With the right structure during training and clever tactics, you can turn simple shots into real weapons on the court.
Pickleball is booming unstoppably. But anyone who wants to improve on the court quickly realises: simply keeping the ball in play is no longer enough at some point. To raise your own game to a new level, it comes down to a targeted combination of structured preparation, tactical shots and optimal body posture. Reports from experts and pros on platforms like The Dink Pickleball show that small, conscious adjustments often make the biggest difference.
Many recreational players tend to start training without a fixed routine, going straight into fast rallies or hard shots. According to PPA pro player Kelly Goodnow, however, this is wasted time. Effective training needs structure. She recommends starting every session with straight dinks. These shots in the front area of the court require a lot of feel and help to activate ball control and footwork before things get athletic. Only after that should you move on to diagonal cross-court dinks.
The experts at Tony Roig Pickleball also emphasise how important a structured start is. They advise starting with a relaxed rally from the baseline (chain hitting), completely without pressure and keeping score. This is primarily about developing a feel for the optimal contact point on your body, your own weight transfer and different flight paths. Only when you control these basics can you act stably in a match.
The serve is often seen in recreational play as just a formal start to the game. Yet, according to The Dink, it is the only shot where you have absolute control over pace, placement and spin. A deliberate strategy is to target your opponent's backhand, as this is the weak zone for many recreational players. A deep serve to the backhand often forces the opponent into an uncontrolled, high return.
If you get such a high, slow ball back, the important third shot comes into play. Expert Tanner Tomassi recommends a diagonal shot into the middle of the court for high returns. This has solid physical reasons: according to the official rulebook, the net is 34 inches (approx. 86 cm) in the middle, which is two inches lower than at the sidelines (36 inches). In addition, the diagonal offers the longest playing surface, which drastically reduces the error rate.
At the so-called non-volley zone (kitchen line), milliseconds often decide the outcome. Many players complain about slow reactions, but the mistake usually lies in the starting posture. As pro Kyle Koszuta explains, many start with their paddle too low at hip height. If a fast ball comes, the paddle must first be raised and then moved forward – this costs valuable time.
The solution is a compact stance: the paddle should be just below your chin, with your arms slightly bent close to your body. From this position, only a short forward movement is needed to block or attack the ball optimally.
The more experienced your opponents become, the better they can read body movements. According to the US association SFIA, there are now over 19 million players in the USA – so the level and anticipation are rising rapidly. Experienced players watch their opponent's shoulders, hips and paddle angle even before the ball is hit.
To make yourself harder to read, targeted shot disguise helps. Richard Livornese shows on YouTube how to use your body as a distraction: you indicate a direction with your body posture, but play the ball in the other direction at the last moment with a quick wrist snap. However, this requires a lot of ball feel and should only be trained after the basics.
Your takeaway: Structure your next training session with calm dinks to warm up and make sure to always keep your paddle ready at chest height at the kitchen line.
This article was generated automatically with AI from the sources listed above and has not been editorially reviewed.