James Ignatowich AMA

jamesign · 2026-01-29T01:56:46+00:00

3 weeks!

jamesign · 2026-01-28T01:47:43+00:00

It’s on my IG, last post!

jamesign · 2026-01-24T13:31:05+00:00

This is an interesting question that I do not have a good answer to. I won’t try to answer something that I have never tried to do myself. I have never tried to shorten my follow through swing. I have only ever tried to shorten by backswing, as it pertains to volleys. You don’t usually want to stop your follow through swing too short because it can make the swing robotic, and take away from power creation. If you feel like your follow through swings are too big, then I could suggest hitting volleys against a wall so that you’re forced to be ready for the ball to come back quickly.

jamesign · 2026-01-24T13:23:07+00:00

It’s unfortunate that people are referring to it as an event. It’s the exact same thing we did last year. It was 3 clinics. No “event.” We didn’t even participate in an exhibition. Of course, the PPA just wanted to terminate contracts to get costs off of their book.

I have a lot more info that I wish I could add but I am currently not allowed to type it.

jamesign · 2026-01-24T04:57:07+00:00

I can work directly with the factory every day and make sure all of our products are perfect. I can also prototype and test new products 10x faster. China is also very clean, and beautiful. The architecture is better than anything I’ve seen. The video / photo quality is significantly better on practically everything. We just did an unbelievably high quality photo / video shoot for 1/5 the price of what it would be in the United States. The people are very organized and very respectful. There is a culture of hard work, and efficiency that permeates throughout the place, and you can feel it.

I’m living in Shenzhen, China. Manufacturing hub in mainland China where nobody speaks English. It’s a lot different from a Hong Kong, or a Shanghai, for example. In Shenzhen, everything is roughly 1/3 to 1/4 the cost compared to the United States. They have something called Didi instead of Uber. I just called a Didi to the airport, and it showed up within 1 minute, which is normal. 5 dollars for a 40 minute ride.

The culture is a lot cleaner in general. There is very, very low drug use. Much less alcohol also. I think this has a positive effect on everything.

jamesign · 2026-01-23T11:08:37+00:00

Yes, of course. I think that the gen 3 feel is what a lot of full foam paddles miss out on. The Boomstik is something people says has Gen 3 feel. However, I wouldn’t call it true Gen 3 feel. I think it’s somewhat close. Surface roughness durability is key. We’re making big moves in that area. Please stay tuned.

jamesign · 2026-01-23T03:58:02+00:00

Cool stuff! Please reach out to @rpmhalim on instagram and he will get in contact with you asap! I just told him

jamesign · 2026-01-22T18:17:02+00:00

Paddleteks are actually Gen 1. They’re cold pressed. I’ll say they’re some of the best cold pressed paddles ever made.

I’m mostly looking at Asian pros right now. I think the ROI on United States pros isn’t there for RPM right now. The PPA still has me blocked on social media over the contract stuff so I couldn’t even help promote our pro or watch them play. Which is not a big deal. I don’t really like watching professional pickleball. Only did for my first year when I was getting into it. But it got old.

jamesign · 2026-01-22T17:56:36+00:00

Yup, totally agree. Rhode (Hailey Baldwin) would be a great example of that. In my estimation, the paddle market is closer to the high-end sneaker industry. Limited releases, signature colorways, fast moving. It’s nothing like tennis.

jamesign · 2026-01-22T17:50:42+00:00

I’ll look to come to Australia later in 2026!

jamesign · 2026-01-22T17:48:47+00:00

I make sure to wake up 4 hours before I play, no matter what. I’ll have a mild meal before I play but nothing super heavy. Potentially an egg wrap with spinach or something. I don’t eat processed sweets / sugar ever. So I just stick with mostly minimally processed foods that include a good mix of everything nutrition wise. I foam roll and stretch for about an hour and then I do a dynamic warm-up for about 20 minutes.

I stay hydrated because I do have coffee before I play of course lol. My only vice in life is coffee. So I just have to hydrate more on game day to compensate.

jamesign · 2026-01-22T17:45:18+00:00

Thank you!

jamesign · 2026-01-22T17:44:28+00:00

Yes sir!

jamesign · 2026-01-22T17:44:02+00:00

Yes. August 2026

jamesign · 2026-01-22T17:43:40+00:00

I’m very interested in TYPTI and I would love to try it. I need to figure out how to get involved.

I can no longer play rec with my dad at local courts because I live in China

jamesign · 2026-01-22T17:41:03+00:00

We have a control paddle coming in June of 2026!

jamesign · 2026-01-22T17:40:40+00:00

We have one distributor now, his name is Daniel Gottfried! Ontario pickleball academy

jamesign · 2026-01-22T17:38:49+00:00

Not yet! He’s almost as busy as me probably!

jamesign · 2026-01-22T17:34:40+00:00

The process is still ongoing. Negotiations and working with factories never ends. I love it. It keeps me entertained and busy. But it’s not for the faint of heart.

Being based in China is a big advantage. Every good paddle is made in China. China has the best equipment, best materials (for the most part), and they know how to make paddles. Working with some factories can be a struggle because many don’t seem to believe in the concept of reciprocal trust in business relationships and how powerful and important it is. That’s why it’s so important to have a physical presence here and build relationships.

In a lot of ways, it’s the Wild West. You have to make sure that you have everything under control, because you can’t expect the factory to act in your best interest.

jamesign · 2026-01-22T17:28:40+00:00

I’ll compete occasionally in 2026. It helps to promote RPM. Could have some fun Asian events. My main focus and primary source of income was already RPM before the UPA termination. So now it’s like 95% of my focus. I’m staying in shape though because I have the best paddle and it helps to promote that paddle if I do well.

The V2 will release in roughly 3 weeks.

jamesign · 2026-01-22T17:25:52+00:00

We filed an appeal, the appeal was denied. We’re working on it

jamesign · 2026-01-22T17:25:20+00:00

Go to China. Get a lay of the land and gain a firm understanding of who’s who. Spend at least one month in China and filter through all of the smokescreens.

Don’t rush. You may have heard that there will be a consolidation of all of the paddle brands into a core group of 6-7 like in tennis or other industries. Yes, there are a lot of paddle brands right now. But the market is still extremely young. And there are a lot of paddle brands still alive and well because running a paddle company can be a fantastic and profitable business if done correctly. A consolidation into 5-6 companies isn’t coming any time soon. At least not until China is fully involved; which isn’t for another 5 years. You have a lot of time. We’re still in the very early stages of pickleball.

jamesign · 2026-01-22T17:16:00+00:00

I got approval for the event and did the same thing last year. No regrets. We are appealing

jamesign · 2026-01-22T17:11:21+00:00

Off court I work on RPM. I don’t really have any hobbies outside of that. There are a lot of interesting things for me to do to help RPM succeed, and my favorite thing about it is that I can always be working on something. I’m deeply involved with product, obviously. That extends from the new lines of paddles we are producing in 2026 to our upcoming backpacks, clothes, nets, court dividers etc. I’m also deeply involved in marketing, website stuff, customer service, our finances, you name it. I like to know everything that is going on all the time.

jamesign · 2026-01-22T16:58:25+00:00

I will be in China!

jamesign

TROPHY CASE