Do Pickleball players had leather grips and lead tape, does stability matter much in Pickleball?

[2ndServe]

Do top pros try to make their rackets heavier or is stability not really an issue in pickleball

 

[LeeD]

Just plain heavier does not apply across the board.
Maybe perimeter weighting, weighting to lower balance, weighting for bigger or stronger players.
Individual tuning.
There is little need for more power, and quickness is still premium.

 

[jonestim]

In an interview I saw with one of the founders of Paddletek, he said that Anna Leigh Waters puts lead on the head of her paddle to bring it up from around 7.5oz to 8.6. I have seen quite a few other references to it as well, but that was the first I saw someone say exactly how much was added.

 

[treo]

The best player explains exactly how he sets up his paddle.

 

[kickserve2020]

I add lead tape to one of my paddles to make it more stable for countering hard drive attacks from opposing players. Add it to the throat, a bit like Ben Johns. Only other mod I do is I use a thin overgrip on the stock grips.

 

[marceloriosfan]

I add lead tape from 3 to 5 and 9 to 7 ish. More Stable, more mass, more power.

I tried a leather grip and the balance was off, didn't want to add lead and overweight the paddle. I replaced the cheap base grip with a thinner / higher quality one and use a tourna overgrip.

 

[LeeD]

Is "more power" helping your game?
That pBall is pretty lightweight.
Banging only seems to get us past 3.5, then controlling pace with spin and short placement seems more important.

 

[djNEiGht]

I've added lead tape to flare up the butt cap as well as the whole edge of the paddle. I like it better with the way it feels. I've heard of players putting XTP butt caps as well as heat shrinks (for size and weight).

One of my paddles I think was middle of the road in weight. I got another paddle that said "lite" and I built it up with some lead.

 

[LeeD]

Got 2 similar Gammas, will lead up one, maybe build grip up to 4 3/8

 

[A_Instead]

I have added weight to my Ben Johns 16 mm.. much much better..

 

[tennytive]

Mine weigh 9.5.
Flared out the handles with butt caps removed from old tennis rackets found at goodwill. Overgrip double wrapped on each and my paddles feel very close to my rackets now.
Paddletek Phoenix Pro and Bantam EX-L from about 5 or 6 years ago.

 

[marceloriosfan]

Is "more power" helping your game?
That pBall is pretty lightweight.
Banging only seems to get us past 3.5, then controlling pace with spin and short placement seems more important.

For my game, it's not an either or thing. A majority of the shots I hit are spin, drops, dinks, reset. Even with a heavier paddle.

I like more power on specific shots: returns, serves, 3rd shot drives, drives from back of court, overheads that I don't angle off court, and blocking hard drives.

And I like the extra weight if I catch the ball extended a bit behind me at the kitchen (try to avoid but it happens on fast points)

If it helps, I qualified and played Margaritaville 4.5. Starting to win matches at 5.0 locally. So far, I have no trouble getting past 3.5 and 4.0 players.

 

[LeeD]

For my game, it's not an either or thing. A majority of the shots I hit are spin, drops, dinks, reset. Even with a heavier paddle.

I like more power on specific shots: returns, serves, 3rd shot drives, drives from back of court, overheads that I don't angle off court, and blocking hard drives.

And I like the extra weight if I catch the ball extended a bit behind me at the kitchen (try to avoid but it happens on fast points)

If it helps, I qualified and played Margaritaville 4.5. Starting to win matches at 5.0 locally. So far, I have no trouble getting past 3.5 and 4.0 players.

Thanks, I'm a beginner pBall player who hasn't had the chance to play against anyone who can beat me the majority of points yet.
I'm sure there are plenty of better players around.
My tennis rackets are perimeter weighted to around 12.40 oz, so I value power and increased sweetspot.
I have tried a weighed Engage Elite Pro, but my partner is a weak hitter, but good dinker.
Since we have 2 Gamma Mirages, I will add a leather grip and 4" of lead tape to each side of your 3-9 on the head.

 

[kickserve2020]

I tried a leather grip and the balance was off, didn't want to add lead and overweight the paddle. I replaced the cheap base grip with a thinner / higher quality one and use a tourna overgrip.
[/QUOTE]

When you tried the leather grip, did you find that you could feel the bevels better? I'm debating this, cause I don't love the feeling of my stock grips in terms of the bevels. It's a bit too mushy.

 

[kickserve2020]

I add lead tape from 3 to 5 and 9 to 7 ish. More Stable, more mass, more power.

I tried a leather grip and the balance was off, didn't want to add lead and overweight the paddle. I replaced the cheap base grip with a thinner / higher quality one and use a tourna overgrip.

When you tried the leather grip, did you find that you could feel the bevels better? I'm debating this, cause I don't love the feeling of my stock grips in terms of the bevels. It's a bit too mushy.

 

[marceloriosfan]

you can really feel the bevels with leather

 

[tennytive]

I had an extra leather grip so I wrapped one of my paddles. The bevels are there, but not pronounced. I prefer the double wrapped overgrip and usually wear a pool players glove to minimize the callouses on my thumb and index finger.

 

[marceloriosfan]

I think it also depends on the company and the shape of their handle. Some of the tennis brands feel more like tennis racquets (small grip size though) and some of the other brands, either feel noticeably rectangular (almost like HEAD tennis) or very round.

 

[LeeD]

Since I don't switch grips for pBall, bevel definition is not vital.
And most balls are soooo..light weight is not an issue.

 

[louis netman]

Do top pros try to make their rackets heavier or is stability not really an issue in pickleball

It's all about physics and it's relative. Period. Heavier will push that plastic 5-dollar whiffle-ball with more force, but the trade-off is your strength and agility/quickness. Find the right balance...

 

[StringGuruMRT]

The best player explains exactly how he sets up his paddle.

OMG you would never see this with tennis! Can you imagine Djokovic doing a video explaining the set up for his racquet?! It's like its proprietary information! Of course he probably doesn't know the specifics of how P1 get it up to his specs! Ben Johns was probably doing that a few times a month to get his paddles just the way he likes it. Maybe Joola will have someone on staff that can customize it to his specs, so it will be ready to go out of the box!

 

[2ndServe]

Do top pickleball players prefer a smaller grip for more wrist shots or a larger grip for more stability?