More Power From the Kinetic Chain: Sequence Ground-to-Wrist and Stay Loose Like a Whip

Summary

Coach Jess (Athena Pickleball) says more power doesn’t have to mean swinging harder — you may just be getting in your own way. Think of a whip: there isn’t much energy in the handle at the start, but by the crack at the end the energy has transferred all the way through.

The body works the same way. You push into the ground and the energy transfers from the leg up through the hip, through the core, through the shoulder, out through the arm, and finally the wrist. Two things maximize that chain: sequencing (each part builds on the one before it) and looseness, so the energy can actually move. If you muscle the ball from the shoulder, you work too hard and lose power. Sequencing and looseness — your body is a whip.

Key takeaways

• Energy travels ground → leg → hip → core → shoulder → arm → wrist
• Sequencing matters: each body part builds speed off the one before it
• Stay loose so the energy can transfer; muscling from the shoulder costs power

Action items

• Shadow 10 swings feeling the sequence start from a push into the ground, not from the shoulder
• Hit 15 drives trying to stay looser in the shoulder and arm, and notice whether the ball still has pace