Ball Elasticity

Ball Elasticity

Written by: Brian Laposa

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Time to read 1 min


## Contact Mechanics
**Ball Compression**
- During impact, the ball undergoes significant squashing while simultaneously causing paddle face indentation[3]
- The ball-paddle interaction creates a combined deformation pattern that follows a sine-squared function[3]
- The contact imprint typically measures around 1.50 inches in diameter[6]
## Deformation Timeline
The ball-paddle contact occurs in distinct phases[3]:
1. **Initial Contact (0-2ms)**
   - Ball begins to squash
   - Paddle starts to bend
   - Force increases to maximum at 2ms
2. **Rebound Phase (2-4ms)**
   - Force decreases
   - Ball and paddle begin returning to original shapes
   - Complete separation occurs at approximately 4ms
## Energy Transfer Mechanics
**Elastic Properties**
- Ball COR (Coefficient of Restitution) must be between 0.62 and 0.66 per official rules[5]
- Ball stiffness measures approximately 222 lb/in[5]
- Combined energy return between ball and paddle ranges from 37% to 42%[5]
**Force Distribution**
- Energy flow is divided between paddle and ball in inverse proportion to their stiffnesses[5]
- The ball's deformation works in conjunction with paddle face indentation to create a "cupping effect"[4]
- This combined deformation increases effective friction and contact surface area[6]
## Performance Impact
The ball deformation significantly affects:
- Spin generation through increased contact surface area
- Power transfer through elastic energy storage and return
- Control through extended contact time
- The effective grip between ball and paddle surface[6]
Citations:
[1] Physics of "power paddles"? : r/Pickleball - Reddit https://www.reddit.com/r/Pickleball/comments/106dvq3/physics_of_power_paddles/
[2] Paddle Frequency & Power - Pickleball Science https://pickleballscience.org/paddle-frequency-amp-power/
[3] How is Topspin Generated? - Pickleball Science https://pickleballscience.org/how-is-topspin-generated/
[4] Paddle Technical Characteristics - Pickleball Science https://pickleballscience.org/paddle-technical-characteristics/
[5] The Physics Pickleball Power: Paddle Materials In Performance https://twu.tennis-warehouse.com/learning_center/pickleball/paddlematerial.php
[6] Paddle Spin Capability, Friction, & Stiffness - Pickleball Science https://pickleballscience.org/paddle-spin-capability-friction-stiffness/
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