There are numerous ads on the Internet by pickleball paddle manufacturers claiming that their paddles are optimized for power or control, but what is the difference? Pickleball players will tell you that paddles with more power have greater “pop”, which is a nebulous term that is understood to mean the sound of the ball hitting […]
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If you have two different paddles with the exact same weight one paddle may feel heavier in your hand than the other. Why? The answer is that there is a difference between a paddle’s static-weight (often called just the “weight”) and its swing-weight. Although the static-weights of the paddles are identical, the swing-weight of one
Paddle Weight vs. Swing-Weight Read More »
The topic of pickleball topspin seems to be a little contentious. On one hand, there are bloggers and players who claim that putting topspin on the ball has little effect on speed or direction. On the other hand, there are several videos, blogs, and professionals teaching topspin, and numerous racquet companies touting the spin capabilities
Can Topspin Enable a Faster Serve? Read More »
Aerodynamic drag is always present in pickleball, and is dependent on numerous variables, including the speed, mass and surface condition of the ball. In this article, we develop a mathematical model of aerodynamic drag and use it to predict the maximum speed of a pickleball serve. In our article, “Pickleball Equations of Motion“, we introduced
How Does Aerodynamic Drag Affect a Pickleball? Read More »
It is important to know the location of the sweet spot on your pickleball paddle so that you can learn to consistently hit the ball at this location to obtain the highest degree of accuracy, velocity, and power. However, locating the sweet spot is not easy. It is complicated by several different factors, including the
Where is the Sweet Spot? Read More »
One of the keys to hitting an accurate shot as explained in our article, How to Avoid Pickleball Mis-Hits, is to strike the ball on the paddle face at a location that does not induce misorientation of the paddle. This location is known as the Sweet Spot on the paddle. In this article, we delve further
Why is the Sweet Spot Important? Read More »
The idea of a “sweet spot” on a pickleball paddle is a bit like the idea of love. We all know what it is when we experience it, but no one quite knows how to explain it. In this article we discuss commonly held misconceptions about the sweet spot and identify what it is. In
What is the Sweet Spot? Read More »