No one will deny that winning is one of the best parts of playing pickleball. This is especially true if you’re playing competitively in tournaments. Besides skills, there are winning pickleball strategies that make a difference when you’re playing different opponents with different play styles. Let’s go over them.
5 Winning Pickleball Strategies
Put On The Pressure
You may see a pattern if you’ve been playing high-level pickleball for some time, competing in tournaments, or watching the pros play. That is the team that is able to put on the pressure successfully wins. The pressure could be from driving, dinking, or lobbing.
No matter how good or experienced a player may be, we all have a weakness in our game. Some players don’t do well against bangers. If you’re great at driving with a lot of power and the ability to keep the ball low, keep driving. Being able to block a ball over and over is a skill that not every player possesses.
If you’re more of a dinker, add pressure to your dinks by adding topspin or underspin. Change up the pace and location of your dinks. Varying your shots adds pressure, even if it is a dink.
Move Your Opponents Around
Another winning pickleball strategy is to move your opponents around. You can do this by dinking in different places to create a gap between them or lobbing to get them away from the kitchen line. Moving forces your opponents to have to make their shot while not being in their most stable position.
When your body is moving, it is more difficult to make a controlled, accurate shot. This creates unforced errors where your opponent may end up popping the ball up or hitting a ball into the net.
Attack With Anticipation To Follow-up
At some point in the rally, you may have to attack but always attack with the anticipation to follow up. Especially at more advanced levels, your opponent will be able to counter. Don’t assume that your attack is one and done.
Always assume that the ball will come back until the point is truly finished. Even if you’re the one countering an attack, assume the ball will come back.
Change Up Your Serves
Another underrated winning pickleball strategy is simply switching up the pace of your serve. If you’re used to only using a topspin serve, switch it up and try using a lob serve. If you’re used to standing by the center line while serving, move over toward the sideline to create a different angle.
Many players can get used to a certain style of play that switching up something as simple as a serve can throw them off. If your opponents have no issue with your service and are hitting great returns, change it up to get a different return.
Switch Up Positions
While stacking can be advantageous when playing tournaments, try switching positions if your team is losing. Sometimes, being in front of a certain player can change the dynamic of the game. If you’re watching the pros play, you will see them use this strategy often.
That is why it is important to be able to play both the left side and right side, even if you prefer playing a certain side. Being a versatile player will give your team more options when you have to use this strategy.
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