Learning to hit powerful shots in pickleball can benefit you in a number of ways. For instance, you can prevent your opponent from making aggressive return hits by doing so, gaining more control over the pace. Similarly, harder shots quickly penetrate through the court, which is quite helpful when you want to hit a winning shot.
But how can you master hitting pickleball harder at the right time to get accurate results? Well, there are several techniques that go into this. And with proper guidance, you can become a pro at this in minimum time. That said, let’s dig deeper into our comprehensive guide on how to hit a pickleball harder and some other things that are worth knowing.
Table of Contents
Types Of Pickleball Shots
There are multiple types of shots that you can experiment with while playing pickleball, depending on your level of expertise. Let’s have a brief look at a few common ones in the below table:
| Basic Shots | Intermediate Shots | Advanced Shots |
| The Serve | Deep Return Serve | Centerline Ace |
| The Lob | Backhand Punch | The Dink Fake |
| Cross Court Dink | Block Shot | Backspin Return Serve |
| The Drive | Around The Post Shot | |
| Backhand Spin Dink |
Pickleball Hitting Techniques
If you are wondering why do I keep hitting the pickleball into the net, there’s a high possibility that you’re missing out on following the right techniques of hitting the ball harder. These are listed as follows:
1- Driving The Ball
To hit the pickleball with pace, you need to stroke the paddle over its top. Make sure to keep a low to high movement while doing so, as it helps produce topspin. As a result, the ball will drop down to the court’s ground, ensuring a hard hit towards your opponents.
2- Rotating Your Upper Body
The ideal technique to hit a pickleball at its best is to step in the direction of it or do so with your body and feet positioned toward the net. While these are the two best ways, both require enough body rotation for proper execution. In this way, you would be able to create adequate space required to ensure the optimum level of contact between the paddle and the ball.
3- Controlling Your Swing
While rotating your body is necessary to hit a good shot, never do so beyond a certain limit. For better guidance, you can utilize your paddle to limit the body rotation to the recommended 180 degrees.
Now, when it comes to positioning your body when rotating, your paddle’s tip must be directed behind you. Meanwhile, your butt should be towards the net. As you straighten your body, move forward simultaneously and hit the shot. A bonus tip is to extend the paddle for a prolonged time after contact. In this way, you would be able to make consistent shots - a dream of every novice player.
4- Slicing The Ball
Many beginners commit the mistake of mixing a slice shot with the chop. However, in reality, there’s a huge factor that sets them apart. In simple words, the slice is a flat shot that you can mimic when using a paddle that is beveled. Contrarily, chop means going from high to low when hitting the pickleball.
That said, let’s dig deeper into how slicing the ball works in this sport. So basically, when you move forward to hit the ball, keep your paddle’s bottom edge horizontal in a way that it’s sliding across the tabletop. The key is to ensure that this movement comes from your shoulder and not your elbow or wrist. As a result, you can achieve highly consistent shots and pave your way towards becoming a pro player.
Why Top Spin Is Important In Pickleball?
If you are wondering how to hit a pickleball at your feet, a topspin shot is your answer. It’s basically a technique when the ball rotates over itself. The key to performing this is to snap your wrist up as the pickleball comes in contact with the paddle. As a result, the ball will go down with a spin, and you’d have a solid opportunity to hit it harder toward your opponent. The produced spin will ensure it does not go out of bounds.
Read More: Pickleball Nets Vs. Tennis Nets
Finding The Right Pickleball Paddle For Powerful Shots
Besides following the above-mentioned techniques, you also need to buy a suitable paddle. Simply put, you need to purchase a heavier paddle weighing around nine oz. as it offers maximum power. In case you are someone who prefers control, then, of course, opting for a lighter variant would work fine for you. Also, make sure it’s not too heavy, as you might end up with arm fatigue after the game.
Next up, the paddle’s material also plays a crucial role. For hard hits, go for the ones that offer a little more pop off the paddle. In this case, carbon fiber or fiberglass combined with a honeycomb core would be a perfect choice. While it does not add to the extra weight, the pop can actually help you master hitting powerful shots. Lastly, the surface of your paddle should be textured to achieve this goal. While a smooth one might look good, it’s of no use if you’re aiming for powerful shots, as it reduces the spin. The material roughness must be moderate.
How To Stop Hitting Pickleballs Out Of Bounds?
When you prioritize power, you have to trade it off with control. This might lead to a frustrating instance, i.e, the ball landing out of bounds. Here are some tips to avoid it:
- Ensure a smooth and controlled follow-through on your strokes. It is crucial for maintaining the ball’s desired trajectory.
- Always aim away from the lines, so you have some margin for error.
- Implement topspin to pull the ball down into the court, especially when hitting groundstrokes or serves.
- Practice drills with a solid focus on control and placement. It may include target practice, where your goal is to hit the ball within specific areas of the court.
- Work on your foot positioning - avoid being too close or too far from the ball, as you may lose control.
Frequently Asked Questions
How Do You Hit A Pickleball Low & Hard?
You need first to bend your knees and keep the paddle ready for the ball that’s coming your way. Next, rotate your hips and shoulders and simultaneously step forward to hit the ball while uncoiling. Make sure you do so with a snapping wrist. Keep the angle downward so the ball goes low towards the net. Also, don’t forget to ensure a short, quick follow-through to maintain proper pace.
How Do I Make My Pickleball Paddle More Powerful?
There are several ways you can use to make your paddle more powerful. For example, you can apply lead tape on its rim to make it heavier. Additionally, opt for one that’s made of carbon fiber or fiberglass, as these materials offer added power. Playing with a paddle having a honeycomb core can also help you with this.
How Do You Improve Your Aim In Pickleball?
The key is to extend your arm forward while ensuring the paddle is precisely directed towards the target. Moreover, you must also practice developing consistent swings. Setting up targets and practicing hits from different spots on the court is a good idea for it.
How Do You Hit A Hard Forehand In Pickleball?
Here is a step-wise guide that can help you hit a hard pickleball forehand:
- Maintain a square stance at your position, ensuring your feet and shoulder are width apart.
- Next, you need to use the Eastern paddle holding grip. Just be sure the hold is not too tight.
- Finally, when swinging the paddle, rotate your hips and shoulders. Also, the backswing should be up to your shoulder’s height only.
How Do You Get Power In Pickleball?
To hit powerful shots in pickleball, you need to follow the right strategy. It involves various things, including maintaining a firm stance and wrist while rotating your hips at 180 degrees.
Is There Any Attack Strategy In Pickleball?
The pickleball attack strategy is all about focusing on hitting a controlled shot that places the pickleball back over the net. This way, your opponent is most likely to make a fault, increasing your points. Meanwhile, if the coming ball can be hit for a winner shot, there are no issues in executing that.
Conclusion
So that was all out how to hit a pickleball harder. This approach can put your opponent in defensive mode, not allowing them to play aggressive return shots. Moreover, a hard hit gives them little time to react, compromising the accuracy as well. All in all, making powerful shots is the key to maintaining control over the player on the court’s other side. And it’s quite easier to do so if you practice consistently. What do you prefer more while playing pickleball - power or control? Do share with us in the comments below!
