The purpose of this article is to share with you the winning strategies that have helped me win in the game of Pickleball. I’m sure that there are many other approaches but these techniques seemed to work for me and perhaps may work for you as well. It is not intended to be a comprehensive tutorial on how to play the game. There are several excellent published books that delve deeply into that area. This is strictly intended as a “quick” reference guide with short video’s attached to illustrate several of my strategies.
The Serve
Service Return
The Third Shot
Keep the ball in play
Opponents weaknesses & their paddle position
Don’t play catch
Anticipate / “Open” alleys / Angles
Move your feet
Your body & paddle positions
The Serve
How many times have you heard “just get the ball into the court”? Well, they’re right. Forget the spins and trick shots unless you’re very proficient. Instead focus on just getting the ball in play. Make them move if possible. If your opponent has a weak back hand then exploit that weakness, but always, always just get your serve in and preferably the deeper the better!
Service Return
Returning the ball to the center is always good because it makes your opponents move and guess who’s going to hit the ball. If at all possible return the ball so it bounces within a foot of the baseline. Never hit a short return! Keep them back and follow your return to the net.