Versix Pickleball Weighted Tungsten Tape Guide
How to use Tungsten Tape for Pickleball Paddles
When used correctly, weighted tungsten tape can seriously improve the performance of your pickleball paddle and your game, but knowing where and how much to use can be a challenge. This step by step guide will walk you through everything you need to know to use weighted tape the right way and get the most out of your pickleball equipment.
Why use weight for pickleball paddles, and why tungsten?
For years, pickleball players have used weighted tape to alter the balance and distribution of mass for their paddles. Weight placed in different places on the perimeter of a pickleball paddle can add power, forgiveness, or even the feeling of more maneuverability and “whip” for your shots. Most amateur players prefer not to use weighted tape as they don’t know where or how much to use and it historically has been made of the toxic metal, lead. Fortunately, Versix pickleball tungsten tape is non-toxic and easy to measure and tear.
"Weight placed in different places on the perimeter of a pickleball paddle can add power, forgiveness, or even the feeling of more maneuverability and “whip” for your shots."
Where to use weighted tape
There are 4 zones where you can add weighted tape on your paddle, and they all have distinct impacts on the paddle’s feel and performance. Weight added closer to the top of the paddle will add more power and weight placed on the sides of the paddle will add more stability.
Top of the paddle
Adding weight here will put more mass behind the ball at impact and increase the power potential of your paddle significantly making your drives, serves, and volleys more powerful. It’s important to note through, that adding weight here will increase the amount of force needed to swing the paddle (by raising what's called the swing weight) which can impact its maneuverability. Players should start small adding weight in this location to ensure they don’t slow down their hand speed too much.
Sides of the Paddle (3 & 9 o'clock)
As mentioned before, adding weight away from the center axis on the sides of the paddle will increase its stability and forgiveness, especially when one hits a ball outside the center of the paddle (and we all do from time to time). Adding weight here is a fantastic way to improve the forgiveness of your paddle and also adds to the power potential a bit slightly impacting maneuverability.
Bottom Corners (best place to start)
By far, the bottom corners of a paddle face are the most common place to add weighted tape, and for good reason. Since the weight is away from the center axis, it adds stability and forgiveness, and since the bottom corners of a paddle are usually below the balance point (the point in which there is the same amount of weight below and above on the paddle), it actually makes the paddle feel more maneuverable and fast at the net.
Underneath the grip
Placing weight under the grip can be a nuisance as you need to remove the base grip to do it correctly, but it can make a big impact on performance, especially for whip and maneuverability. Adding weight so low shifts the balance point down and makes moving the tip of the paddle through the air feel easier. If your paddle feels “head heavy”, try adding weight under the grip to make your strokes feel quicker and help you whip the paddle into position.
How much tape to use
One of the pains of using weighted tape is knowing how much to apply. We recommend starting with 2-4 grams on each side of the paddle at the bottom corners to start, and since the Versix tungsten tape uses a high quality 3m adhesive, if removed carefully, it can be moved around the paddle face multiple times. Use the built in measuring tool on the packaging to ensure you are using the right amount of weighted tape each time.
Why Versix?
There are 100s of options for weighted tape on the market to try, but if you are looking for a non-toxic option that’s easy to use and designed for pickleball players, the Versix tungsten pickleball weighted tape is for you. Please leave any questions in the comments below, or reach out to us at info@versixpickleball.com with any questions, and we’d be happy to help you out.