We believed pickleball deserved more than just a power upgrade.
I was watching the sport I loved start to change. The market became obsessed with a power arms race, pushing paddles to become harder and faster, turning matches into baseline slugfests that looked more and more like tennis. While I respected the engineering, I felt this trend was a mistake.
It ignored the strategy, the finesse, the patience—the chess match at the net—that makes pickleball so unique. This led me to a core question: Could we use data to engineer a "control" paddle that had the touch and feel for a soft game, but with the modern performance needed to neutralize power and win points?
My background gave me a unique way to tackle this. My 10 years in software and IoT taught me how to analyze the game with objective data, while my early career in the lamination industry gave me the hands-on knowledge of composites needed to bring that data to life. It was the perfect fusion of data science and material science.
So, we began our analysis with a clear mission: to prove that strategy, not just power, wins matches. The data was undeniable. Players with superior placement on their drops, dinks, and resets consistently won more points, even against harder-hitting opponents. The Rift 1 Pro was born from this insight—every layer of its cold-pressed carbon face was designed to maximize dwell time, absorb pace, and give you pinpoint control over the ball.
Rift was founded on the belief that the "power" trend doesn't have to be the future. Our obsession is to engineer paddles that reward touch, strategy, and intelligence. We use data not just to build a better paddle, but to champion the strategic depth that makes pickleball the greatest game on earth.
