Building a Point

As you progress in the sport of pickleball, you will face more challenging opponents who are quicker, who make fewer mistakes, and who have a better understanding of dynamics related to position, tactics, and strategies.

With stronger opponents, it becomes increasingly important that you work to develop each point in order to neutralize advantages they may have, and to turn defensive play into offensive play. The key takeaway from this whole article is this; you have to learn to not try to win the rally every time you hit the ball.

Here are some heuristics to help you decide whether you should or should not try to execute an offensive shot.

Fire away!

• If you have a position advantage
• your opponents are not at the kitchen line and won't get there before the ball gets to them
• you are at your kitchen line
• one or both of your opponents have been pulled out of position (wide or to the same side as their partner)
• your opponent is in the kitchen or scrambling to get out of the kitchen
• If you have a high ball you can hit down on
• If your opponents are on the move/off balance
• If you can catch them running, you can sometimes surprise them
• This is most effective if you can hit a low ball, forcing them to hit up
• If your opponents can't handle your pace/power
• If you are able to win points this way (even with opponents who are in position), keep at it
• But if this is not working...

Proceed with caution

• If you are not at the kitchen line
• especially if your opponents are at the kitchen
• especially if your opponents will not be phased by a drive
• If your position is compromised because you are pulled wide or onto your partner's side or in the kitchen
• If you are hitting up from below the net

Are these hard and fast rules that can never be broken, or if broken will never work? No. But if you want to play high percentage pickleball and give yourself the best chance of success on each point, learn to work the point.

If you find yourself in one of those "proceed with caution" situations, what should you do instead of attacking, what should you do?

1. Hit slow balls that 
• force your opponents to hit up
• give you time to regain your position
• give you time to find your balance
2. Make your opponents move until
• they make an error
• you get a ball you can attack
• you create a gap where you can put the ball away

Even skilled opponents will make errors, they will pop up balls that give you a chance to attack, and they will be pulled out of position, opening up gaps through which you can send a faster ball. Vary your shots. Hit with intention. Keep your balls over the net, but descending on your opponents' side. Keep them moving. Stay alert and ready for a speed up, and be ready to pounce if you get an attackable ball.

If your opponents send you back off the kitchen line with a lob or because you got pulled off the court and had to chase a ball that got behind you, work to slow things down, reset, get back to the kitchen line and start over to rebuild your point.

Trying to play every ball as a winner will get you into trouble. Playing fast balls when you are out of position will also get you in trouble. Play smart. Get your position, work the point. Win the rally. Win the game. Win the match.

Hope you find this content helpful. Message me for lessons. Reading concepts is great, but it's not the same as having a certified instructor giving you direct feedback and insights specific to your game, your mechanics, and the tactics and strategies you can employ to improve, along with focused practice that isolates those skills and concepts so you can begin to incorporate them into your game.

Thanks for stopping by!

David