A pickleball paddle chart detailing the best areas on a paddle to place tungsten tape.

Pickleball Tungsten Tape

After purchasing my second pickleball paddle, one thing I did not like was the way my paddle felt on off-center shots. Many times the paddle felt like it was twisting when striking the ball outside of the paddle sweet spot. The paddle felt unstable at times and also lacked the power I was hoping for in a new paddle.

I jumped on the tungsten tape bandwagon and decided to see what the hype was all about. First off, all the experts state to avoid lead tape. As you know lead can be hazardous to your health. After purchasing a pack of tungsten tape strips, I placed a strip on each side of the bottom corner of the paddle's edge on the same spot on each side. This placement did not produce any quality enhancement to my game. So I peeled the tape off and placed it higher on each edge this time. The results were awesome. No longer did I have the twisting effect and my shots felt like they had a little more pop on the ball. One of my friends even commented on my serves being a bit faster.

Putting tungsten tape on your paddle will: improve the stability, control, and power. Just remember you have to experiment with the placement of the tape on your paddle's edge. What works for one person may not work for you. Have fun during this process of improving your paddle. If the tape does not solve your paddle issues, you may need to research and purchase a new paddle. Check out the Paddles section if that is the case.