Featured Story By Rachael James

APP vs. PPA: Understanding Professional Pickleball Tours and How to Build Your Career 🏓💪

January 21, 2025 10 min watch
Professional Pickleball AP Tour PPA Tour Pickleball Tournaments

Hi there! I’m Rachel James, a professional pickleball player. Today, I’ll be sharing some key insights on how to become a professional pickleball player. I’ll shed light on the two major tours and what they can offer you as a professional player.

The first tour I’ll discuss is the AP tour. It offers prize money to the top nine players. If you’re in ninth place, you can expect around $600, while the first place gets around $2500, depending on the tournament. If you’re in the top nine, you’ll be getting paid. Additionally, if you’re in the top 10 on the AP tour, your entry fees will be waived, saving you anywhere between $500 to $700. The AP tour also has a new location in Fort Lauderdale, Florida, which will serve as a training ground for up-and-coming professional pickleball players.

The AP tour is also known for its development of younger players, making the sport more accessible to a younger generation. Another unique feature of the AP tour is its backdraws. If you lose in your first or second round, you get put into a completely different bracket, still with the opportunity to make money. If you’re ranked in the top 10 in some tournaments, you may get preferential parking, and all AP tournaments provide free lunch for their professional players.

The PPA tour, on the other hand, operates differently. They contract their players, providing a level of financial stability. Contracts can range from covering only entry fees to paying over $100,000 per year to be on the tour. However, if you sign a contract with the PPA tour, you’re not allowed to play on the AP tour. The PPA tour is often considered the professional tour as they have contracted a large number of top players. They also provide lunches, though not at every tournament, and have a tent for professional pickleball players at their events.

In conclusion, both the AP and PPA tours offer various opportunities and benefits for aspiring professional pickleball players. Depending on your specific goals and circumstances, one may be more suitable for you than the other. Good luck on your journey to becoming a professional pickleball player!

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Key Points

Essential takeaways from the video

  • Professional pickleball player Rachel James discusses the two major tours in professional pickleball: the APP and the PPA.
  • The APP offers prize money to the top nine players, ranging from $600 to $2500 depending on the tournament.
  • If a player is in the top ten on the APP tour, their entry fees are waived.
  • The APP has a location in Fort Lauderdale, Florida which serves as a training ground for emerging professional pickleball players.
  • The PPA tour offers contracts to players they believe have potential or have performed well in tournaments. These contracts can range from covering entry fees to a salary of over $100,000 per year.
  • The PPA has contracted most of the top players, making it often considered the main professional tour.
  • Players contracted by the PPA are not allowed to play on the APP tour.
  • Both the APP and PPA tours offer benefits to their professional players such as free lunches and reserved parking spaces.
  • A player’s success on either tour can lead to opportunities on the other, but signing a contract with the PPA restricts a player to that tour only.

Detailed Comparison

Understanding the key differences

Understanding Tournament Brackets and Draws

A tournament bracket or draw is essentially the roadmap of the competition. It outlines the teams (or individuals in singles) that will be competing against each other, showing their progression through different rounds until a winner is determined.

Main Draw (Front Draw)

  • Starting point for all players
  • For undefeated players only
  • Path to tournament victory

Back Draw (Consolation)

  • Second chance bracket
  • For players with one loss
  • Chance to win prizes

PPA + DUPR + UPA Format

Professional tournaments with high stakes and no back draws.

  • Single elimination format
  • Higher pressure matches
  • Elite competition level

APP + UTR + USAP Format

More opportunities with back draw system.

  • Back draw available
  • More matches guaranteed
  • Prize opportunities in back draw

Whether you’re playing in the main draw or back draw, every match is an opportunity to improve and showcase your skills. Understanding these tournament structures helps you better prepare for competition.

Common Questions About Pickleball Organizations

Frequently Asked Questions

What is the scoring system for PPA?
In the PPA, games are scored on a two out of three sets basis. Each set goes up to 11 points, and must be won by two points. The crucial detail is that you can only score on your serve. If the first set is won by you and the second by your opponent, a third set is played. In the third set, sides are switched once a player reaches six points.
How does the scoring system for AP differ from PPA?
The AP follows a similar scoring structure to the PPA for mixed doubles and gender doubles, with games being two out of three sets up to 11, win by two. However, the AP does have a back draw for all of their divisions. Also, once you’re in the back draw on the AP tour, it’s one set or one game up to 15. Another difference is that in the singles professional division on the AP tour, every point counts no matter if you’re serving or not.
What is the ‘win by two’ rule?
The ‘win by two’ rule means that to win a set or a game, a player must have at least two more points than their opponent. If the score is tied at 10 each, for instance, play continues until one player has two more points than the other, making the score 12-10.
What are the rules for switching sides in PPA and AP?
In both PPA and AP tournaments, players switch sides after each set. In the third set of a PPA match, sides are switched once a player reaches six points. In the AP, during the third set, sides are switched when a player reaches eight points.
What is the ‘back draw’ in AP?
In the AP, if you lose in the first or second round, you get to play in the ‘back draw’. These matches are one set or one game up to 15. However, once you’re in the third round and you lose, you do not get to feed into the back draw.