How to Hit the Pickleball with Power: The Science-Based Approach
The hardest hitters on the pro tour aren't necessarily the strongest players—they're the ones who best understand how to leverage physics and body mechanics to generate explosive paddle speed with minimal effort.
Bottom line: Power comes from smarter body rotation and understanding the laws of motion, not from muscling the ball.
Want to learn how that works?
The Real Source of Pickleball Power
Your body has a built-in speed multiplier that most players never use effectively. And when you know how to use it, you can unlock serious power in your swing.
Here’s a video on step 1 of my 4-step method:
How to Create Pickleball Power with Your Core Rotation
From your spine to your hip joint measures just 3.75 inches, but from your spine to your paddle tip spans 47 inches.
This creates a 1-to-12 speed multiplier—for every inch your hip moves, your paddle travels one foot.
Most players miss this natural advantage because they think power comes from arm strength. The truth is a little different
Why Physics Beats Muscle
The way I teach you how to create power in pickleball is with scientific principles, not brute strength.
When you understand how to leverage the three laws of motion (inertia, action and reaction, and acceleration), you can generate incredible power without exhausting yourself.
I’ll teach you to work smarter, not harder.
The 4-Step Paddlespeed System
Here's the four-step system I teach with the Paddlespeed online course.
Step 1. Coil to Store Maximum Energy
Think of your body as a spring coiling into the ground. The more you coil, the more power you store to release.
The coiling process:
Start with your left hand reaching across (for right-handed players)
Load all energy through twisting your body down onto your back foot against the ground
Remember: "Coil up tight, and you're ready to strike"
Why this works: Your body functions like a trebuchet—that ancient weapon that launched 300-pound stones over castle walls. Power comes from storing energy and releasing it, not brute force.
Step 2. Speedup from the Ground
The speed-up process reverses the coil, starting from the ground:
Begin release with ankles and lower legs
Let momentum flow up through knees, hips, and torso
Keep your arm relaxed—let it lag behind due to inertia
Trust your body to transfer energy naturally
The ice skater principle: When skaters pull their arms in, they accelerate dramatically.
Your arm should naturally fold in as your body rotates, creating the same acceleration effect.
Step 3: Transfer Through the Whip Effect
This step uses the law of acceleration to create momentum for explosive power. Like a whip cracking or trebuchet launching, you transfer momentum through your body from “bigger circles” to “smaller circles” all the way to your paddle:
Body rotation creates the largest circle
Shoulder movement creates a smaller circle
Elbow hinge creates the smallest, fastest circle
Each joint stops and transfers momentum to the next
The result: You accelerate from 0 to 50+ mph in less than a second—the same principle that allows a whip to break the sound barrier.
Step 4: Contact to Apply the Power
All generated speed requires proper contact technique:
Drive through the ball with a relatively flat paddle face for maximum power
Contact the ball slightly out in front of your body
Follow through in your intended direction
Let natural swing momentum bring you back to ready position
Pickleball Pro Power Examples
Gabriel Joseph demonstrates perfect power technique on backhand drives.
Notice his paddle head position, forward body movement, and how he contacts through the ball.
His power comes from timing and body coordination, not raw strength.
Compare different shots: When pros want heavy spin versus flat power, they adjust swing path and contact point, but the power generation system remains identical.
Step 1: Coil
Your coil remains identical whether hitting for power or spin. You're storing energy by rotating your body like a spring coiling into the ground.
During the coil you are lining up your paddle and hand behind the ball.
Key principle: This stored energy can be directed multiple ways at contact—create power by swinging straight through the ball or create spin by brushing upward.
Step 2. Speedup
As you speed up from your coil, your approach angle determines success.
More topspin means the paddle head is below the ball. More flat drive means the paddle is more behind the ball at the level of the ball.
Release the legs and let them drive the uncoiling of the body
Allow natural body rotation to accelerate the paddle toward the ball
Don’t think arm, think body.
Step 3. Transfer
The same momentum transfer principles apply, but your swing path creates the spin:
Let energy flow from legs through your entire body
Keep your paddle face slightly closed throughout
Relax the paddle and arm.
If the arm is relaxed, the paddle will naturally ‘lag’ and the butt of the paddle will accelerate toward the ball.
Step 4. Contact
Contact the ball in front of the body. The arm will have moved forward and will ‘stop’ and the paddlehead will ‘pop’, flaring outward to contact the ball.
At contact, imagine spinning a globe as hard as possible: Imagine sending the spinning globe over the net
Brush upward through contact
Feel the contact point
Follow through high and across your body
Common Mistakes When Trying to Hit the Pickleball with Power
All Arm Swing
Trying to muscle the ball with just your arm limits power and increases injury risk. Power comes from your entire kinetic chain, not isolated arm strength.
No Coil
Skipping the energy storage phase means no power to release. Without coil, you're hitting with only arm strength.
Tense Arms
Tight muscles prevent the natural whip effect that creates acceleration. Relaxation enables the transfer sequence.
Poor Timing
Starting the swing too early or late disrupts the kinetic chain. Each step must flow naturally into the next.
Power vs. Control: The Balance
More power doesn't mean less control when you use proper mechanics.
Efficient power generation provides:
More energy left for the next shot
More consistent timing
Easier power level variation
Significantly reduced injury risk
You’ll learn why (and more) in the Phase 1 lessons of the Paddlespeed course.
Building Your Power Foundation
Core principle: Power in pickleball isn't about having the biggest muscles—it's about having the most efficient movement patterns.
When you master the four-step Paddlespeed system, you'll hit harder shots while using less energy.
This efficiency translates to:
Better endurance during long matches
More consistent power across all shots
Reduced injury risk from proper mechanics
Greater shot variety and control
Get Effortless Power with More Paddlespeed
The complete Paddlespeed program includes detailed breakdowns of how to apply these power principles to all 14 essential pickleball shots, plus 118 drills designed to build the muscle memory needed for consistent power generation.
Remember: The hardest hitters aren't the strongest—they're the smartest about using their body's natural power multiplication system.
Frequently Asked Questions About Pickleball Power
How do you hit harder in pickleball?
Hit harder by using your body's natural speed multiplier rather than arm strength.
The four-step Paddlespeed system—coil, speed up, transfer, and contact—generates explosive power through physics.
Your body creates a 1-to-12 speed multiplier from spine to paddle tip, meaning proper rotation generates far more power than muscling the ball.e text.
What muscles generate power in pickleball?
Power comes from your entire kinetic chain, not individual muscles.
The sequence starts with your legs and core storing energy during the coil, then transfers through your hips, shoulders, and arm.
Your largest muscle groups initiate the movement, while smaller muscles fine-tune control and acceleration through the whip effect.
How do you increase your paddle speed in pickleball?
Increase paddle speed by mastering the transfer of energy in your body—moving momentum from your windup and swing into the paddle.
Keep your arm relaxed during body rotation so it naturally lags and folds inward, then accelerate through the shoulder, elbow, and wrist sequence. This creates the “whip effect” that generates maximum speed.
Why am I not hitting the ball hard in pickleball?
Most power problems come from trying to muscle the ball with arm strength instead of using body mechanics.
Common issues include skipping the coil phase, tensing your arm during rotation, or poor timing that disrupts the kinetic chain.
Focus on the four-step system and let physics do the work.
How do I generate more power on pickleball serves?
Generate serve power by using your full body to coil up and release energy as you swing.
Let your natural rotation create the upward swing path rather than forcing it.
Focus on accelerating through making contact and drive through the ball with proper follow-through.
What's the difference between power and spin in pickleball?
Both power and spin come from faster paddle speed—the difference is in contact technique and swing path.
Power shots drive through the ball with a flatter paddle face, while spin shots brush upward through the ball.
Spin is simply "speed applied in a different vector," using the same body mechanics with different contact angles.
