How to Hit a Pickleball Harder? Step-by-Step Guide
Knowing how to hit a pickleball harder can help you win more points. If you want to learn the secret of hitting the pickleball harder without the ball going out, you are in the right place.
In this article, we’ll discuss some different ways to generate more power on your shots. So, if that sounds interesting to you, let us begin.
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How to Hit A Pickleball Harder?
To hit pickleball harder, you’ll have to use a heavier pickleball paddle, master topspin, work on your positioning, and most importantly practice your forehand drives.
This is because most professional players use forehand drive to power shots. In case the ball is on the other side, you can switch hands to hit powerful forehand shots.
Below, we explain each of these factors in detail.
Use a Heavy Pickleball Paddle
To hit a pickleball harder, you should use a heavy pickleball paddle because heavier pickleball paddles will generate more power with less effort (remember Newton’s Second Law?). Ideally, you should aim for a paddle that weighs somewhere between 8oz to 9 oz for maximum power.
Usually, fiberglass paddles weigh more (and therefore help you hit the ball harder), so you should try to play with them.
If you have a lighter paddle, you can add weight to your paddle using lead tape.
But everything has its cons, and a heavier paddle can impact arm muscles and sometimes cause arm injury, due to their heavy weight.
Master the Topspin
One of the issues you’ll face when hitting hard is that the ball will frequently go out. So, to ensure that this doesn’t happen, mastering the topspin is crucial. Topspin will enable you to hit hard and allow the ball to drop rather than sail.
Though it’ll require some practice to play forehand topspin, every minute spent on training will take you one step closer to hitting powerful shots.
You can watch Simone Jardim’s, a pro pickleball player, video on using topspin Composite paddles will help you master the topspin.
Work On Your Stance
While hitting a pickleball harder, make sure to keep in mind that balance is the key. So, when you are hitting a hard forehand drive, you want to make sure you are stepping in. It’s better to have a closed stance. But if you like to play with an open stance, make sure to be broad and stable. Bending your knees is also a key component in balancing.
While hitting the shot, rotate your waist and use your core to generate power.
Hit the Ball On the Sweet Spot
When you want to hit a pickleball harder, make sure to hit the ball from the sweet spot of your paddle. This allows you to generate more power and help you to control the ball. Hitting the ball from the center enables all the force to gather in one direction, and then you can easily adjust the pace of the pickleball as well.
Should You Hit Hard In Pickleball?
There is no specific answer to this question because it depends entirely on your style of play. Several players love to be hit pickleball hard using forehand drives, while others bank on precision to score points;
But generally, pickleball is a game of placement and patience, so power alone won’t help you much until you learn to control and place the ball.
Especially, in a doubles game, hitting hard can be ineffective as the court is quite small and easily covered by two players. Therefore, it’s a must to develop control while getting better at the power shots.
That said, having powerful shots in your arsenal can offer multiple benefits, like:
1. Avoiding Predictability
If you hit a pickleball softly each time, you’ll easily become predictable, and your opponents might use this to their advantage. To keep your opponents guessing, you need to mix both soft dinks and power hits.
2. Exploiting Your Opponents’ Weakness
If your opponent is having a hard time facing powerful hits, then you should, of course, use this to your advantage. Players with mobility issues or those having slow reaction time will generally be unable to tackle hard-hit drives.
3. Playing Singles Game
During a singles game, players have to cover a much larger area by themselves. So by hitting the pickleball hard, you can make it difficult for your opponent to reach the ball and secure a point.
The Bottom Line
In this article, we’ve discussed everything you need to know about hitting a pickleball.
The best way is to master the topspin forehand drive, as it not only allows you to add more power, but also keeps the ball in the court. The ball drops when players think the forehand drive is going out, and the point is lost.
Though hitting the ball hard every time is frowned upon, by learning to hit the pickleball harder and knowing when to use power, you can certainly improve your game. You can also check out our guide on improving your pickleball game here.
