How To Beat Bangers In Pickleball

At some point or another playing pickleball, you will run into bangers that want to drive almost every single shot. If you’re not used to playing with this type of player, you may get frustrated. Here are effective strategies for beating bangers in pickleball and slowing down the game to the pace that you want.

Block Punch

The easiest way to beat bangers in pickleball is to counter their attack with a block punch. What happens then is that the ball boomerangs right back to them. You will also want to aim your paddle face at their feet. Or if they have moved up since driving a ball from the baseline, aim your block punch to get behind them.

That will most likely end the point for most players. Even if they manage to get the ball back, it will force them to step backward.

Reset The Ball

While you can block balls being driven at you or even counter it back as an attack, sometimes it is better to reset the ball instead. Especially when you or your partner are out of position or are in the transition zone. Resetting the ball means taking the pace off of the ball, just enough that it lands in your opponent’s kitchen with a low bounce.

The best way to reset the ball is to loosen your grip on your paddle. You also want to angle your paddle face slightly up so that the ball doesn’t go into the net. Being able to reset the ball is one of the most important advanced skills in pickleball to know.

Good resets are extremely effective against bangers in pickleball because it gives them very little means to attack. If the ball has any pace or bounces high, it may be easy for them to drive the ball again. However, if your reset shot takes the pace off of the ball with a low bounce, it makes the ball essentially unattackable.

Your opponents would have to get under the ball and apply a lot of topspin to attack again. Even then, the ball’s trajectory would be up in order to clear the net where you can smash it down. Or the ball will go into the net.

Get Out Of The Way

While it can be very tempting to hit every ball coming at you, you will find a lot of balls that a banger drive will go out of bounds if you let it go. If the ball is coming fast at you with a lot of pace and it is above your shoulder, you simply have to get out of the way.

This also applies to attacks or speedups at the kitchen line. Many bangers will try to speed up the ball when you give them attackable balls. While you can block those shots or reset them, simply stepping out of the path of the ball will end a lot of points.

You will want to use your best judgment depending on where you and your opponents are standing. If the opponent that is straight in front of you is driving the ball at you, you should move out of the way and let the ball go out of bounds. Or if the opponent across from you is driving the ball at you at an angle that will land on your outside foot.

However, if it comes to your inside foot between you and your partner, there is a lot more room on the court for the ball to stay in.

You also have more time to react to counter the speedup with your own attack if you have fast hands. Being aware of where you are on the court and the angle of the ball in relation to the geometry of the court will give you an advantage over bangers.

How To Beat Bangers In Pickleball