtsApp—billed as “the healthiest app in the world”—is turning a few taps into booked court time, using tech to convert screen time into play time.

Our best guess is that “smart-court” infrastructure will focus on scaling down from pro broadcast to everyday clubs because the building blocks are already here and getting cheaper.

Expect camera systems that auto-produce highlights, stats, and coachable clips to become a standard amenity at newer indoor facilities: PlaySight markets multi-angle replay/VAR and automated highlights, for example.

AI coaching as an add-on product is likely to proliferate (it’s already monetized at The Picklr via Wingfield + the ERNE ball machine), turning unused court hours into repeatable training sessions.

Finally, the “boring” stuff will matter most: digital scoreboards, facility operating systems (booking → check-in → doors → scoring/replay), plus a more polished multi-court viewing system.

These are all signals that pickleball is standardizing around data and video the way bigger sports already have.

As you improve in pickleball, you realize an important lesson: if you don’t have to move, don’t!

Throughout the entirety of this point from a game in Hainan, China, the team furthest from the camera doesn’t have to move their feet much…because the team closer to the camera just can’t quite nail any unattackable resets.

But even if they did, the team above demonstrates why you shouldn’t move more than is needed, making sure that when they do move, it’s fluid and purposeful.

When we film, coach, or grind through open play, we’re always hitting Franklin X-40s. The one-piece, no-seam construction and thicker shell stand up to gritty courts and and all kinds of weather without bouncing unpredictably.

Forty machine-drilled holes keep the flight steady and the bounce honest. It’s USA Pickleball–approved, the official ball of the US Open, and the official outdoor ball of The Pickleball Clinic for a reason.

Use code clinic15 for 15% off and stock up before your next league night.

That’s how many centenarians live in Japan (estimated, 2024), a reminder that in the world’s most longevity-shaped market, sports that reward control, community, and sustainable movement have a built-in runway.

Source: Pew Research Center.

Interesting tidbits from within the pickleball community:

Can you guess where we’re headed? Respond to this email with your guess. First one to get it right will receive something nice!

Here’s a hint:

The more pickleball grows, the more it starts to resemble every “big” sport…not because it gets louder, but because it gets organized.

That’s what this issue is about. On one end, pro pickleball is building the scaffolding: electronic line-calling, replay protocols, and the video-and-data backbone that makes competition feel fair (and watchable). On the other end, Japan shows a completely different version of maturity: pickleball as a lifetime sport, folded into civic recreation, and designed around longevity.

Send me the best example you’ve seen of pickleball getting smarter (or more organized) where you live. I’m collecting them for a future issue.

Do not hesitate to email Adam or connect with him on LinkedIn with questions, concerns, or story ideas!