The best pickleball paddles for players who want maximum spin
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If you’re buying a pickleball paddle, you’re going to see a lot of marketing about power, control and spin. But it’s important to fully understand what those elements actually mean for us as individual players.
Should I buy a spin-focused pickleball paddle?
Does spin actually matter in pickleball? Sure, it’s cool to see and satisfying to pull off.
But do players need to prioritize spin in their game, or is it just a gimmick for a couple easy points when compared to power and control?
We asked Zane Navratil, one of the pros noted for his spin and innovator of the now-banned spin serve.
He says spin is only something you should strive for once you have phenomenal execution on your flat shots:
“I love my spin. But if you don’t have the fundamentals down, you’re building a house with a poor foundation,” Navratil says.
But let’s say you come to pickleball from something like table tennis, where spin is crucial, and you already have the motor skills to apply it consistently.
If you’re still a beginner in pickleball, that skill will definitely earn you some quick points if you’re playing against other beginners. Players at low levels don’t recognize spin, so they won’t adjust and end up missing the shot you’ve just hit at them.
This might feel exciting at first, but at some point you’re going to get diminishing returns on tricky spin shots.
At the intermediate level, spin tends to be over-emphasized, so you’ll have some competition, Navratil says.
“Certain players at this level tend to see spin as more valuable than it actually is. They will go for excessively spinny shots at the expense of strong execution. Often, attempting spin leads to losing more points rather than winning more points.”
Then, at the highest level, every player can read and anticipate spin as well as the effect it is going to have when the ball contacts their paddle.
Navratil illustrates this point in the video below:
The verdict: Buy a spin paddle IF you know your style
While spin is the No. 1 thing Navratil looks for in a paddle because it plays to his strengths, spin-heavy paddles could help or hinder your game.
“I generally think players should pick a paddle which accentuates their strengths (or what they perceive to be their strengths),” he says.
“The problem arises when people think that they are a spin player when they are actually a control player (or some other misconception about their own game).”
If you don’t have any experience with spin AND you’re new to pickleball, pay attention to other elements of the game to determine your strongest point.
If you like dinking, buy a control-dominant paddle; if you’re a player who likes the fast game, consider power paddles.
The top pickleball paddles for spin
Proton developed a 100% foam core in the company’s latest release, giving it a much softer and more responsive feel with added dwell time. But what really separates Proton’s paddles from the pack is the extremely gritty carbon fiber surface. Grit + dwell time = elite shot shaping ability.
Check out our in-depth review of the Proton Project Peacock.
The updated Series Three model from Proton features a more powerful core and a very gritty hitting surface for great pop and spin. The Flamingo, released in January 2025, has been used by several top pros and the 15mm “Velocity Core” has earned this paddle a reputation as one of the most aggressive on the market.
The RPM Q2 was designed in collaboration with popular paddle reviewer John Kew. It delivers everything we've come to expect from full-foam paddles: Big power, a consistent sweet spot and a firm feel on contact.
The paddle created by pro player James Ignatowich is called the RPM for a reason: It gets elite levels of spin (measured in Revolutions Per Minute, or RPM) thanks to a very gritty hitting surface. Shaping the ball on serves, third-shot drives and heavy topspin drops is made easy with this paddle.
With the release of the full-foam Vapor Power 2, 11six24 introduced a new grit technology its calling “HexGrit.” The paddle face is very gritty to the touch, and the brand claims the HexGrit is more durable than raw carbon fiber and other grit technologies on the market.
So if you’re a player who likes the feel of full-foam paddles and want something with longer lasting grit (why wouldn’t you want that?), then this is a great option.
