Pickleball Balls

Selkirk Sport SLK Hybrid+ Balls USAPA Indoor/Outdoor Pickleball - Yellow - lauxsportinggoods

Indoor Pickleball Balls

Selkirk Sport Pro S1 Balls USAPA Pickleball - lauxsportinggoods

Outdoor Pickleball Balls

Selkirk Sport SLK by Selkirk x The Holderness Family Pickleball Bundle - lauxsportinggoods

Pickleball Sets

Pickleballs aren't all the same - and grabbing the wrong type for your court is the most common gear mistake new players make.

Outdoor balls have 40 smaller, beveled holes and a harder plastic shell that resists wind and holds up to rough surfaces like concrete and asphalt. They play fast, bounce higher, and tend to crack rather than soften over time - keep a spare in your bag, especially in cold weather.

Indoor balls have 26 larger holes and a softer plastic suited to gym floors and indoor courts. They play slower, give longer rallies, and gradually go soft instead of cracking. Hybrid balls sit between the two and work well if you split your time across both surfaces.

For sanctioned tournament play, look for the USA Pickleball Approved designation. For most rec players, color is mostly about visibility - yellow and neon dominate outdoors, with orange and white as alternatives.

Pickleball Balls FAQs

Count the holes. Outdoor balls have 40 small, beveled holes drilled into a harder plastic shell - the smaller holes cut through wind and the harder shell handles concrete or asphalt. Indoor balls have 26 larger holes and a softer plastic tuned for gym floors. You can also tell by feel - outdoor balls are noticeably harder and slightly heavier, while indoor balls flex more under pressure. If a ball has "40" in the name (like Dura Fast-40), it's outdoor; "26" indicates indoor.

It depends on how hard you play and where. Outdoor balls develop hairline cracks from repeated hard hits, especially in cold weather - a competitive doubles session can end one ball, and league players usually rotate through several per night. Indoor balls don't typically crack but gradually go soft and lose their shape, which kills the bounce. Most rec players carry at least three or four balls in their bag and replace them as they crack, soften, or get out of round.

USA Pickleball (formerly USAPA) is the sport's governing body in the US, and they certify balls that meet a strict spec - diameter, weight, bounce, hardness, and hole pattern all have to fall within set ranges. Sanctioned tournament play requires an approved ball. For rec or league play, USA Pickleball approval mostly tells you the ball plays consistently and bounces the way it should. If you're heading to a tournament, double-check the approved-ball list, since not every ball stays on it.

You can, but you won't enjoy it as much. An outdoor ball used inside plays too fast on a gym floor and bounces too high - the game becomes a series of long retrievals. An indoor ball outside gets pushed around by even a light breeze and won't hold its line on a hard surface. The bigger issue is durability: indoor balls weren't built for asphalt and crack quickly outside. Match the ball to the surface and the game plays the way it's supposed to.

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