Changing the Face of Pickleball

What if the biggest risk in pickleball… isn’t your opponent?

In this episode of Kitchen Conversations, I sit down with Brad Robbins — the mind behind Kitchen Blockers — a product that’s not just entering the game…

…it’s trying to change it.

After taking a ball to the eye, Brad saw something most players ignore:

👉 The fastest-growing sport in the world
👉 Millions of players
👉 Almost no one protecting their vision

And that’s where Kitchen Blockers was born.

This isn’t just about eyewear.
It’s about awareness.
It’s about safety.
And it’s about protecting the game we all love.

Brad doesn’t hold back in this conversation — from why eye injuries are inevitable… to why governing bodies are behind the curve… to why the culture of pickleball itself needs to evolve.

Love it or not… this is a conversation the sport needs.

🎯 In this episode, we dive into:

• The real risk of eye injuries in pickleball
• The story behind Kitchen Blockers
• Why most players are ignoring safety
• The “kitchen line danger zone” explained
• Why eye protection may eventually be mandatory
• The explosive growth of Kitchen Blockers globally
• What the future of pickleball safety looks like

👁️ Learn more about Kitchen Blockers:

👉 Official Website
https://kitchenblockers.com

👉 Follow Kitchen Blockers on Instagram
https://www.instagram.com/kitchenblockers

👉 Learn more about Brad Robbins
https://www.linkedin.com/in/bradrobbins

🎥 Watch more episodes:

👉 Kitchen Conversations YouTube Channel
https://www.youtube.com/@KitchenConversationspodcast

🎙️ About the Show:

Kitchen Conversations is more than dinks, drops and drives —
it’s stories from behind the paddle.

🔥 Hashtags:

#KitchenBlockers #BradRobbins #PickleballSafety #EyeProtection
#PickleballInjuries #PickleballCanada #KitchenConversations
#ProtectYourEyes #PickleballGear #PickleballLife
#PickleballGrowth #SportsInnovation #EntrepreneurStory
#PickleballCommunity #PlaySafe #PickleballPodcast
#DinkResponsibly #GameChanger #PickleballAwareness

And that wraps up this episode of Kitchen Conversations.

If you enjoyed the conversation, be sure to follow the show, leave a review, and share it with someone who loves the game as much as you do.

And if you want the full experience, including the visuals, head over to YouTube and watch the episode at

https://www.youtube.com/@KitchenConversationspodcast

Or search Kitchen Conversations Pickleball Podcast

That’s where these stories really come to life.

You’ll also find links and show notes in the episode description.

Until next time…

more than dinks, drops and drives…

these are stories from behind the paddle.

Transcript

SPEAKER_00 0:00

Hi there and welcome to the podcast. Welcome to Kitchen Conversations. We've got really just one basic fundamental goal, and that is with each episode, we somehow inspire one person to pick up a paddle and try the game for the very first time. Today we're going to have a look at the game through a slightly different lens, in fact, through a lensless perspective. Brad Bamps Robbins, and we'll talk about the Bamps part, is the founder of Kitchen Blockers. They're a progressive, leading edge eyewear protection company that is investing heavily in the game of pickleball. We think you'll love this story and get a real kick at a Bamps Robbins in this episode of Kitchen Conversations. I want to talk about the one title that's on the screen this morning and certainly in all of your signature blocks. And I'm dying to know the story behind BAMS because when I went to high school, my last name is Speez, and that, as you can appreciate, very quickly became Spaz. So I've lived with a nickname my whole life. So are you willing to tell me about Bamps and where that all came from? 100%.

SPEAKER_01 1:05

It's a really easy one. Um fortunate enough to have uh five daughters and now eight grandchildren, and um was looking at the uh what would be an interesting name because I didn't want to be uh grandpa or of the uh the traditional names, and was looking around and and it was you know the idiot dictionary or whatever that has all these different names, and um what were names for grandfathers other than grandfathers or grandpa, and and one was bamps, and the and the um definition of it was sort of an outward wacky person that likes to have fun, and and some of it wasn't too complimentary, but it um it it led to my dad was always grampy or gramps, so I went brad, gramps, bamps, and uh, and it was as simple as that. But as it goes over to pickleball, I did play uh I I play old guy singles around North America, and I was playing in the uh masters event in La Kinta, and they do the attendance to make sure all the entries are there, and the um and the person who's managing our section goes, Bamsuelo Robbins, and I said, No, no, no, I am not Bamsuelo, I am a Canadian Bamps for Brad Grandfather. So that's the story.

SPEAKER_00 2:30

Oh, what a great story. What a great story. I knew there had to be something to it, and uh, of course, the first time you and I corresponded via email, I see it in the signature block, and I'm intrigued by it in that moment. So I've been waiting a long time to ask you about it. So I appreciate you sharing that with me. It's great. We can safely say you're a pickleball player, you love the game, and I think the idea for kitchen blockers came from uh a car ride uh after a pickleball tournament. So maybe a very quick snapshot of that, and then let's jump into kitchen blockers because I really don't want to miss a chance to talk to you about that.

SPEAKER_01 2:59

Oh, for sure. So uh yes, three years ago, um, I picked up this game. Wow, was it cool? Uh, so much fun. Their database is amazing. Competitively, you could play anywhere around North America at any level. Uh, my partner and I, much better than me. It became my business partner, incredible operator, logistics guy, Dave Catman Katz. We're playing a tournament. I uh get hit in the eye, we're driving back. I start thinking this business, this the sport is gonna start to explode. It's so easy to enter, it's recognizing everybody on every level. Uh, what the hell's going on? Uh I don't get it. There's a million paddles, there's balls. Uh, I have an ice pack on my eye. Why is not to nobody doing anything about eye protection? Um, we developed a uh prototype through uh through somebody I knew. Uh, the person I knew was originally designing equipment for sports company. He changed to create eyewear and safety helmets for NATO companies. I had an idea of a look and feel. Most importantly, it had to be lensless. Uh, he helped with the design, the CADs, etc. Um, we created, I felt uh anybody who knows pickleball, where the velocity and the chances to get hit happened at something called a kitchen line. Thought the name kitchen blockers would be cool because it would block and have you not hurt the kitchen line. We then came up with some prototypes. Uh, really, as it was last December, we had products ready to go. Uh, we tested in Canada, uh, we tested on Meta, Facebook, spent a little bit of money, saw some early successes, said, let's tell our stories and see what would happen in the US. We did that last January, so that's what, 12 months ago. Uh, sorry, 14 months ago now. Um, it turns out that we had something, we've had a unique approach. Um, we're reverent. We really believe, quite honestly, we need to change the face of pickleball. And changing the face of pickleball, which is our positioning line, is anybody who doesn't get on a court with some form of eye safety, bad on them. You're wearing glasses, you're gonna have something to protect you. I'm not saying they're the best or the worst or whatever. We have no competition. The entire market is less than 15% served. A guy said to me the other day, I wear these fancy glasses, a very well-known brand name. Uh, why would you I choose yours? I said, You wouldn't. Don't. I'm very happy with what you're doing because you're being safe and you're not making your eyes that are priced. Just think about it. Your vision. Why would anybody screw with your vision and something they love to play? You don't have to take ours, you can wear anybody's, but you're a step forward. Fact of the matter is, we truly are the only lensless product that is built to the level that we've had. People can go, I can go to Walmart or whatever, I can go to the dollar store, I can pop out lenses and look at that, and I've got a price point that's good for me, and haha, I'm safe. One, they're actually not because they're so poorly made, and the structure holds up what the frame is, so they could seriously get hurt. And two, if that's the choice that they mentioned, okay, it is sort of in my view, unless it's the one-off shot, better than not. Um, and um now we're sitting in what are we, March now? We started in the US. Uh, we're the uh largest i safety uh pickleball protection uh product in the world. We sell in 45 countries. Uh we are listed in most club networks. Uh we have a very, very strong online presence. And each day we're pushing the boundaries and most importantly, uh letting the global community know uh it's wise to um change your face for pickleball. Be safe, play safe, and your eyes are the prize. And um uh I'm not sure where the future is gonna go, other than we have a global brand. Uh we're looking to uh make the right moves to uh really facilitate opportunities for kids when they first get on. Uh we overindex women 45 plus. Uh they're safer. For sure, Canadians are more proactive with their eye safety. They say, hey, this could happen. I want to get myself something, versus Americans say, oh my God, I just got hit. Uh what am I gonna do to uh to to to to deal with that? We've done uh strategic relationships. So we're the official eyewear partner of USA Pickleball, that's the governing body in the U.S. We're the official safety partner of Dupert, which is the algorithm within the sport. We're the official eyewear safety partner of PPA and their juniors, because it's important for kids to wear it. Um, interestingly enough, we just built a relationship uh yesterday. Uh, there is a Kingston connection because um uh one of the principals who does all the tournaments and and pickleball on the national level is involved. But the British Columbia Championships this July will be the first tournament I've seen that it's mandated to wear eye safety.

SPEAKER_00 8:44

There you go. There you go. And that's one of my questions. Where does where do you weigh in on that, Brad? Because, you know, is it a situation of my eyes, my choice, or should the sport, and whether that be pickleball Ontario, Canada, the Global Pickleball Federation, the PPA, the like where where do you weigh in on that as a as an entrepreneur? And you know, is should it be left to the player?

SPEAKER_01 9:05

No, I weigh in uh I weigh in a hundred percent that uh things transition, squash transition because it's been mandated, something significant's gonna happen. I understand why the governing bodies we work with say we want to educate safety versus taking a position that this is mandated. To me, I uh I'm I'm not gonna use any words that I shouldn't use on a podcast, but are you kidding me? Like if you can't make the decision, somebody else needs to make the decision for you. Yeah, there nobody could could the the reason why I believe that we have such a unicorn on our hand is yes, you can yes, in today's world you can debate and argue common sense, but anybody, if you said, Hey, you have sight today, and there's a chance that in another hour you might not have it again or you could damage it, and they say, So what? Uh I can't imagine that. I can't imagine it.

SPEAKER_00 10:12

So no, it's mind-blowing. Yeah, I'm with you on that. And listen, I'm watching the clock and I'm not gonna hold you much longer because I know you've got stuff going on this morning. So thank you for all of this, and thank you for being so candid about that answer because I look at it as, you know, having been in business, previous business owner, understanding the importance of liability and liability protection. I just see a lot of situations where this is not going to end well eventually. Eventually, something is going to bust out of this. And, you know, you got to look at independent clubs, not-for-profit clubs, franchises that are starting to gain traction across the country, you know, Brad, and and I just see either a club or an organization having to step in eventually and just make it mandatory. You look at youth hockey, you know, as an example. I mean, you can't put a kid in the ice without a helmet. I mean, that's just the way it is. Well, so why are we not seeing that as pickleball? Because it's enormously dangerous out there. It really is.

SPEAKER_01 10:58

And it's enormously dangerous from deflections, and you don't know where it's coming from at any time. It's it's not, it's truly not from the velocity of somebody helping. It's because this game is so universal and anybody could get on the court with anybody else, that there is timing and reactionary issues that lead to deflections. That being said, um, other uh it's like when you talk about hockey helmets, and when people get our product and say, Hey, I can't see, or this is in my way, or whatever, now uh we immediately return. And if it's not a problem, if it's not a fit with you, no problem. But truly, think about our kids and wearing the cages they weigh when they play ice hockey and how your depth perception adjusts so that you can see it a hundred percent clearly. So uh from a personal perspective, I don't really buy that. As you said, somebody's gonna lose their eye. People have already somebody of significance, a pro is going to be have their career terminated, and eventually it is going to happen. I just don't really need to spend time either sable rattling or saying we need to get this behind this. Like I said, the market is less than 15%. The huge growth is going to be in Asia and around the world. The game continues to grow. We're at the earliest stage. We will get our share. We are an organic growth. Somebody wears the product, chances are the next person comes and buys it, or they buy for four. And uh we applaud everybody that's creating a product that is helping people uh stay safe and be safe. And we think they're changing the face of pickleball with us. So thank you, everybody who might think they're they're our competitors. They're not. They are somebody that's working, same initiative that we are.

SPEAKER_00 12:54

Well, Brad, you've been beyond tremendous this morning, and I'm gonna be let you go here in a second. Um, I think the most dangerous person on the pickleball court's my partner because that's where most of the balls come from. Like the one I'm I'm not worried about the two guys crossing out. I see that one coming. It's that side shot, and we've all taken one in the head. And I do wear eye protection. I need prescription eye protection, unfortunately, because I can barely see you here, but I do wear and I always have. And uh so listen, this has been intriguing. It's been entertaining. Uh, you're an amazing guy to talk to. I'm so happy to have met you. And if I can ask one favor, down the road when you've got nothing to do and you want to come on a Going Nowhere fast podcast, I think there's a lot more to talk about with you. So maybe the courtesy of a rain check for another day when time permits. I just think there's so much more to this story. And as this evolves and kitchen blockers grows and it becomes more popular and we see the change to the game that we all love. And I think that's the important note to end on, Brad. It's a game worth protecting. You know, I think we can go beyond I care for me. We need to protect the game on so many levels, and and this is one of the important ones. So thanks for everything that you're doing to help pickleball, and thanks for being on my podcast.

SPEAKER_01 13:57

Hey, Mike, uh, a really pleasure. And most importantly, I encourage you uh to continue to go after and follow your passions. I know that you're just starting out uh in this area, have fun, have great conversations like that, leverage it to more networking and more relationships. And um, and you said something there, unfortunately, old guy moment, I forgot. One of the points you just said, I said, Oh, that's a good tagline. I think I'm gonna use it and whatever you said with with safety, but uh it's gonna happen. Um, and um we're just having fun every day. And it's like I say to uh the players that I've advised and represented. I help a young man who's now fifth in the world, I believe, in singles. Uh, he came to us because it allowed him to perform at his highest level. Uh, anybody, uh, you included, have fun, enjoy life, be passionate, and whatever comes from that, and have your health. And um, and all the best to you, my friend. And uh please keep pushing boundaries and don't take no for an answer.

SPEAKER_00 15:04

Well, Brad, you're one of those guys that makes me more than proud to be a Canadian. So thank you for all of this and thanks for being so candid. And uh, we'll chat soon. Take care.

SPEAKER_01 15:12

All the best, appreciate it.