Shadowing Practice: Selkirk Boomstik ST First Look: Better Spin, But Worth $350? - Learn English Speaking with Video

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Anyway, Eddie, a brand new paddle from Selkirk.

Quite a big deal.

It's always an exciting day when you get that box from Selkirk.

Yes, it is.

So this is the highly anticipated version 2 of the Boomstick, called the Boomstick ST. And the embargo is lifting.

We're recording this for QCAS 129, but we'll clip it out because by the time we publish it, the embargo won't be lifted.

But we did get some play impressions, so I wanted to get this.

Plus, I'll be at World, so I won't be able to produce a standalone video.

But just some initial thoughts on it, and we compared it to the original Boomstick.

Some techs, tech specs on this.

And I did not get a chance to sit in on the meeting with Selkirk,

but they invited panel reviewers and content creators to this meeting a couple weeks ago and kind of discussed the technology.

i did not get a chance to sit in on that

but uh i do know some of the information

and they sent me a spec sheet here so uh the big thing

that i think a lot of people are going to love over the original is

that nice the moi weights are now removable just like they were on the omni

is there a spot that marks it not obvious not obvious all right anyway i left them

in their place and I'll give you the specs where the stock paddle comes

and this is where the MOI weights are permanently affixed to the original boomstick at this location

but now you can take them off entirely or move them up and down and

the specs on this with the MOI weights 8 .26 ounces static 122 swing weight 7 .12 twist weight

which is almost exactly the same as the original boomstick

There's that line right there.

Ah, okay.

Yes, that's where the bottom of the MOI weight goes.

All right, so there's a marker on there.

That's smart.

All right, so the other thing

that most people are going to notice about this is

that there is a bevel in the face right inside the edge guard, and they're calling this the shark tooth groove tech.

It's a perimeter groove that they say allows the paddle face to bite the ball, so more aggressive dips over the net,

better resets, and the same power.

I want to do some high -speed footage of this

and shoot a ball at it and then watch the flex patterns to see

if this groove actually enhances or makes the pocketing or bending different in any way.

We'll talk about whether or not we felt that on court.

They've also upgraded their Infinegrit Noticeably more aggressive

Texture on this

Much more tacky

So I'm just going to give you the Hand test That is the original

Boomstick This is the You probably can't hear a difference I can feel a massive difference on the face of these two.

I did do the steret testing on this, and it falls just as aggressive as, like, hex grit slash blue grit,

you know, the Spartus perma -grit.

So it's noticeably more aggressive on the texture.

And I was getting – I haven't tested human -generated spin yet, but I'm guessing it's in the 24 to 2500 range.

Like, the balls are dipping hard on court.

um and then the promise also is not just more aggressive texture

but more durable texture that's in the process of being tested uh

we got our we got our canon test going on this i have not uh analyzed the results yet

but my guess is it does perform better than original infinegrit

which was tier three slash tier four on the canon

and you know based on real real world performance of the Inventa Grit,

it's probably on par with raw carbon fiber slash a little bit more durable, depending on who you ask.

I have high hopes that this is going to be a little more durable.

Verdict's still out, though.

We don't have the hours on the paddle, and I haven't analyzed the Canon results.

They're calling out a multi -strata face, so it's a patent -pending multi -layer T700 carbon fiber system.

I don't know if that's any different than the original.

So another difference is the price, $350 for this sucker.

Oh, my God.

Yeah.

And I wonder, they didn't mention on the spec sheet, maybe they did in the meeting that I missed,

if they've fixed the edge guard issues, right? So.

the cracking issues on the face that was one of the the main things

that affected the original boomstick was the edge guards came loose and then there were like lateral cracks on the face

uh so we'll see

but another great thing about selkirk is their customer service is second to none

i warrantied personally like i think five boomsticks in the in the six months

that i was maining it right so it's basically like a new paddle per month

and it was just like edge guard came loose, send them a little note, they would send a new one.

I was doing the same method everybody else who uses their warranty system uses.

They make it very easy.

Alright, let's jump into our play impressions, Eddie.

Hey, before we do, John, let's just talk about branding and graphics, because Selkirk just keeps killing it.

I mean, if they're not number one in the world of just branding, I don't know who is, because to me, they're a class leader.

That thing looks freaking phenomenal yeah can't argue with this i think there's three color ways

but uh yep very distinctive looking looks so different enough from the original boomstick

that people will notice and oh i noticed right out of the box yeah

fantastic yeah but play impressions still the halloween stiffy thing

that you've all kind of gotten to associate with boomstick that is still

prevalent first and foremost the feel of it you picked up some very subtle differences between the OG

and the new one me, I really couldn't it was very,

very similar I also noticed that the balls were dipping harder I don't know if that's the shark tooth,

whatever or the grid itself but definitely some more realized spin for me than the OG,

which is great other than that, what was already a great paddle even greater

Yeah, it's funny.

I've been migrating down to the softer part of the field profile, field chart.

And it's been a while.

I remember I mained the boomstick for six months, and it was so hard for me to wean off that paddle.

It was so different from other paddles, but I just loved it.

But eventually for my own pickleball paddle reviewer career, I had to shift out of it because it was

so different that it took me a long time to adapt to any other paddle I would hit.

So I did it, not by choice, but because I had to.

Going back to it, I hit the, this is a brand new, I took a brand new boomstick out there, the original.

And I was like, dang, did they, like, is this stiffer than I remember? And hollower?

Because I remember when the boomstick came out, it seemed thongy, like deep and hollow.

And this one just sounds like hitting an anvil these days

because all of the paddles have become so deep sounding bassy

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but uh yeah here's the original boomstick outside is even more pronounced like a ping

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so to me now that's like almost high pitched

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and i know there's a difference in the tone between the boomstick

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and the original boomstick and the st so here's the boomstick original

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and st you hear that now eddie much thonkier yeah lower tone

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but it did not lose any of the stiff hollow profile

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it's just a slightly different tone

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i feel like everything else feels exactly the same between these two you're right though way more spin on this

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and i like the the deeper tone to me it feels

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just with the extra spin and the tone i

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that i like it feels a little easier to control exactly the same firepower

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you know i did not notice any difference between the original

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and the new in terms of firepower

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and i i do think it's an improvement you know the the main improvements are better spin to be determined

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if the spin is more durable, right?

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And then the ability to manipulate the MOI edge weights.

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That alone is worth, well, not another $50.

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It's worth something.

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Yeah.

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That begs the question, right?

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Let's assume the grid is more durable.

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Let's assume it's a tier one grid.

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Is it worth $350 in today's market?

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No.

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You don't think so no not when there's paddles for a hundred bucks with

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if not tier one close enough to tier one where maybe don't notice yeah

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that's a hard sell right yeah i think they'll kill

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it with this i think plenty of people will buy

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it you know people people will be happy with it um

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but yeah unless unless your main goal is like you want the best warranty

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and you love that feel of the of the boomstick and you're dialed into it.

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And I get it.

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I was there too and it was really hard to not play with

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that anymore uh then then yeah that's a hard sell yeah 50 bucks i do think

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that it is you know a top 10 paddle top five paddled even yeah

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and for what it is if you're into

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that very stiff feeling maybe there's not a better pattern paddle out there

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that is you know that that feel that's true uh and

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so if you're willing to if that's what you want

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and you want the best looking paddle out there

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and you got the money then go for it i'm gonna be tempted to maim

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this sucker again as i put hours on it for the review we'll see

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if i really really if i've

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if i've truly migrated to my preference to the soft feel side of the feel chart

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or if the broomstick still holds a place in my heart

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but holy crap i've been playing with that Honolulu J6 Sierra for so long.

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Going from that to this is like going from a marshmallow to a piece of plywood.

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Right.

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Definitely a different feel.

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But a lot of fun.

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I enjoyed it.

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Yes, sir.

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Vocabulary and speaking notes for this lesson

This speaking lesson is built on the video “Selkirk Boomstik ST First Look: Better Spin, But Worth $350?”. The speaker keeps coming back to these words: boomstick, paddle, original, weight. This video has 151 sentences and 1766 words to shadow. The speech runs for 10:52. The speaker talks at a natural 163 words per minute, close to everyday conversation. Only 79% of the words are among the 3,000 most common in English, so the vocabulary is demanding.

Key vocabulary in this video

15 words from the video worth learning, with pronunciation and meaning:

Word	Pronunciation	Meaning
spin verb	/spɪn/	To rotate, revolve, gyrate (usually quickly); to partially or completely rotate to face another direction.
tone noun	/ˈtəʊn/	A specific pitch.
aggressive adjective	/əˈɡɹɛs.ɪv/	Characterized by aggression; highly combative; prone to behave in a way that involves attacking (especially if unjustly) or arguing.
tier noun	/ˈtɪɚ/	A row or range, especially one at a higher or lower level than another.
durable adjective	/ˈdʊɹəbəl/	Able to resist wear or decay; lasting; enduring.
texture noun	/ˈtɛkst͡ʃə(ɹ)/	The feel or shape of a surface or substance; the smoothness, roughness, softness, etc. of something.
impression noun	/ɪmˈpɹɛʃn̩/	The indentation or depression made by the pressure of one object on or into another.
grid noun	/ɡɹɪd/	A rectangular array of squares or rectangles of equal size, such as in a crossword puzzle.
dip verb	/dɪp/	To lower into a liquid.
cannon noun	/ˈkæn.ən/	A complete assembly, consisting of an artillery tube and a breech mechanism, firing mechanism or base cap, which is a component of a gun, howitzer or mortar…
hollow adjective	/ˈhɑloʊ/	Having an empty space or cavity inside.
stiff adjective	/stɪf/	Rigid; hard to bend; inflexible.
groove noun	/ɡɹuv/	A long, narrow channel or depression; e.g., such a slot cut into a hard material to provide a location for an engineering component, a tire groove, or a…
warranty noun	/ˈwɔɹ.ən.ti/	A guarantee that a certain outcome or obligation will be fulfilled; security.
chart noun	/t͡ʃɑɹt/	A map illustrating the geography of a specific phenomenon.

Phrasal verbs you will hear

Word	Pronunciation	Meaning
sit in on verb		To attend a private meeting or class without participating.
call out verb		To specify, especially in detail.
come out verb	/ˌkʌm ˈaʊt/	To be discovered; to be revealed.
go back to verb		To stem from; to originate in.
pick up verb		To lift; to grasp and raise.

Grammar in this video

The structures the speaker uses most, with the exact words from the video:

Structure	In the video
Present perfect continuous have/has been + -ing — an action that started earlier and is still going on	I've been migrating · i've been playing
Present perfect have/has + past participle — a past action that still matters now	They've also upgraded · haven't tested · haven't analyzed
Passive voice be + past participle — the focus is on what happens, not who does it	won't be lifted · are permanently affixed · being tested

Pronunciation to watch

The speaker uses 41 contractions and reduced forms, such as don't, I've, they're. Say them the short way, as you hear them.

The “th” sounds: tooth /tuθ/, thongy /ˈθɒŋi/
The “sh” and “zh” sounds: impression /ɪmˈpɹɛʃn̩/, sheet /ʃit/, speculation /ˌspɛk.jəˈleɪ.ʃən/, associate /əˈsoʊʃi.ət/, publish /ˈpʌblɪʃ/
Long words — get the stress right: speculation /ˌspɛk.jəˈleɪ.ʃən/, associate /əˈsoʊʃi.ət/, permanently /ˈpɜː.mə.nənt.li/, phenomenal /fɪˈnɒmɪnəl/, anticipate /ænˈtɪs.ɪ.peɪt/

How to practise with this video

Listen to the whole video once without speaking and note the words you do not know.
Start at 0.75× speed, shadow it sentence by sentence, then go back to normal speed once it feels easy.
Record yourself and compare with the original, paying attention to words like spin, tone, aggressive.

What is the Shadowing Technique?

Shadowing is a science-backed language learning technique originally developed for professional interpreter training and popularized by polyglot Dr. Alexander Arguelles. The method is simple but powerful: you listen to native English audio and immediately repeat it out loud — like a shadow following the speaker with just a 1–2 second delay. Unlike passive listening or grammar drills, shadowing forces your brain and mouth muscles to simultaneously process and reproduce real speech patterns. Research shows it significantly improves pronunciation accuracy, intonation, rhythm, connected speech, listening comprehension, and speaking fluency — making it one of the most effective methods for IELTS Speaking preparation and real-world English communication.

Shadowing technique: read the full step-by-step guide →

Shadowing Practice: Selkirk Boomstik ST First Look: Better Spin, But Worth $350? - Learn English Speaking with Video

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