Adaptive gear for wheelchair pickleball

A spare ball, clipped to your chair.

PickleDock clamps onto the frame of a sports wheelchair and holds an extra pickleball right where your hand already is. Pull it out, serve, and keep playing.

Get the free files See how it works
  • 4clamp sizes
  • 2printed parts
  • 0supports to print
A blue PickleDock holding a yellow pickleball, clamped to the frame of a sports wheelchair next to the court
At the October 2026 test session

Why it exists

Your hands are already busy.

In wheelchair pickleball you push the chair and swing the paddle with the same hands. A spare ball in your lap tends to roll off, and pockets are hard to reach while seated.

PickleDock gives the ball a fixed home on the side of the chair, so grabbing it is one short reach.

How it works

Two parts, one minute to set up.

  1. The clamp snapped onto a wheelchair tube
    1

    Snap the clamp on

    The C-shaped clamp pushes onto a round frame tube. Pick the size that matches your chair.

  2. The cup sliding onto the clamp's dovetail rail
    2

    Slide the cup on

    A tapered dovetail rail on the clamp fits a slot under the cup. It wedges tighter the further it goes.

  3. A pickleball snapped into the cup
    3

    Drop a ball in

    Four flexible fingers open around the ball and click shut past a small lip. A light pull gets it back out.

Version 6

Take a closer look.

Drag to rotate, scroll or pinch to zoom. This is the v6 cup on the 1 inch clamp.

Loading model…
Ball pocket74.4 mmFits standard outdoor balls
Fingers4 × 2.4 mmSnap shut past a lip
JointDovetailTapered, self-tightening
Clamp39.4 mm tall3.0 mm wall. Round face matches the cup's 40 mm base.

Fit guide

Which clamp do I need?

Measure the tube where you want the dock. Calipers work best. No calipers? Wrap a strip of paper around the tube, mark where it overlaps, and measure that length. Pick "around" below and the math is done for you.

Enter a measurement to see your size.

  • 7/8 in22.2 mm
  • 1 in25.4 mm
  • 1-1/8 in28.6 mm
  • 1-1/4 in31.8 mm

October 2026 · Challenged Athletes Foundation

Tested with wheelchair athletes.

I brought PickleDock to a session with wheelchair athletes through the Challenged Athletes Foundation in San Diego. Here's how it did.

Two wheelchair players facing each other on a pickleball court during the test session
Passed

Fit

The clamps fit the players' chairs.

Passed

Strength

It stayed on and held the ball through real play.

Next step

Placement

Where it goes on the chair matters. The best spot still needs work.

What's coming

Where PickleDock goes from here.

  1. Next

    Find the best spot on the chair

    Try different mounting points so the ball is easiest to grab mid-game.

  2. Soon

    More update videos

    New videos on the YouTube channel as the design improves.

  3. Later

    Ready-made docks for sale

    For players who don't have a 3D printer.

  4. Big idea

    Balls on the ground

    PickleDock stores a spare, but it can't pick balls up off the court yet. That's worth solving.

Video

Watch the first update.

I'll post update videos as PickleDock improves.

@GetPickleDock

The story so far

It started at a ping pong table.

Two early PickleDock prototypes printed in white, each holding an orange ball
Two early printed prototypes

  1. Ping pong balls kept rolling away

    The first version was a small holder glued to a ping pong paddle, built to stop balls from blowing off the table.

  2. From the table to the court

    The clamp idea turned out to fit wheelchair rails. After learning about adaptive sports through the Challenged Athletes Foundation, the project shifted to wheelchair pickleball.

  3. First 3D printed docks

    A ball cage on a screw-on clamp. It held, but it was hard to put on and take off, and tough to print cleanly.

  4. Version 2: rebuilt to print without supports

    The cup now sits flat on the printer bed, with thicker fingers and a slide-on dovetail in place of the screw.

  5. Version 6: a cleaner clamp

    After v2 the clamp went through a few more rounds. v6 keeps the proven v2 cup and adds a taller clamp with a round face that matches the cup.

  6. Tested with athletes

    Fit and strength both passed at the October 2026 session in San Diego. Placement is the next thing to work on.

Renders

Earlier versions.

The blue renders show an early version. The green views show version 2 on the print bed and going together. Tap any image to enlarge it.

Print your own, free

Get the files.

You need one cup and the clamp that fits your chair. Not sure which clamp? Use the fit guide.

Download everything (.zip)
Material
PETG (PLA works)
Supports
Off
Layer height
0.2 mm
Walls
4 loops
Infill
30% gyroid
Orientation
As saved

Assembly tips

  • Slide the cup on from the wide end of the rail until it wedges.
  • On an upright tube, point the narrow end of the rail down so gravity keeps it tight.
  • Your slicer may flag the slot roof as a "floating cantilever." It's a short bridge and prints fine.
  • Add a drop of glue if you want it permanent.

Contact me

Questions or ideas? Email me.

Reach out if you have feedback, want a ready-made dock when they're available, or want to help test the next version.

Email me soroush@trypickledock.com