5 Advanced Pickleball Techniques And Shots To Know

If you’ve been playing pickleball for some time, you will learn some shots are easier to learn than others. In order to level up from an intermediate to an advanced player, there are advanced pickleball techniques and shots that you should know. Here are five to check off your list and practice.

5 Advanced Pickleball Techniques And Shots

The Reset Shot

If there is one pickleball shot that separates intermediate to advanced players is the reset shot. The reset shot is one of the most important advanced pickleball techniques to know for several reasons. First, it buys you and your team time to get to the kitchen. It is usually the best shot you have while in the transition zone if your opponents are attacking and you’re not in a position to attack back.

Secondly, it buys you and your partner time to get back to a steady position. This is crucial if one of you is pulled out wide or back. But resetting the ball, you’re in control of when you want the ball to be sped up or to counter an attack.

The Angled Putaway

At advanced levels, many players are able to get back most shots that you normally would be able to put away at lower or intermediate levels. That includes overhead smashes. In order to ensure that your overheads do not come back, you will have to learn to angle your putaway.

If your opponent sees a high ball on your side, they will most likely step back toward the baseline. But angling your smash shot towards the sidelines makes it hard for your opponents to get the ball back. Even if you don’t necessarily have power, you will find that using angles tends to be more advantageous.

The Ernie

If you watch some pros play in tournaments, the Ernie is a shot that wows the crowd. Being able to do the Ernie gives you so much advantage due to the angle and power that you have. It is a shot that takes time to practice and master due to the speed and coordination required. Your feet are jumping and avoiding the kitchen line while aiming your paddle to hit the ball at an angle.

To practice Ernies in a drilling session, stand on one side of the court at the kitchen net. Then have a drilling buddy dink or drop the ball in front of you by the sideline. Instead of hitting the ball back to them, go for an Ernie shot no matter how low or high the ball is. You will be able to have a feel for which balls are good for an Ernie shot.

The Body Shot

Playing at an advanced level with other advanced players means you have to be a step ahead and know how to execute shots that are hard to return. One of those shots is aimed fast at the body. Body shots aimed at the shoulder or hips are hard to get back because your arms and paddles have to move awkwardly to block the shot.

The best counter is to move fast to get out of the way so the ball goes out of bounds. It requires immense reading of the ball being played and anticipation. That is why the body shot is so effective as an attack.

The Misdirect

The misdirect is a shot that looks like it will be going somewhere but then is made elsewhere. A misdirect shot is so effective because your opponents are looking for your body positioning and eyes to see where your shot will be. But when you make the shot elsewhere, it throws off your opponent’s readiness.

Executing a misdirect requires you to make your paddle face look like it will be one shot and then slightly change it at the last second. An example would be to look like you’re dinking in one direction at one opponent and then speed it up at the other opponent.

Each advanced pickleball shot is extremely useful don’t their own. However, using them together is even more effective. For example, combining two advanced pickleball shots would be dinking and then suddenly misdirecting the shot to make a body shot.