Pickleball Science

In a previous article, we discussed how it might not be appropriate to rate pickleball paddles into the mutually exclusive categories of “power” and “control”.  We then developed an alternative technique to categorize paddles, where a paddle’s “power” rating is independent of its “control” rating. It is reasonable to separate “power” from “control” because a

Dichotomy (noun), dī-́ʹkä-tə-mē – A division into two especially mutually exclusive or contradictory groups or parts.  In common pickleball parlance, paddles are classified according to the amount of power or control they exhibit when striking a ball.  These classifications may be overly simplistic because they imply that paddle power and control are mutually exclusive.  That

In a previous article, we looked at the trampoline vibration mode of a pickleball paddle and attempted to model it like a tennis racquet, with a rigid outer frame and a compliant center.  Since the calculated equivalent stiffness of the paddle was significantly greater than the measured static stiffness, we inferred that the dynamic loads

Conventional knowledge suggests that pickleball paddles behave like tennis racquets, which have strings that are supported by a rigid outer “frame”.  When striking the ball, the strings stretch and deform like a trampoline, thereby storing the kinetic energy of the ball in the form of potential energy in the strings.  At maximum deformation, the potential

Conventional wisdom suggests that paddles with higher weight, lower stiffness, and higher PBCoR (Paddle/Ball Coefficient of Restitution) ratings will have greater power than paddles with lower weight, higher stiffness, and lower PBCoR ratings.  As we know, this is not always the case.  There are numerous instances where a paddle might appear (on paper) to have

In a previous article, we discussed how the dynamics of your pickleball paddle contribute to the speed, power, and accuracy of your shots.  In particular, we discussed the importance of the paddle trampoline mode and its frequency relative to the diving board and anti-resonance modes.  In practice, however, we have found that not all trampoline

In several previous articles, we have shown that paddle power and topspin capability go hand-in-hand (see for example, Can Topspin Enable a Faster Serve?)  In an effort to limit paddle spin capability (and indirectly paddle power), the USAP established limits on the paddle face surface roughness and coefficient of (kinetic) friction (or CoF).  We have