Here are our top pickleball tips for intermediate players, but feel free to stay and read if you are a beginner or a more advanced player. Incorporate some of these and elevate your pickleball match strategy.
Pickleball Tip #1 – Don’t let your serve or return of serve hit the net
- The first two shots of play should be automatic and always land in bounds by the time you’ve developed enough skill in pickleball. Do your best to keep unforced errors to a minimum. Keep the ball in play!
Pickleball Tip #2 – Get your serve or return of serve as deep as possible
- Hitting deep keeps your opponents back near the baseline. Pushing your opponents back or keeping them back is a great strategy to implement in any pickleball match. 2-3 feet from the baseline is a great place to focus your return of serve, and switch from your opponent’s forehand to backhand. If undecided, return of serve down the middle always is a good option too because that makes your opponents communicate who will be hitting the next shot.
Pickleball Tip #3 – Keep track of the score
- There’s nothing more frustrating than forgetting the score. Stay attentive, keep track of the score, who is serving, who is next to serve – it’s common courtesy to stay focused during a game. During tournaments, if you have a referee, the referee will call the score before each serve.
Pickleball Tip #4 – Keep your feet active
- If you’ve played tennis, you’re used to hearing that the game is all about footwork. The same goes for pickleball. Stay ready, with the weight of your body on your toes, so you can spring into action and chase down the ball. Return to the ready position after each shot and reset your body. However, before your opponent hits the ball back over the net to you, take a split-step and prepare for the shot. Try not to run into a shot as that will cause more unforced errors.
Pickleball Tip #5 – Track the ball with your paddle
- Track the ball and mimic its path with your paddle. Imagine there is an invisible string between your paddle and the ball. This keeps you ready to react and reach any shot that comes your way. This is a great tip at the kitchen. Track the ball over the next so you are ready if your opponent speeds up the ball with an attacking shot.
Pickleball Tip #6 – Know where you’re going with the ball before you hit it
- Similar to chess and tennis, always think two shots head. Think about how best to set yourself up to win the point. Setting up shots is an intermediate / advanced player strategy. Keep this in mind when you are playing rec play or challenge courts.
Pickleball Tip #7 – Play to your opponent’s weakness
- Typically, this is the backhand side. Aim for your opponent’s backhand side more often and see if you can force an error. Hit to their backhand side whenever possible since backhand dinks are harder than forehand dinks.
Pickleball Tip #8 – Hit at your opponent’s feet
- This is one of my absolute favorites! It really works. Hitting at your opponent’s feet forces them to be reactive, which typically causes their ball to pop up for an easy put-away. It can also push your opponent’s back, which will allow you to gain some ground towards the net. My game improved tremendously when I started hitting shots to my opponent’s backhand foot. It’ll result in them popping the ball up for you to put away and win the point!
Pickleball Tip #9 – Seek out the weaker opponent in doubles
- During warm-up or even the first couple of points, determine who the weaker player is and target them. While this may seem rude or unfair, it’s a solid strategy many professionals implement. Force the weaker play to beat you. This is an absolute during pickleball tournaments.
Pickleball Tip #10 – Hit to the opponent that is further back
- If your opponents are not parallel, then you need to realize quickly the major error they’ve made. The player further back, hanging out in no man’s land, is out of position. Being out of position makes it more challenging to decide whether to volley a shot or back up further. Always keep your opponents back. If they don’t come to the net, keep them back!
So, there you have it, our Top 10 Pickleball Tips for Intermediate Players. Take a couple on the court with you the next time you go, or scribble them down on a piece of paper so you can look at them during breaks of play.
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