Glossary for paddle terminology used in the database

Balance Point – the center of mass of a paddle, as measured from the base of the handle up onto the paddle handle and face, in centimeters. In general, a higher balance point feels head-heavy and less maneuverable, and a lower balance point feels head-light and more maneuverable. Three categories of balance point are defined:

  1. High Balance Point: 24.3 or more (head-heavy; less maneuverable)

  2. Mid Balance Point: 23.7–24.2

  3. Low Balance Point: Less than 23.7 (head-light; more maneuverable)

Core Thickness – measurement of the thickness of the paddle core in millimeters. In general, thinner cores offer more pop and hand speed but less control and a smaller sweet spot, and thicker cores provide more power with full swings, less pop with shorter swings, less hand speed, and a larger sweet spot. Three categories of core thickness are defined:

  1. Thin Core: 14mm or below

  2. Medium Core: 14.1mm–15.9mm

  3. Thick Core: 16mm and above

Firepower – a metric combining power and pop to give an indication of the paddle’s overall firepower. Calculated by averaging power and pop percentiles and converting to a scale of 0–100, with zero having the least firepower and 100 having the most.

Hand Speed Index – calculation of the energy (in watts) required to flip a paddle 180 degrees from backhand to forehand (or vice-versa) while moving the hand in a defined distance. Divided into three movements: wrist-dominant, elbow-dominant, and shoulder-dominant, based on how far the hand moves along a linear plane from the start to finish of the movement (0 cm for wrist-dominant; 40 cm for elbow-dominant; 100 cm for shoulder-dominant). More here.

Hand Speed Score – a calculation made by combining the indices of wrist-dominant, elbow-dominant, and shoulder-dominant hand speed to provide an idea of a paddle’s overall hand speed and maneuverability. The score is 0–100, with 0 having the most hand speed and maneuverability and 100 having the least. To reflect the majority of strokes during gameplay and perception of hand speed and maneuverability using different movements, the indices are weighted differently to calculate the overall hand speed score (wrist-dominant = 60%; elbow-dominant = 30%; shoulder-dominant = 10%).

Handle Length – measured as inches from the base of the handle to the top of the stock grip.

Length – maximum paddle length (inches) measured from the base of the handle to the tip of the head.

Percentiles – the rank of a value in the paddle database as a percentage of all values in the database. E.g., if a data set has only three values, 0, 5, and 10, the zero value is the 0th percentile, 5 is the 50th percentile, and 10 is the 100th percentile.

Pop – A measurement of a ball’s velocity when hit with a paddle using shorter swings like punch volleys, flicks, and counters. Measured by taking an average of the speed of a backhand punch volley (from a dropped ball), measured with the Stalker Pro 3s radar gun. Three categories of pop are defined based on punch volley speed percentiles:

  1. High Pop: 85%–100%

  2. Mid Pop: 25%–84%

  3. Low Pop: 0%–24%

Power – A measurement of a ball’s velocity when hit with a paddle using full swings like serves, drives, and overheads. Measured by taking an average of serve speed measured with the Stalker Pro 3s radar gun. Three categories of power are defined based on serve speed percentiles:

  1. High Power: 85%–100%

  2. Mid Power: 25%–84%

  3. Low Power: 0%–24%

Shape – the overall dimensions of a paddle. Four categories are defined:

  1. Elongated: length of 16.5 inches or greater

  2. Hybrid: length between 16.1–16.4 inches

  3. Standard: length equals 16 inches

  4. Widebody: width exceeds 8 inches

Spin RPM – ball revolutions per minute, as recorded with a Stalker Pro 3s radar gun, averaging 15–20 topspin serves. Three categories of spin are defined:

  1. Top-Tier: 2,200 RPM or higher

  2. Mid-Tier: 1,800–2,199 RPM

  3. Low-Tier: Less than 1,800 RPM

Static Weight – the weight of the paddle when static (not in a state of motion), in ounces.

Swing Weight – dynamic measurement of a paddle’s rotational inertia using a swinging motion, in kg·m², as measured with a Briffidi SW1 using a 5 cm adapter, which positions the rotational axis 5 cm from the end of the handle (approximately the center of the hand for a standard grip). Swing weight provides a measurement of how ‘heavy’ a paddle feels when swinging it. Three categories of swing weight are defined:

  1. High Swing Weight: 121 or more

  2. Mid Swing Weight: 113–120

  3. Low Swing Weight: Less than 113

Twist Weight – a dynamic measurement of a paddle’s rotational inertia using a twisting motion along the paddle’s long axis, as measured with a Briffidi SW1 using a twist weight adapter. Twist weight correlates with the width of a paddle’s sweet spot, and higher twist weights generally reflect a more stable paddle with less twisting on off-center shots. Three categories of twist weight are defined:

  1. High Twist Weight: 6.6 or more (more stable; bigger sweet spot)

  2. Mid Twist Weight: 6.0–6.59

  3. Low Twist Weight: Less than 6.0 (less stable; smaller sweet spot)

Width –paddle width (inches), measured side-to-side on the widest part of the paddle.