The Physics of Pickleball

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The Physics of Pickleball
Pickleball is one of the fastest-growing sports in the United States with 36.5 million
people who play (Mackie, 2023). Pickleball is a fairly new sport invented in Seattle in 1965.
Specifically, pickleball was created by three dads who were trying to create some summertime
fun for their children with the equipment they had lying around: an old badminton court, ping
pong paddles, and a wiffle ball. Pickleball is a cross between ping pong, badminton, and tennis.
It is a paddle sport where you can either play singles or doubles. You play with a ball that
resembles a wiffle ball and a 15-inch-long paddle that is 8 inches wide. The paddles are made of
aluminum and graphite. The point of the game is to hit the ball over the net until the opponent
cannot return it, earning points. Matches go to eleven points, and you must win by two.
Pickleball is an easy sport for someone new to get involved in as it does not require too much
equipment, is low cost to start, and the play is easy to catch onto; moreover, within a couple of
lessons, you can learn pickleball! Pickleball also creates a great social environment for people to
make friends while being active. Pickleball is easier to learn than tennis because it does not
require as much strength or intensity to hit the ball, and the court is much smaller (Golden,
2023). Once players have the basics down of how to hit the ball, swing their paddle, and the
overall rules of the game, more technical mechanics can be applied to the sport. Players can
apply the physics and properties of the Magnus effect to generate spin on the ball, making it
more challenging for their opponent to return it.

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The Magnus effect is an observable change in the trajectory of an object due to spin. To
be precise, a moving object that is spinning applies a net force on the air, and based on Newton's
third law, an equal and opposite force acts on the spinning object, causing it to alter its path. In
this scenario, the fluid, which happens to be air, is pulled along in the same direction as the
movement and experiences a downward force. The spin on the ball slows down the airflow on
one side of the ball, creating a higher pressure, and the spin on the other side speeds up the
airflow creating lower pressure. When the airflow is slowed down on one side of the ball and
experiences a greater pressure, it causes the ball to move towards the region of lower pressure
where the airflow is increased; ultimately, leading to a net downward force on the ball (see
Figure 1 below).
The spinning object deviates from its straight trajectory due to the pressure differences
caused by the changes in velocity induced by the object's spin (Paddle Science, 2023). “The
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Magnus effect comes from Bernoulli’s law, in which fluid pressure decreases at points where the
speed of the fluid increases” (Paddle Science, 2023).
Moreover, I specifically looked at the benefits of placing topspin on a ball; however, that
is not to discount the advantageous effects of backspin or sidespin. Any moving and spinning
object exerts the Magnus effect. Topspin occurs when the ball rotates forward as it is moving
towards the opponent (see Figure 2 below).
Utilizing topspin has an advantage of enabling you to strike the ball with increased power and
speed while preventing it from going out of bounds. This occurs due to the Magnus effect, which
produces a downward force on the ball, pushing it further into the ground. Topspin shots create a
“dip” so it can be difficult to read and line up the return. Lastly, the downward force generated
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from the Magnus effect and the added downward force of gravity causes the ball to bounce
higher and jump towards your opponent (see Figure 3 below).
To generate spin on the ball, one needs to apply a tangential force that creates a tangential
velocity on the ball. When the ball is hit with topspin, “the paddle provides a force perpendicular
to the paddle face,” the force normal, and “a force that is parallel to the paddle face,” the force
tangential (Paddle Science, 2023). The normal force is what propels the ball back toward the
opponent and the tangential force is what applies the spin on the ball (Cross, n.d.) (Figure 4
below).
Friction plays a crucial part in enabling the paddle to transfer tangential velocity to the
ball. Specifically, kinetic friction is what helps to apply the spin. Kinetic friction is a force that
acts between moving surfaces, and in this case, between the ball and the paddle. To induce
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topspin on the ball, one must execute a stroke with the paddle that starts low and finishes high,
thereby exerting a tangential force on the ball that runs parallel to the paddle face (see Figure 5
below).
The amount of tangential force that can be generated is restricted by the degree of
friction present between the paddle and the ball (Paddle Science, 2023). The tangential force is
related to the normal force, through the coefficient of kinetic friction (µk) as follows:
As you increase the coefficient of kinetic friction, you increase the tangential force. Therefore,
increasing the coefficient of kinetic friction either through having a paddle with more grit and
texture on the paddle face or by playing with a scuffed-up ball surface will allow you to increase
your tangential velocity on the ball. With time and practice, pickleball players adjust their strokes
according to the friction characteristics between their paddles and the pickleball (Selkirk Sport,
2022). In conclusion, pickleball is an awesome sport that everyone should try. Once you master
the basics of the game, try adding some spin to elevate your pickleball game, and you will use
the Magnus effect and kinetic friction in the process. And if you ever want to play, join me and
Dr. Gryczynski at TCU’s Frog Pickle Club on Tuesdays at 6:30 pm and Fridays at 3:30 pm at the
TCU courts.
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References
Cross, R. (n.d.). Ball trajectories - University of Sydney School of Physics.

http://www.physics.usyd.edu.au/~cross/TRAJECTORIES/42.%20Ball%20Trajectories.pdf
Golden, J. (2023). Pickleball popularity exploded last year, with more than 36 million playing
the sport. CNBC. https://www.cnbc.com/2023/01/05/pickleball-popularity-explodes-with-
more-than-36-million-playing.html
Mackie, B. (2023). Pickleball statistics: America's fastest growing sport in 2023. Pickleheads.
https://www.pickleheads.com/blog/pickleball-statistics
Paddle Science. (2023). How is topspin generated? Pickleball Science.

https://pickleballscience.org/how-is-topspin-generated/
Selkirk Sport. (2022). Spin in pickleball and why should we use it? Selkirk Sport.
https://www.selkirk.com/blogs/educational/spin-in-pickleball-and-why-should-we-use-it
Image References:
Figure 1, 4, & 5:
Paddle Science. (2023). How is topspin generated? Pickleball Science.

https://pickleballscience.org/how-is-topspin-generated/
Figure 2:
Wikimedia Foundation. (2022, September 27). Topspin. Wikipedia.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Topspin
Figure 3:
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YouTube. (2019). The Effect of Pickleball Spin and Ball Flight.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4_PggSNHVHc

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1

The Physics of Pickleball

more challenging for their opponent to return it.

speed of the fluid increases” (Paddle Science, 2023).

towards the opponent (see Figure 2 below).

higher and jump towards your opponent (see Figure 3 below).

Cross, R. (n.d.). Ball trajectories - University of Sydney School of Physics.

Paddle Science. (2023). How is topspin generated? Pickleball Science.

Paddle Science. (2023). How is topspin generated? Pickleball Science.

Wikimedia Foundation. (2022, September 27). Topspin. Wikipedia.

YouTube. (2019). The Effect of Pickleball Spin and Ball Flight.

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