After competing at the highest levels of pickleball as a top ranked Senior Pro, I've found that understanding the science behind how to hit a pickleball properly is the fastest path to improvement.
What separates great players from good ones isn't just practice time—it's their ability to generate paddle speed efficiently.
In my Paddlespeed program, I focus on "revelation over repetition." This helps you understand not just what to do, but also why it works.
The Paddlespeed Four-Step Method
Every pickleball shot—whether it's a serve, drive, or volley—follows the same four fundamental steps:
Coil
Speedup
Transfer
Contact
By following these steps, you'll totally change the way you’re able to hit the pickleball.
The Paddlespeed Course is all about understanding these steps to generate more power and spin with every shot.
This page offers an overview of how the course teaches you to hit a pickleball effectively.
Step 1: Coil Your Body into the Ground Like a Spring
When you rotate your body properly, you create amazing paddle speed without extra effort. It's like a spring - first you store energy, then release it for maximum power.
Here's why this works:
Picture a little toy helicopter - when you spin it from the center, it flies much better than if you tried to spin the blades directly
Your body works the same way!
From your spine to your hip is about 4 inches
From your spine to your paddle tip is about 4 feet
This creates a powerful multiplier effect - for every inch your hips rotate, your paddle moves a whole foot!
This is why the coil is so important - it lets you use your whole body to create power, not just your arm.
Here's how to coil properly:
Start from the top down—your coil begins with your non-dominant hand reaching out
Let this pull your shoulder, which rotates your chest, hips, quads, knees, and finally loads energy into your back foot
Remember: We're coiling the body, not the arm—most players make the mistake of thinking linearly (like a pendulum) rather than rotationally
My catchphrase for this step: "Coil up tight, and you're ready to strike."
Want the full lesson? Enroll today to access all 23 lessons and 118 drills in the Paddlespeed Course.
Step 2: Speed Up - Start Generating Momentum
After coiling, you begin the uncoiling process to generate momentum. This is where many players get it wrong by using too much muscle.
The speed-up begins with a subtle push from your feet and ankles against the ground. The key is maintaining relaxed arms—what I call "rubber arms."
When your body creates the power through rotation, your arms simply need to be the conduit.
Remember: "Slow means fast." Controlled, relaxed movement generates more speed than forcing it.
Step 3: Transfer - Let the Energy Flow through Your Body
The transfer is where physics takes over. Energy flows from larger body parts to smaller ones:
From your core to your shoulders
From your shoulders to your elbows
From your elbows to your wrist
From your wrist to your paddle
This creates what scientists call the "kinetic chain." When larger body parts stop, momentum continues through to smaller parts, creating a whip-like effect.
When teaching this concept, I use examples like snapping a towel or throwing a frisbee. You turn and create tension, then throw and stop your hand, allowing the frisbee to pop forward. The same thing happens with your paddle.
A key tip for maximum power: get the paddle butt as close to the ball as possible before accelerating.
Step 4: Contact - Add Your Spin
When making contact, the angle of your paddle face determines everything about your shot's direction, depth, and spin.
Think of your hand like it's spinning a globe—you adjust the angle depending on the incoming ball. If you want to hit down, the paddle face angles down. For topspin, you brush up and over the ball.
The wrist is where the final whip occurs, but it must remain relaxed—a tense wrist kills paddle speed instantly.
The Science Makes the Difference
Understanding these principles is one thing, but ingraining them in your muscle memory is another.
In my Paddlespeed Course, I provide 23 lessons and 118 pickleball drills designed to help you master each concept.
What separates my approach from others is the focus on the "why" behind each technique.
When you understand the physics and biomechanics of paddle speed, you can apply these principles to every shot.
The player who can generate the most paddle speed:
Owns the kitchen with superior spin
Wins firefight exchanges
Hits faster serves, returns, and passing shots
Ultimately becomes the best player on the court
This isn't about opinion—it's about science. Using physics and body mechanics, you'll understand not just what you need to do but why you need to do it.
