How to Find the Perfect Pickleball Paddle: Part 1 - Shape

With hundreds of paddles on the market, finding the right one can feel overwhelming. Everyone has their own preferences, but are they actually playing optimally? The truth is, there's no single "best" paddle—only the best paddle for you.

Over the next few weeks, I'll break down everything you need to know to find your perfect match. We'll cover shape, thickness, weight, and more. By the end of this series, you'll know exactly what to look for based on your playing style, skill level, and preferences.

Let's start with the foundation: paddle shape.

Why Shape Matters

A paddle's shape is one of the first things you'll notice, and it's not just for looks. The shape can influence your sweet spot size, reach, power, and other performance characteristics. I do think there is a right answer in terms of your playstyle and what you are trying to achieve.

Most paddles fall into three main categories: Standard, Elongated, and Hybrid. Each has its own strengths and trade-offs, and the right choice depends on what you prioritize in your game.

Just please don't be those normies who only use elongated paddles because they don't like the look of standard/widebody shapes. At least know what you're getting yourself into before you choose!

Elongated Shape

In today's paddle climate, Elongated paddles are by far the most popular. Elongated paddles are taller and narrower, giving you more reach and a higher sweet spot. They also tend to have the most power, due to the extra leverage. I am not an elongated paddle main, but I will say, in general, the advantages are:

• More reach
• Better drives
• More Power

In addition to looks, you can kind of see why people like this shape. The majority of players just like hitting the ball as hard as possible, and this shape is the best for that. Now I'll go into other shapes and you may see why I prefer the others, at least in doubles.

Standard Shape

Standard shaped paddles, also synonymous to widebody paddles are more square shaped and are a bit shorter in length. That being said, you do usually get a bit more width on your paddle. Because of the paddle being shorter and wider, the sweetspot is increased which is very important in doubles. Pickleball is a game of errors, and whoever makes more will usually lose. So having a larger sweet spot will just increase your chances of hitting a decent ball/reset and you will minimize points from an edgehit or something like that. Also, do to less weight further away from you handle (think of a hammer as an analogy) you hand speed is also a bit quicker.

To reiterate, the typical advantages of a standard shape paddle are:

• Larger sweet spot
• Faster hand speed

So as you can see, those characteristics are pretty important, especially in doubles.

Hybrid Shape

Hybrid paddles combine elements of both standard and elongated shapes. They're a bit longer than standard but wider than elongated, giving you a larger sweet spot while having a bit more reach. Nothing too much more to say, like the name suggest, a hybrid of a elongated and a standard shape.

Which Shape Should You Choose?

My honest opinion: if you're newer to pickleball, start with a standard shape. It's the most forgiving and will help you play the best, even if it's not as flashy as a powerful elongated paddle. That being said, nowadays, the paddle shape does not make as much difference in power as the paddle itself. If you get a standard shaped power paddle, it will hit harder than an elongated control paddle and probably all-court as well.

We will go over the different types later like control, all court, and power, but just wanted to start off with the shape, since that's what you see first.

Long story short. If you play primarily doubles, especially if you are newer, I would highly recommend a standard shape or a hybrid if you want a bit more reach or power.

I would only say use an elongated paddle if you play lots of singles and need the reach, and you don't want to use two separate paddles. Or, if your game revolves around driving the ball a lot and just banging, then maybe an elongated paddle could be better at that playstyle.

I just don't want you to be that guy who picks an elongated shape based on looks.

Once you do decide on a paddle shape, you can search MyPickleList for the best paddles for that shape.

Next time, we'll dive into a different paddle characteristic so you can find the perfect paddle!