If you want to learn how to play pickleball and improve your chances of winning, this is the right place. Whether you’re a beginner or aiming to become a 5.0 pickleball player, mastering the basics is the first step to success. This article will break down key strategies and techniques that help you build good habits, avoid common mistakes, and gain an edge on the pickleball court.
Winning in pickleball requires more than just brawn—combining a sharp mental game with a strong physical game. Focus on time-tested and proven strategies like a consistent serve, a controlled return of serve, and solid net positioning. These skills will help you win more and beat players better than you in singles and doubles.
To take your game to the next level, it’s important to analyze your matches, practice dinks and drills, and work with a partner to improve your teamwork. Knowing where, when, and how to target the ball can make all the difference. Committing to creative strategies and staying disciplined will allow you to dominate any game and achieve big wins.
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Pickleball Winning Strategies: Tips & Techniques to Win Big
Success in pickleball comes from combining basic knowledge with strategic tricks to create a smart game plan. Understanding key tactics is essential if you’re new to the sport or looking to enhance your player development. By following strategy tips and adopting an effective approach, you can win more and stay ahead of the competition.
Start by focusing on strategies that enhance your strengths while addressing common weak spots. An adaptable game plan built around proven tactics allows you to counter your opponents effectively. With the right roadmap and consistent practice, you’ll develop a sharper sense of the court, better control of your shots, and an edge in every match.
1. Consistently Serve Deep to Backhands & in the Court
A deep serve aimed at the opponent’s backhand side can be one of the most effective tools in your unique game. The underhand serve may seem simple, but with high accuracy and proper placement, it becomes a weapon to control the first shot of the rally.
Targeting the service area near the baseline forces opponents further back, giving them less time to react and making their return of serve more difficult. Practicing serve accuracy and mastering the service box alignment are key to reducing your margin for error and keeping the ball from going out of bounds.
Aiming for your opponent’s weaker side, such as their backhand shots, increases your advantage by limiting their ability to execute strong forehand shots. The goal is to create a longer return, setting up your partner for a well-placed third shot.
Remember the rule of thumb: maintain power while focusing on control rather than just hitting with force. Factors like wind, target placement, and positioning within the service court are crucial for achieving consistent, effective serves. Regular practice will make your serves more perfect, giving you a tactical edge in any match.
2. Return Deep to Backhands & the Opponent with a Weaker Third Shot
A return deep aimed at the backhand side is crucial to disrupt your opponent’s rhythm and set up a weaker third shot. By sending the second shot to the baseline on the opponent’s side of the pickleball court, you create a longer distance for them to cover, forcing them further back.
This reduces their ability to execute a third-shot drop effectively, giving you and your partner the advantage. A well-placed deep return also limits their time to react, particularly if they are prone to weaker backhand shots or struggle with handling spin.
To maximize success, use an advanced strategy, such as targeting the middle of the court or the backhand side of a less experienced player. Adding a slice or backspin can produce a low bounce, making it harder for the opposing team to drive the ball.
On windy days, a high-arcing lob return can create havoc, while a low return with a controlled pace keeps the ball away from aggressive players, often referred to as bangers. If you notice a poacher ready to charge the net, aim to keep your return within the non-volley zone (Kitchen Line) or deliver a high ball to force a higher bounce.
Practicing different strategic return techniques, such as a soft drop shot or a powerful spinning drive, builds confidence and versatility. The goal is to prevent a missed return or an easy point for the opposing team while positioning yourself to dominate the rally. This strategy works especially well when you identify your opponent’s weaker side and exploit their inability to handle tricky, technical shots effectively.
3. Move Your Feet & Bend Your Knees
image credit to Selkirk.com
Moving your feet and bending your knees are essential for improving your shot execution on the pickleball court. Proper positioning lets you easily hit the ball out in front and handle low balls. A key goal is to stay low and engage powerful muscles, especially your leg muscles, for better balance and control.
Consciously tell yourself to stay ready and mobile—many players are often surprised at the difference this small adjustment can make. By keeping your knees bent and your feet in constant motion, you’ll set yourself up for more effective shots and consistent execution in any game.
4. Watch the Pickleball & Hit the Pickleball Out in Front
To excel in pickleball, always watch the pickleball carefully and hit it out in front of your body with your paddle. Though often neglected, this easy tip is crucial for reducing errors and improving your pickleball technique. Ignore distractions like the opposing player, spectators, or even your partner, and instead focus on one shot at a time.
Keeping your feet and position steady while moving toward the non-volley zone line ensures a compact swing and helps you stay ready for the next shot. By maintaining this focus, you’ll avoid overswinging and improve your accuracy, translating to more points won and overall success on the court.
5. Be in “Pickleball Ready” with Your Pickleball Paddle Up
Always stay in the pickleball ready position with your paddle up to handle any fast-moving pickleball. Stand with your feet shoulder-width apart, knees bent, and your weight on the balls of your feet, keeping your body compressed and balanced.
In the pickleball court, especially near the non-volley zone line or transition area (often called no-man’s land or no-lady’s land), hold your paddle forward, with the paddle head at a 10 o’clock or 11 o’clock angle (or 2 o’clock/1 o’clock for lefties).
This positioning helps you anticipate the next move, react quickly, and never leave your guard down. By maintaining a raised paddle and facing forward, you’ll expect and hit the ball effectively, giving you a better chance to react and deliver a good shot.
6. Make a Decision on Shot Selection & Commit to It
In the pickleball court, decision-making about shot selection is a huge factor in winning or losing matches. To succeed, focus on making quick decisions and commit to them fully. Avoid second-guessing or changing your mind in the critical fractions of a second before executing your shot, as this often leads to mistakes. Instead, choose a strategy with higher percentages, ensure proper position, and trust your instincts to deliver a good decision every time.
Once you’ve made your decision, give it 100% effort, even if it turns out to be a questionable decision. Hesitation or uncertainty can reduce your effectiveness to just 50% and leave you without the time to execute properly. By committing completely to your chosen shot selection, you’ll improve your shot execution and play with confidence, turning even risky plays into successful outcomes.
7. Play to Your Strengths & Your Opponents’ Weaknesses
A key strategy on the pickleball court is leveraging your strengths while targeting your opponents’ weaknesses. If you excel at forehand drives or have an amazing dinking game, use those to dominate. Exploit weak backhands or poor mobility by mixing lobs, overheads, and dinking rallies. Avoid playing into their power game if they thrive on great drives and speed up the pace. Instead, focus on your pickleball strengths to effectively outmaneuver and expose their weaknesses.
8. Stay Patient
Patience is an important skill in the sport of pickleball. Too many players rush to speed up rallies or attack unattackable balls, leading to unforced errors and lost points. Instead, focus on controlling momentum and letting the rally build until you have an attackable pickleball at the top of the net. Be patient and wait for the right scoring opportunity, using precision and position to keep the ball moving to different sides and areas of the pickleball court.
You can outplay opponents with smarter shots and better technique by staying composed and avoiding the urge to counter every initial speed-up. Letting the ball rise before striking allows you to play from your core game strategy, ensuring you maintain control and capitalize on opportunities when they truly present themselves.
9. Keep the Pickleball Low
One of the hardest skills in pickleball is consistently keeping the ball low over the net, whether you’re playing a dink, a drop shot, or a return of serve. Keeping the ball low forces your opponent to hit up, reducing their ability to execute an offensive or aggressive shot.
Adjust your paddle angle carefully. For less height, use a closed paddle face (angled slightly down) and a flat or slightly open paddle face only when needed to control the pace on a fast-paced volley.
In doubles pickleball, maintaining low shots near the Non-Volley Zone Line minimizes pop-ups and prevents the ball from sailing into a defensive shot or giving your opponents an easy attack.
A slower pace often works better to keep the ball low, allowing you and your partners to maintain control on the pickleball court while setting up the next play. Practicing this skill reduces the likelihood of errors and keeps you in a strong position during every shot execution.
10. Communicate with your partner
In doubles pickleball, communication with your partner is a key part of a winning strategy. Talk constantly during the rally—call out “mine” for shots in the middle, “let go” for balls landing out, or “bounce it” to prevent unnecessary risks. Discuss adjustments between shots to exploit the opposing team’s weaker player or change strategy when needed. Clear communication ensures both players stay aligned, avoiding confusion and mistakes on the pickleball court.
Be a positive force for your partner by offering encouragement like “nice shot” or “let’s go” to relieve pressure and maintain positivity. A cheerleader attitude helps both players stay motivated and respond better under tense moments. By fostering consistent, clear communication, you and your partner can perform as a cohesive team, minimizing errors and maximizing opportunities.
11. Let the Out Balls Go
In both singles pickleball and doubles pickleball, knowing when to let out balls go is a crucial skill that can save you from unnecessary mistakes on the pickleball court. Watch for clues like the ball’s trajectory, shoulder height on drives, or chest height near the Non-Volley Zone Line.
Balls with a flat paddle face or an exaggerated backswing often have the pace to go out of bounds. A low-sitting pickleball or one requiring you to hit up is more likely to stay in, so use these signs to analyze and anticipate the play.
When playing doubles pickleball, rely on your partner for better detection—communicate clearly with calls like “no” or “let it go.” Combined awareness, or “two heads,” improves your ability to read patterns in your opponents’ drives and body language. By consistently avoiding out balls, you’ll stay on the point longer, reduce errors, and gain easy points from their mistakes.
12. Dink Crosscourt (Most of the Time)
Mastering dinking skills is essential, and playing crosscourt dinks provides a greater margin for error by utilizing the natural angle and additional court space. The lowest part of the pickleball net is in the middle, making crosscourt dinks more forgiving than straight shots. By aiming 70-80% of your dinks crosscourt, you can keep the ball low, forcing opponents into trouble or pulling them out wide while staying out of their offensive range.
Mix up your shots with an offensive lob or an aggressive dink when needed, but beware of low-percentage risks that might leave you off balance. A straightforward dink to the middle can sometimes work to reset the rally, but always watch for an Erne-ing opponent. Executing strong, strategic dinking is a key part of any winning pickleball strategy.
13. Aim for Your Opponent’s Feet
Aiming for your opponent’s feet is a strategic shot with many advantages. It forces them into quick footwork, often resulting in a weak returning shot or a ball that pops high. This sets up an aggressive follow-up for your next shot.
Whether serving, dinking, or using an underhand stroke, targeting their inside foot makes it harder to decide between their backhand or forehand, often forcing them to run around the ball. This tactic is a great place to focus during rallies and can help you win points consistently in pickleball.
14. Dink Down Between Your Opponents
A well-placed dink down the middle of the court can expose your opponent’s weaknesses. The ball often bounces low in the non-volley zone by targeting the space between them, forcing them to move and decide who will take the shot.
This strategy creates confusion and disrupts their coordination, especially when it lands near their inside foot, challenging their forehand or backhand. Mixing crosscourt dinks with down-the-line options can open up angles and pull back their partner, giving you more opportunities to play at the next level in pickleball.
15. Lob Less
Using lobs sparingly can make your high, arcing shots more effective. A well-timed lob that shoots over and lands behind your opponents near the non-volley zone can disrupt their rhythm and force them to move back defensively.
However, lobs are risky, as they spend more time in the air, making them vulnerable to an aggressive return shot. Instead, mix in drives, drop shots, and dinks to keep your opponents guessing while saving the lob for key moments in the game.
16. Keep Opponents Away from the Kitchen Line
Keeping your opponents away from the kitchen line is crucial because it’s the prime scoring position in pickleball. To achieve this, use shots that force them further back on the court, such as a well-placed lob over their head or an aggressive smash.
Additionally, target different angles to make them move side to side, preventing them from staying close to the line. Be careful not to hit a weak shot that allows them to regain their footing at the net.
17. Over the Pickleball Net, Between the Lines & Mostly Down the Middle
In both doubles and singles pickleball, hitting the ball over the pickleball net and keeping it between the lines is a key part of a winning strategy. Aiming down the middle increases the margin of error, as the net is lower in the center. It’s harder to miss left or right, keeping your shots in play.
This approach also creates a gap that forces your opponents to decide who will take the shot, often targeting the backhand-side foot, such as the left heel for right-handed players.
Using crosscourt dinks or down-the-middle drives keeps your opponents on the defensive and makes it easier to exploit their backhand side. According to Joe Baker, this tactic is highly effective because it simplifies decision-making and reduces the risk of errors. By focusing on shots that are strategically placed yet safe, you’ll stay in control on the pickleball court and set yourself up for
18. Tracking the Ball with Your Positioning
In pickleball, proper positioning is a crucial strategy to improve your game. Always track the ball and adjust your body and feet to cover the court effectively. Depending on the shot, stay near the middle area or your side, and be ready to cut off angles or respond to attacks.
Working with your partner, position yourself to recover quickly after shots, especially near the sideline or corner, to reduce your opponent’s options. This ensures you can counter the opposing team’s crosscourt plays or low-percentage shots.
19. Take More Dinks Out of the Air
For beginning players, it’s common to develop the habit of defaulting to letting dinks bounce before returning them. However, volleying dinks out of the air can disrupt your opponent’s timing and turn the tide of a rally. By taking the ball before it lands, you maintain control and keep the pressure on your opponent, making it harder for them to reset the play.
20. Move Together with Your Partner
Teamwork and coordination with your partner are key to success in doubles pickleball. Stay in sync by flowing together and maintaining a consistent distance to avoid creating a gap that your opponent can target. Always move as a unit, covering each other’s weaknesses, staying aligned with the sideline, and maintaining a strong, ready position to handle any shot.
21. Aim Behind Your Opponent
Hitting the ball behind your opponent is a highly advantageous strategy that forces them to move awkwardly backward or reposition. Using lobs, cross-court dinks, or a low shot to their backhand side are great ways to execute this tactic. It allows you to return the ball safely while maintaining control and precision. This strategic approach often results in fewer mistakes and more high-percentage shots, giving you the upper hand.
22. Learn a Compact Stroke
Mastering a compact stroke is key to efficiency and making your shots quicker and more formidable on the court. This technique minimizes your backswing and follow-through, saving time and energy while maintaining control. Focus on pushing or tossing the ball rather than smacking it, ensuring smooth, accurate shot execution with less effort.
Why Are Strategies Important in Pickleball?
Relying solely on brute force or trying to play pickleball like tennis will not lead to consistent success. The court is smaller, and the ball moves more slowly, requiring players to use smart strategies rather than just hitting hard or running fast.
Effective tactics, such as precise shot placement, drop shots, or poaching, are essential for a competitive edge. Whether you’re playing doubles or singles, having a plan and executing it cohesively with your teammates ensures better results.
Beyond just gameplay, the strategy makes pickleball more fun and exciting. It forces you to think differently, keeping opponents guessing by mixing up your shots and committing to various approaches.
This collaborative process improves your game sense and strengthens your bond with others off the field. Perfecting different tactics, from mastering the Erne to exploiting weak spots, enriches your experience and helps you grow into a well-rounded player.
Do Pickleball Strategies Matter When You’re a Beginner?
Even as a beginner, using pickleball strategies helps you play smarter and reduce unforced errors. While newer players may focus on learning the game, applying winning strategies early prepares you to compete against experienced players and develop good habits. Strategic thinking allows beginners to improve quickly and enjoy more success on the court.
Why Pickleball Strategy Matters for Beginners
A good sense of strategy is essential for beginners to improve their pickleball game and advance to the next level. Once they learn the rules and play the game, beginners often lose points due to simple mistakes.
By focusing on smart shot selection, strategic shot placement, and superior footwork, new players can start outplaying opponents and building confidence. Mastering these fundamentals is key to quick improvement.
3 pickleball strategies for beginners
Keep Your Eye on the Ball
A simple yet vital tip for beginners is to always focus on the pickleball. Avoid looking at other places, such as the ground or your opponents’ feet. Instead, track the ball’s path to see where it’s headed. Staying locked on the ball helps you miss fewer shots and improves your overall reaction and accuracy.
Set Your Feet When Hitting
Always set your feet before taking a shot to maximize control and power. Proper positioning and steadiness ensure better accuracy and allow your body to remain balanced for smooth movement. This helps you transition to the next position efficiently, preparing you for the next play.
Paddle Out Front: Hit the Ball in Front
Keeping your paddle out front ensures you make contact with the ball ahead of your body, giving you better control and improving the shot’s trajectory. This technique eliminates frantic movements, reduces reliance on an arm flick or wrist motion, and allows you to focus on a strong and consistent return.
How to Deal with Bangers
To counter bangers who hit with powerful drives, focus on smart fundamentals and efficient defense. Stay ready to block their shots by keeping your paddle low, maintaining good coverage with your partner, and targeting their backhand or weaker side. Use low returns to slow the pace of the rally, forcing them to adjust and reducing their advantage.
In doubles, communicate with your partner to avoid disjointed play and close gaps in your defense. Don’t try to overpower the banger; instead, mix finesse techniques, like soft dinks or drop shots, into your arsenal to create opportunities. Stay patient, and use your instincts to capitalize on the right moment to turn their power against them and win the point.
Pickleball Doubles Strategy vs. Pickleball Singles Strategy
Strategies in pickleball doubles and singles differ significantly due to the number of players and the court each must cover. In doubles, teamwork is key, with partners focusing on territory and reach, ensuring they close gaps and defend the court together. Communication and positioning are core aspects of gameplay in doubles.
In singles, the challenge lies in covering the entire court alone, requiring sharp footwork and precise shot placement. The focus shifts to individual core skills like speed, endurance, and strategic angles to outmaneuver the opponent. Understanding these differences helps players adapt their strategies effectively for either format.
Hitting in Pickleball
In singles pickleball, aim shots away from your opponent to make them move and create opportunities. This strategy is less effective in doubles since teams can cover the court more efficiently. Focus on varying shot selection and using angles to target a weaker side, such as the backhand for a right-handed or left-handed player. This adds difficulty in returning and enhances your overall strategy.
Serving in Pickleball
In singles pickleball, focus on big, deep serves near the baseline to push your opponent back, giving you more time to prepare for their return of serve. In doubles, vary your placement to create deeper shots and challenge the serving team‘s positioning. This strategy forces opponents to move and react, keeping them on the defensive.
Return-of-Serve in Pickleball
A deep return shot after the initial serve is crucial for singles pickleball to push your opponent back and gain control. An effective return-of-serve aimed at the middle can confuse the two opponents and disrupt momentum in doubles. Alternatively, targeting the sidelines or corners keeps rallies competitive and positions you to stay in control.
Common Mistakes Beginner Pickleball Players Make
Beginner pickleball players often make common mistakes, such as rushing their shots, failing to communicate with others in doubles, and not focusing on proper positioning. These errors can lead to missed opportunities and unnecessary points for opponents. Recognizing and correcting these habits early is key to improving gameplay.
Staying in No-Man’s-Land
In pickleball, lingering in no-man’s-land, the area between the kitchen line and the baseline is a critical mistake. This position makes it difficult to return both dinks near the net and strong groundstrokes from the back. Always move quickly to the NVZ line or retreat to the baseline to play effectively and avoid being caught mid-way.
Hitting Every Shot Hard
While hitting every shot hard with powerful drives can be tempting, it’s not always the best strategy. This tool is only useful when paired with a mix of shots. To outplay your opponent, focus on strategic shot selections, varying paces, and placement to keep them off balance and guessing.
Using an Incompatible Paddle
Choosing the right paddle complements your playing style. Factors like size, hand grip, preferred weight, and balance are key considerations for a comfortable and effective fit. Look for the perfect paddle with suitable materials, core thickness, and a well-placed sweet spot. Proper research ensures the paddle is tailored to your needs, helping you play at your best.
Final Thought
Mastering pickleball requires proper techniques, strategic decision-making, and thoughtful preparation. From choosing the right paddle to avoiding common mistakes like staying in no-man’s-land or hitting every shot too hard, every detail matters.
Whether you’re fine-tuning your dinks, perfecting your serve, or learning to move effectively with your partner, these insights help create a well-rounded game. Embrace these tips, practice consistently, and enjoy the journey of becoming a smarter, stronger pickleball player!
