Opinion: The ball you use has a big impact on paddle selection
Last Edited
Apr 17 2026
Category
Gear
There are two extremes when it comes to pickleballs right now.
There's the popular Franklin X-40, which feels softer and plays relatively slow compared to most balls on the market. It's the ball you will find being used at most rec courts in the country.
Then there's the LT Pro 48, which is much firmer, bounces higher and plays faster than most other balls. It's the ball that is used on the PPA Tour and in many other tournament settings.
Because of the big difference in how these two balls play and react off the paddle face, I believe we have reached a point where the ball you use can and should have an impact on your choice of paddle.
When I do my testing for our paddle reviews and in making our various "best of" lists, I currently use the LT Pro 48. After I switched to that ball in the fall of 2025, I started to notice a shift in the types of paddles that I preferred and the types of paddles that helped me play my best.
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For most of my pickleball-playing career I had used the Franklin ball, and I always gravitated toward high power, high pop paddles. My stance was this: "Give me the most powerful paddle on the market and I'll figure out how to control it later."
That became a much more difficult task with the LT Pro 48 (for me at least). The ball seems to rocket off the paddle face much quicker, which made it hard to control a lot of shots that had become second nature to me after years of using mostly the Franklin ball.
How the ball changes what you need out of a paddle
Because the Franklin ball compresses more and stays compressed for longer, it feels more forgiving and is easier to control because it's not leaving the paddle face as quickly. That means you can probably get away with using something on the higher end of the power and pop spectrum, and something on the stiffer side in terms of feel. And at higher levels you might simply need the extra juice in order to put the ball away (because the defense is better). This is especially true if it's hot outside, which makes all pickleballs play softer.
For me, it also comes down to feel my preference.
Soft ball + stiff paddle = good feel
Firm ball + stiff paddle = bad feel
Soft ball + soft paddle = bad feel
Firm ball + soft paddle = good feel
I have found that some modern paddles, when combined with the faster LT Pro 48 ball, produce a level of power that is frankly unnecessary. If you're somebody who can generate your own power, you simply don't need the extra juice because the LT Pro 48 ball is plenty fast enough on its own.
This is also why I think we've seen a lot of pro players (particularly on the men's side) switch from elongated paddles to hybrid or widebody paddles lately -- they're seeking that extra bit of control because they don't need the added power that elongated paddles provide. Widebody paddles also help with hand speed, which is at even more of a premium with a faster ball.
Here are a few notable players who have recently switched from elongated paddles to hybrid or widebody models:
Andrei Daescu
JW Johnson
Dekel Bar
Federico Staksrud
Tyson McGuffin
Dylan Frazier
We also are seeing many companies come out with paddles that have power and pop dialed back slightly. JOOLA is the best recent example of this -- they prioritized feel and dwell time with their new Pro V series, which I think fits really well with the LT Pro 48 ball.
So, which paddle should you choose?
If there's one thing I've learned in doing paddle reviews, it's that everybody has their own individual preferences and the paddles I like are not necessarily the same paddles that other players and reviewers like.
That said, I have tried well over 100 paddles at this point, and if I was playing a tournament tomorrow that used the Franklin ball, the JOOLA HC-40 or something else on the softer side of the spectrum, here are a handful of paddles I would consider (in no particular order):
RPM Q2 series
Selkirk Labs Project Boomstik Elongated
Six Zero Black Opal
11six24 Power 2 series
Luzz Pro 4 Inferno
Bread & Butter Loco
With the LT Pro 48, these are the paddles I would be deciding between (in no particular order):
JOOLA Pro V 16mm Scorpeus
RPM Friction Pro 16mm Widebody
JOOLA Pro IV 16mm Scorpeus
Franklin C45 16mm Tempo
Honolulu J6CR
Proton Project Peacock 13mm Widebody
Engage X2 (soon to be released)
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