A Site Exploring the Physics of the Paddle Ball Collision
Off Center Hits & Perimeter Weighting
6/5/2025
We instinctively know to hit the ball somewhere along the center line of the paddle. But we're not always successful. The downside of off-center hits - a loss of speed and off angle rebounds - is explored. Perimeter weighting (6 grams on both sides) helps mitigate the downside effects at the expense of higher swing weight and less maneuverability.
Impact locations marked with an "X" at the center line , 1" off-center and 2" off-center.
The Power Era is Ending
5/27/25
Over the past few years players have been demanding more powerful paddles and manufacturers have responded. But both governing agencies have recently moved to rein in paddle power and ball speed to save the integrity of the game. By mid 2026 all paddles that carry the USAP Approved logo will have to pass PBCOR testing. By March 2026 all paddles approved by the UPA will have to pass PEF testing. In addition, Accelerated Break In (ABI) testing is being conducted to weed out paddles that initially pass testing specs, but over time exceed (sometimes wildly) those specs.
In the linked article, several paddles were tested that fall below and above the PBCOR limit of 0.43 and the PEF limit of 0.385. The test results are translated into ball speeds measured in miles per hour to make it easy to imagine what will be experienced on the court. Today's power paddles such as the TA-15 and the Gearbox Power Pro Elongated will be gone. Expect "bazooka" paddles to disappear and maximum ball speeds to be significantly reduced.
The Ronbus Ripple is one of the first paddles to sport the PBCoR.43 Certified logo.
Fire Fights
We all enjoy watching fire fights at the net. At the CIBC Texas Open the teams Johns Tardio v Alshon Staksrud participated in a 9 hit sequence. Just how fast are those balls moving? How much time do the players have to react to the incoming ball? How fast do you have to swing the paddle ? What happens if an illegal paddle is used?
Dinks
Paddle power has been dialed back with the advent PBCOR testing, Dinking has become more prevalent. How fast is the ball moving? Why do players swing the paddle from the shoulder or elbow rather than from the wrist when dinking? Video from the CIBC Texas Open with Johns Tardio v Alshon Staksrud is analyzed.
Analyzing the Serve
How fast is a Jack Sock serve? How long does it take to reach the opponent? What's his paddle speed? The ball's initial velocity? The velocity when it reaches his opponent Quang Doung?
Video from the PPA Tour, the equation of motion and projectile motion give us some answers.
The Paddle-Ball Impact
Here's a taste of what happens in my basement. A paddle is hung vertically on a pivot so the paddle can rotate when struck by the ball. The wires attach to a small accelerometer on the paddle face to measure the force of the impact. A pickleball is shot from an air cannon (not shown) toward the paddle. Before it gets to the paddle, the ball travels through a speed gate (multiple red laser beams) to measure the inbound velocity. After the collision the ball travels back through the speed gate to measure the rebound velocity.
To the right is a three frame sequence of a paddle/ball collision taken with an iPhone at 240 frames per second. Left: Ball approaching stationary paddle at 50 mph. Center: Collision lasting 2 milliseconds. Right: Ball rebounding back toward the speed gate at 12 mph and paddle recoiling at 7 mph.
Paddle Break-In
A Pulse V Example
I purchased a Pickleball Apes Pulse V paddle in November 2024. It got hot and hotter as I used it! The sound got deep. Opponents noticed my flicks were unusually fast. I heard multiple times, "Is that a legal paddle?"
I measured the collision efficiency and calculated that the PBCOR was far above the UPA-A 0.385 limit and the USAP limit of 0.43. Pickleball Apes replaced the paddle free of charge and explained the problem was isolated to early batches and had been corrected. The performance of my old Pulse V, my new Pulse V on arrival, my new Pulse V after 3 weeks of play and a new Neonic Flare is documented.
Is PBCOR the Best Metric to Limit Ball Velocity?
For safety reasons and to prevent pickleball from becoming a power only sport the two governing agencies have adopted PBCOR as a way to limit ball velocity. If a paddle's PBCOR value exceeds a certain number (0.42 for USAP; 0.385 for UPA-A) the paddle doesn't make it onto the list of tournament approved paddles. Recently, there has been criticism from paddle reviewers and manufacturers that PBCOR has problems. Let's take a look at the data from a PBCOR determination to explore the relationship between PBCOR and ball velocity.
Understanding PBCOR
PBCOR testing jumped into the pickleball news when the Joola Gen 3 paddles were not approved for tournament play by USAP in November 2023 because they were too powerful. USAP, in part, used PBCOR testing to evaluate the power of the Joola paddles. The non-approval was a financial loss for Joola. A lawsuit was filed initiated (still in litigation as of March 2025) against USAP to recover a portion of the loss. Subsequently, both governing bodies for pickleball, USAP and UPA , have universally adopted PBCOR testing to limit paddle power.
Simply stated, a ball, at high speed (50 or 60 mph) is shot at a paddle and the rebound speed of the ball is measured. A few physical parameter of the paddle (weight, etc) along with the rebound speed are entered into an equation which results in the PBCOR number for that paddle.
USA Pickleball PBCOR test equipment
The Equation of Motion
There is one unifying equation to describe the rebound velocity of the ball after a collision between the ball and paddle. The equation covers blocks, serves, dinks, and volleys. The equation is basic to understanding what happens when ball meets paddle.
Vrebound = eA * Vinbound + (1+eA) * Vpaddle
