You borrow a friend's paddle for one game. Your dinks stay low, your blocks stop sailing long, and you wonder what just happened.
There's a decent chance the paddle was thicker than yours.
The short answer: yes, most amateurs play better with a thicker paddle. It doesn't add skill. It forgives the mistakes that newer players make most often. Here's why that happens, and what you give up in return.
What "Thicker" Actually Means
When players talk about paddle thickness, they mean the core. That's the layer sandwiched between the two faces. In most paddles it's a plastic honeycomb (polypropylene). In newer "Gen 4" paddles, some or all of that honeycomb is replaced with foam.
Core thickness is measured in millimeters. As a rough guide:
- Thin: 10 to 14 mm
- Standard thick: 16 mm
- Extra thick: 18 to 20 mm
A few millimeters doesn't sound like much. On court, it changes how the ball comes off the face more than almost any other spec.
Why a Thicker Paddle Feels Easier
It absorbs pace for you
A thicker core has deeper honeycomb cells, so it gives a little more when the ball hits it. Some of the ball's energy gets soaked up instead of sent straight back.
Think of dropping a ball onto a gym mat versus a hardwood floor. On the mat, it comes back slower and stays lower. On the floor, it jumps.
That's what you want on dinks, resets and blocks. Those are shots where you're trying to take speed off the ball, and they're the shots most amateurs struggle with.
The sweet spot is bigger
The sweet spot is the area of the face where the ball comes off cleanly and goes where you aimed it.
Experienced players hit it most of the time. The rest of us catch the ball near the edge, the tip or the throat more often than we'd like to admit.
Thicker paddles tend to be more stable when that happens. Independent paddle testing backs this up: on average, 16 mm paddles measure a little higher for twist weight (how well a paddle resists twisting in your hand on an off-center hit) than thinner ones.
So a mishit that would die in the net with a thin paddle has a better chance of clearing it with a thick one.
Fewer pop-ups
If you've read up on why you keep popping the ball up, you know it's mostly technique: a tight grip, an open face, too much swing.
Paddle thickness plays a part too. A thin core is lively. The ball jumps off the face quickly, so a soft shot that's hit slightly too firm floats up into your opponent's strike zone.
A thicker core gives you more margin. The same slightly-too-firm dink is more likely to stay down.
It's kinder to your arm
More core means less vibration reaching your hand, especially on off-center hits. If your elbow or wrist complains after a long session, that softer feel is worth having.
What You Give Up
A thicker paddle isn't simply a better paddle.
Hand speed. More core means more material. One independent reviewer's paddle database puts the average swing weight (how heavy a paddle feels when you swing it) noticeably higher for 16 mm paddles than for 14 mm ones. In a fast exchange at the kitchen line, you may feel a beat slower.
Pop. Pop is how quickly the ball jumps off the face on a short, compact stroke, like a punch volley or a counter. Thin paddles do this better. With a thick paddle, you supply more of the put-away power yourself.
Feedback. That softer feel also hides some information. A thin paddle tells you loudly when you've missed the middle. A thick one is more polite about it, and that can slow down how quickly you notice a flaw in your contact.
One note on power, because experts disagree here. "Thin equals power" is mostly true for quick shots at the net. On a full swing, like a drive or a serve, a thick paddle can hit just as hard. The real difference is pop, not top-end power.
So Should Every Amateur Go Thick?
For most beginners and intermediate players, I'd lean towards 16 mm or thicker. Points at this level are usually lost on errors, not won on winners, so a paddle that reduces errors helps more than one that adds speed.
There are exceptions:
- You already have soft hands and want more put-away. A thinner core will reward you.
- You're coming from tennis with a big swing. You may prefer how a thick paddle tames your power, or you may miss the pop. Try both.
- You play mostly singles. Hand speed and pop matter more there than resets do.
And thickness isn't everything. Face material, shape, weight and what the core is made of all change how a paddle plays. Two 16 mm paddles can feel quite different, as you'll see below.
Where Mint Sport Paddles Sit
We make two paddle families, and between them they cover the whole spectrum.
M-Series: honeycomb cores from 10 mm to 20 mm
- Just starting out: the Movemint I is our 16 mm entry-level paddle, built for control. The Movemint II is its 13 mm sibling with more power. If you're new, I'd lean towards the Movemint I.
- Stepping up: the Monsieur and Mademoiselle both use a 16 mm core with a T700 carbon fiber face. They're elongated paddles, which adds reach but gives you a slightly less forgiving face than a wider shape.
- Maximum forgiveness: the Mon Ami (18 mm), Maestro (20 mm) and Megalodon (20 mm) sit at the thick end of what you'll find anywhere.
- Thin and fast: the Mon Mirroir (14 mm), Mon Marteau (13 mm) and Magnifique (10 mm) are for players who want pop and hand speed and already trust their touch.
Unleash™ Series: where thickness stops being the whole story
Our Unleash paddles come in 14 mm and 16 mm, and most of them use foam in the core. They're a good lesson in why the number on the edge only tells you so much.
Take the two newest 16 mm paddles. Same thickness, very different jobs:
- Carbon Flow Foam (16 mm, blue or white) is the one that behaves the way this article describes. Its core is all foam with no honeycomb: a soft center that holds the ball on the face a little longer, with a foam ring around the edge that widens the sweet spot. If you play better with a thick paddle because of the control, this is that idea taken further.
- Sigma Super (16 mm, blue or orange) is thick but built for power. A livelier foam center and an elastic ring around it send more energy back into the ball. It's also quick, with a swing weight of 115.81, one of the lowest in the series. So you get a thick paddle that doesn't cost you much hand speed, but it won't soak up pace the way the Carbon Flow Foam does.
Then there's the Sender Pro X (14 mm, blue or pink), which breaks the "thin means fast hands" rule. It has the highest swing weight in the series at 124.31 and a narrow 7.28 inch face. It's made for heavy drives and clean, centered contact, and it isn't forgiving on mishits. For most amateurs, I'd wait on this one until your contact is consistent.
The first two Unleash paddles follow the usual pattern more closely. The GhostX (16 mm, white or gray) is the thicker Gen 4 option, and the Fast Flow Pro (14 mm, pink or yellow) is the thinner Gen 3 one.
If you're an amateur shopping this series because a thick paddle felt good, start with the Carbon Flow Foam or the GhostX.
Frequently Asked Questions
Is a 16mm paddle better than a 13mm paddle?
Not better, just different. A 16 mm paddle gives you more control, a bigger sweet spot and a softer feel. A 13 mm paddle gives you more pop and quicker hands. For most amateurs, the 16 mm will produce fewer errors.
Do thicker pickleball paddles have less power?
They have less pop on short, quick strokes. On full swings, the difference is small, and some thick paddles hit as hard as thin ones.
Will a thicker paddle fix my pop-ups?
It can help, because the ball doesn't jump off the face as quickly. It won't fix a tight grip or an open paddle face, which are the more common causes.
What's the thickest pickleball paddle I can buy?
Most thick paddles are 16 mm. A smaller number go to 18, 19 or 20 mm for even more control and forgiveness.
Are all 16mm paddles control paddles?
No. Thickness sets the starting point, but the core material matters too. In our Unleash Series, the Carbon Flow Foam and the Sigma Super are both 16 mm. The first is built for touch and the second for power.
Should advanced players use thick paddles?
Many do. Plenty of strong players choose 16 mm for the consistency on resets and dinks. Others prefer thin cores for speed at the net. At that level, it comes down to playing style.
Final Thoughts
If you played better with a thicker paddle, you didn't imagine it. A thicker core absorbs pace, forgives off-center hits and keeps soft shots low, and those are the areas where most amateur points are decided.
The trade-off is a little hand speed and pop. For most players still building consistency, that's a trade worth making.
The best test is still the simplest one: borrow a thick paddle and a thin paddle, play a game with each, and count your unforced errors.
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