Have you ever felt like no matter how hard you hit your shots, the ball trajectory only ends up as if it is slapped with a wet sock? You might be pondering to yourself whether it’s the dainty wrist flick or improper equipment, whatever the culprit might be, you are still being held back.
In that case, I would like to captivate your interest on How to hit a pickleball harder so you could leave even a seasoned professional pickleballer quaking in their kneepads. Now enough daydreaming, scroll down to learn more about how you could improve your drives and serves.
Identifying Your Mistakes
The first and foremost thing you need to determine the factor that is holding you down in the court, here are a couple of factors that could be behind it.
1. Improper Paddle Use
One of the biggest mistakes that I often highlight when training new pickleball players on the court is they often try to invest in fancy paddles that aren’t as good as the brands promise to be. This is by far one of the most prominent problems in the pickleball community and unfortunately enough it is often overlooked due to oversight.
Never fall for marketing gimmicks and only use paddles that meet the USAPA official regulations as these are the type of paddles that are designed to provide the best possible experience in the court.
Sometimes, even the most expensive-looking paddle can fail to achieve results since it isn’t tailored for your playstyle which is why even after hundreds of dollars of investment, players are left baffled with poor results as they struggle to execute drives and splices especially whenever they are playing aggressively.
2. Lack Of Excercise
Pickleball, just like every other sport requires you to be physically fit all the way down to your core which corresponds to your shoulder and torso so shed excess of calories and get in shape.
If you want to hit harder and excel with force, you need to become a powerhouse and ditch the dainty wrist flick which will not only cause you to develop wrist-related injuries such as carpal tunnel but you would be inefficient in the court due to the lack of muscles.
Remember it’s all about showing the prowess and brawns whenever you are playing aggressively, no need to hold your strength back whenever you are outflanking on the edge of the court.
3. Poor Diet
Sodas and junk food could only help you develop a “dad bod” and with such a fat belly you could be seen as a liability rather than an asset. And nobody likes teaming up with someone who is pretty much a deadbeat or slouch. Poor diet also exhibits lethargy and muscle fatigue way faster than a person who eats healthy.
It is perfectly understandable that not everyone has their life dedicated to a sport especially if they are playing for recreational purposes but then again if you are shooting for stars, you need to make amends with your lifestyle and opt-out for something healthy and more nutritious while cutting out junk foods which might look and taste delicious on your tastebuds but for an emerging athlete, they are no way better than a poison that is draining your health.
4. Lack Of Finesse
Sometimes even with a pumped-up biceps and a paddle that whoops like a slingshot you produce a questionable serve that will make even your best buddy give you a stink eye on the court.
Lack of finesse implies that you aren’t really putting yourself, your mind, and your body into the court and simply wasting your own time and everyone else. pickleball requires commitment and dedication which is only possible if you spend hours on the court practicing your drives and follow throw.
Moreover, you also need to record videos and look for ways to rectify your mistakes, use your arm as a miniature slingshot, and even if it takes a hundred YouTube videos to replicate what the professional pickleball players are doing, make sure you watch them and apply those methods in the court.
How To Hit Robust Shots In Pickleball?
Once you have identified the culprits that are acting as a hindrance in the court, now it’s time to follow my advice that will improve your pickleball shots and make your drives so swift that will leave a tesla blushed.
1. Work On Your Core
Your body is your powerhouse and you need to eject all the force from your abdomen by building up tension whenever you are unleashing your power from your wrist. However, it is only possible when you have a stronger core with apex-level stamina.
To reinforce your core muscles it is vital that you engage in exercises that strain your inner core muscles across your torso and your upper shoulder. This way you could build up lean muscle, generating enough force to dominate your opponent on the court.
Here are a couple of examples of exercises that will put you on the right route if you are planning to intimidate your opponent with your lightning-fast drives.
- Squats
Obviously, you would be maneuvering a lot and pickleball is infamous for requiring tons of footwork with weaker calves, you aren’t going to do much. Your lower body is also responsible for you to generate enough force so that you can swing with power as rotational power is needed to exert force whenever you are swinging.
So make sure you perform squats daily to reinforce your lower torso before hitting the court.
- Lunges
Pushups and pull-ups are an absolute godsend, so make sure you perform all sorts of exercises that put stress on your upper shoulder.
- Planks
Planks are an amazing way to train your core, while it may be tedious for some to hold your body in one place, if you are to exert maximum force, you need to be spending more time while planking.
- Dumbbell Rows
Build your bicep muscle with dumbbell rows, start by performing small reps, and then increment your exercise after a couple of days. Make sure you only perform dumbbelll rows once you feel muscle soreness and never overdo it as it might hurt your arms and even cause tenderness.
2. Line Up Your Shots
Visualization matters a lot in the court and so does holding your Paddle properly, if you swinging blindly, you won’t be executing proper trajectories, so make sure you keep an eye out for the ball and line up your paddle for the perfect sweet spot hits.
Even a paddle has its own surface area in which dead zones and the sweet spot are located, it is like you are hitting a bullseye that will allow you to achieve maximum force.
3. Invest in Bulkier Paddles
Paddles especially those that are made from carbon fiber with specialized cores tend to produce much more pop when executing shots since they can absorb momentum from your wrist and divert it directly to the ball causing it to land deep in the court. If you are looking to produce mouthwatering drives and counter shots for lobs, then using a paddle that is a little bit bulkier than you are used to would work wonders.
Combined with core training exercises for your shoulders you would excel brawn like a true pickleball warrior since you would have plenty of energy to perform without suffering from muscle fatigue.
How To Hit A Pickleball Harder? – Final Word
Pickleball is all about using your body efficiently and effectively all while you are channeling your inner spirit. You cannot just swing mindlessly and expect to perform a uniform drive, it’s all about calculating the amount of swing you would need in conjunction with lining up the ball with the sweet spot on the paddle.
With that being said, I hope my guide on hitting a pickleball harder is deemed fruitful in your pickleball endeavors, feel free to comment below if you have other queries related to pickleball, being a pickleball guru, I would be much obliged to sort you out.
