USA Pickleball Relists ProKennex 11mm Black Ace LG Paddle on Approved List
USA Pickleball (USAP) has announced it is reversing its decision to delist the ProKennex 11mm Black Ace LG, which had previously been scheduled for removal from certification on 1 July 2025.
As of 3 June 2025, the Black Ace LG, according to USAP, is fully certified, having successfully passed all testing requirements, including PBCoR. Accordingly, all tournaments and associations that rely on USAP for paddle eligibility should note that this model is now and will continue to be fully legal for competition.
ProKennex’s Black Ace 11mm line was first certified as legal in June 2022, before the introduction of the PBCoR standard in 2024. Since certification, ProKennex has not tampered with the specifications, nor has it modified the Black Ace paddles, to achieve accelerated velocity—namely by engineering a trampoline effect—as observed in other brands that introduced models in late 2023 and 2024. Although ProKennex has not tampered with or modified other 11mm models either (Black Ace Pro, Black Ace Ovation and Black Ace XF), their status will remain unchanged and will be delisted on 1 July 2025.
The Black Ace 11mm Line derives its power from build quality and its 11mm profile. In essence, this combination results in an elevated, more efficient energy transfer. Both ProKennex and USAP emphasise this distinction from other engineering strategies and modifications.
The original delisting notice, which included other brands and models, referred to engineered trampolining effects for the purpose of adding velocity, and for which PBCoR testing is meant to limit. The description in that notice should not be associated with Pro Kennex.
