Every term on this site, in plain words

What each score and reading means, the shape and build words on every paddle, and the court words my reviews use.

Written by Steven ShiplerUpdated October 5, 2026 · About me

The five scores

Each one is a score out of 100. The top paddles on each score 100, and a typical paddle sits in the high 60s.

Power: How hard the ball comes off the paddle on a full swing.
Pop: The pace on a short punch at the net, separate from power on a full swing.
Spin: How much the face grabs the ball when you brush up on it.
Sweet spot: How well a ball you hit off center still goes where you aimed.
Control: How easy it is to hit soft and keep the ball low.

The letters group the scores:

Readings

These stay as the numbers my gear reads, not scores. A typical paddle reads about 113.2 for swing weight, 6.47 for twist weight and 2,275 RPM for spin.

Swing weight: How heavy the paddle feels when you swing it. Lower means faster hands.
Twist weight: How well the paddle resists turning in your hand when you hit off center. Higher means steadier.
RPM: How fast the ball is spinning after it leaves the face.
Balance point: Where the paddle balances, in centimeters from the bottom of the handle. A higher number puts more of the weight toward the head.

Shapes

Compare a paddle with others of its own shape. A widebody's wider face usually scores higher on sweet spot and control.

Widebody: A wider face and less reach than an elongated paddle, which is the longer, narrower kind..
Elongated: A longer, narrower face that gives you more reach and a smaller sweet spot..
Hybrid: In between a widebody and an elongated paddle..

Which shape fits your game

How a paddle is built

Core thickness: How thick the core is, in millimeters. Most are 14mm or 16mm.
Thermoformed: The face is heat-sealed to the core, which bonds the edges into one piece instead of gluing them.
Unibody: The handle and the face are formed as one piece instead of joined.
Cold-pressed: The face is glued to the core without heat, and the edges are not sealed into one piece.
Full foam core: Solid foam inside instead of a plastic honeycomb.
Honeycomb core: A plastic honeycomb inside the paddle, sometimes with foam added.

14mm vs 16mm, from my tests

The face

Raw carbon: Bare carbon fiber with no coating over it. Its texture is what grips the ball.
Peel ply: A rough texture left on the carbon face to grab the ball.
Grit: A rough coating on the face that adds spin.

Tournament approval

USAP approved: Allowed in tournaments run by USA Pickleball.
UPA-A approved: Allowed in tournaments run by the pro tour body, which is a different list from USAP.

Prices and codes

List price: The price on the brand's own store, before any code.
Price after code: What you pay on the brand's store with my code.
Selkirk gift card: Selkirk's code doesn't lower the price. It adds a $20 to $40 Selkirk gift card to your order instead.

How I make money from my codes

Court words

The shots and spots my reviews talk about, for anyone newer to the game.

Kitchen: The non-volley zone next to the net.
Dink: A soft shot that lands in the kitchen.
Drive: A hard, flat shot from the back of the court.
Third-shot drop: The soft shot from the back that lands in the kitchen so the team can move up.
Drive-drop: A drive followed by a drop, or a drop hit with more pace than usual.
Reset: A soft shot that takes the pace off and gets the point back to neutral.
Block: Taking a hard ball at the net and letting the paddle absorb it.
Punch volley: A short, firm volley with a compact stroke.
Speed-up: Turning a soft exchange into a fast one at the net.
Counter: A quick punch back at a ball someone hit hard at you.
Hands battle: A fast exchange of volleys at the net.
Flick: A quick wrist shot from low, usually off a dink.
Roll: A topspin shot or volley brushed up the back of the ball.
Put-away: The shot that ends the point.
Transition zone: The middle of the court between the baseline and the kitchen.

Something on the site I didn't explain? Tell me and I'll add it.