Capital Area Pickleball Association
Serving Dane County Wisconsin

Most players would agree that one of the most critical pieces of equipment for excelling at the sport of pickleball is the paddle. Have you ever wondered whether a smooth or textured surface is better for adding spin? In this blog post, we'll explore which type of paddle is better for adding spin to your pickleball game.

Smooth Paddles

Smooth paddles are generally less expensive than textured paddles, making them a good option for beginners or players on a budget. However, smooth paddles may not be the best choice for players looking to add spin to their shots. The smooth surface does not generate as much friction on the ball as a textured surface, making it harder to apply spin.

Textured Paddles

Textured paddles have a surface with grit, tiny grooves, or patterns that creates friction on the ball. This increased friction makes it easier for players to add sidespin, topspin, underspin, or any other kind of spin you’d care to name to their shots! Applying spin generally makes it harder for opponents to return the ball. Textured paddles are generally more expensive than smooth paddles, but the increased winning advantage it could give you on the court may be worth it.

Different Types of Surface Textures

If you are looking for a paddle with a textured surface that will allow you to add more spin to your shots, you will notice that some paddles seem to have what looks like grit painted onto them and others that seem to have the texture built into their very fiber (usually carbon fiber, no pun intended!).

Although paddles with “paint grit” feel very rough when first taken out of their original packaging and can add a lot of great spin initially, the grit wears down very quickly after just a few sessions of heavy play. And while these paddles may be less expensive, you will soon be left with a smooth and un-spinful paddle.

The most durable and spin-iest paddles tend to be the ones that are made of carbon fiber or graphite and which have a rough texture that almost feels like it is built into the paddle face. Although these paddles are more expensive and the texture will still wear out over time, they are by far some of the best quality paddles on the market today and will likely help take your game to the next level!

USA Pickleball has finalized and released the 2024 Official Rulebook. Twenty-seven rule changes and/or new rules were approved for 2024, and here are a handful that you should know about.

• Faults for incorrect server, incorrect receiver, and player position errors have been eliminated. In officiated tournament play, the referee will now correct any such player errors before calling the score. See Rule 4.B.9.
• The words “deliberately” and “unintentional” were removed in Rules 7.L (the carry rule) and 11.A (the double hit rule), respectively. As a result, a referee in officiated play no longer has to determine intent. Any carry is now a fault, whether it was deliberate or not. Note that a double hit is still permitted, as long as it happens in one, continuous motion.
• Rule 10.B.2.c (medical time-outs) allows an injured player to tack on any available remaining standard time-outs after the 15-minute medical time-out has expired. This is intended to allow the player more time before potentially having to retire from a match. The 2023 rule seemingly implied that an injured player would have to retire if they were not able to resume play after the 15-minute medical time out was over.
• Rule 13.L allows players in non-officiated play situations to request that a referee or Tournament Director make an official determination regarding whether an opponent’s paddle is legal for play.
• Rule 11.E has been amended to allow a replay of a completed rally in tournament play if a ball is cracked or broken and all players agree that the cracked or broken ball affected the outcome of the rally. No replay is provided merely because the ball is found to be damaged or “soft.” The ball can, however, be replaced.
• Although the rule has not changed yet, the USA Pickleball Board of Directors is considering potentially changing scoring from its current form to rally scoring. However, this new rule change is still in pending status, as the Board wants to collect more data before issuing a final decision.