Pickleball rewards players who can execute a variety of shots — not just those who hit the hardest. This library covers every shot type you'll encounter in recreational and competitive play: what each shot is, when to use it, and how to execute it correctly. Whether you're brand new to the sport or working toward a 4.0+ rating, this is your complete reference for pickleball technique.
NoteBrowse by shot type using the Table of Contents below. Each section covers the purpose of the shot, the mechanics, common mistakes, and when to deploy it in a real match. Bookmark this page and return to it as you add new shots to your game.
The serve starts every rally, and while it doesn't need to be a weapon, it should be consistent and purposeful. In pickleball, all serves must be hit underhand with an upward arc, below the waist, using a volley serve or a drop serve.
A volley serve is struck before the ball bounces — you toss it upward and hit it in the air. The paddle must make contact below your navel, your arm must swing in an upward arc, and the paddle head must be below your wrist at contact.
A drop serve allows you to drop the ball and let it bounce before you hit it. There are no arm swing, height, or paddle orientation restrictions for a drop serve — which makes it more forgiving and popular among beginners.
The most effective serves target one of three zones: deep to the opponent's backhand, deep down the center line, or at the opponent's body (T-zone). Serves that land short give opponents an easy return and a fast path to the kitchen line — always aim deep.
The return of serve is arguably the most strategically important shot in pickleball. A great return neutralizes the serve and puts the returning team in a commanding position.
The golden rule: hit your return deep and move immediately to the kitchen line. A deep return forces the serving team to hit their third shot from far back, giving you time to reach the NVZ (Non-Volley Zone) before the rally develops.
The serve must bounce before the returner hits it, and the return must bounce before the serving team hits it. After those two bounces, either team may volley. This rule prevents server dominance and makes the third shot drop critical.
The third shot drop is the most important shot in pickleball. It's the third shot of the rally (served by the serving team), and its purpose is to neutralize the opponent's advantage at the kitchen line by dropping the ball softly into the Non-Volley Zone — forcing them to hit up rather than attacking.
After the serve and return, the returning team is typically at the kitchen line. The serving team is stuck at the baseline. If the serving team drives the ball hard, opponents can easily volley it back aggressively from the NVZ. A well-executed third shot drop forces them to hit a ball that's below the net level — taking away their attack angle and giving the serving team time to advance forward.
The third shot drop is the hardest shot to master and the highest-value shot to practice. Dedicate at least 20% of your drilling time specifically to third shot drops from both wings.
A drive is a flat, hard groundstroke hit with pace and intent to penetrate through the opponent's defense or force a weak response. Drives are most effective from the baseline or transition zone and are often used as an alternative to the third shot drop — known as the third shot drive.
| Situation | Drive | Drop |
|---|---|---|
| Opponents at or near the kitchen line | Risky — they can volley hard | Preferred — forces them to lift |
| Opponents still transitioning back | Effective — they're off-balance | Less necessary |
| Short return sits up high | Yes — attack the bounce | Not needed here |
| You're in a comfortable position | Optional — situational | Safer default choice |
| You're off-balance or out of position | Avoid — poor contact likely | Also avoid; reset instead |
The dink is a soft, arcing shot hit from at or near the kitchen line that lands in the opponent's Non-Volley Zone. It's the foundational shot of the kitchen battle — used to extend rallies, create openings, and set up attackable opportunities.
Great dink players control rallies. They don't just keep the ball in play — they use dink placement to move opponents laterally, create angles, and eventually draw a pop-up they can put away.
A volley is any shot hit before the ball bounces. Volleys are hit from the transition zone or near the kitchen line (but not from inside the NVZ — that's a fault). Good volley technique is essential for controlling the net.
You cannot volley from inside the Non-Volley Zone (kitchen). You can step in to hit a ball that has bounced — but volleying from inside the kitchen, or letting your momentum carry you in after a volley, is a fault. This applies to both feet and anything touching you (like a dropped paddle).
A reset is a soft, neutralizing shot used to end a fast exchange and return the rally to a dinking pace. When you're being attacked — balls coming hard at your body or feet — the reset is your escape hatch.
The goal of a reset is not to win the point. It's to survive the attack and reset back to a neutral or controlled state — usually by landing the ball in the kitchen so your opponents can't keep attacking.
Most players try to attack out of trouble. The reset requires restraint — your ego wants to hit back hard, but the smart play is to slow things down. Players who master the reset win more points because they never lose a rally they didn't have to lose.
A lob is a high, arcing shot hit over the opponents' heads, designed to force them to retreat from the kitchen line. The offensive lob is one of the most effective — and most misused — weapons in pickleball.
A lob that doesn't clear your opponent's extended paddle — or that goes out of bounds — is a free point for the other team. The lob is high-risk/high-reward. Use it sparingly, and disguise it well. Against tall opponents or strong overhead players, think twice before lobbing.
The overhead smash is the answer to a lobbed ball that doesn't go deep enough. It's an aggressive, downward-angled shot hit above your head — and when executed well, it's usually a point-ending shot.
On very deep lobs, you may need to retreat and hit a jump smash — leaping to make contact before the ball gets behind you. This requires good timing and footwork but creates a sharper angle. Most recreational lobs can be handled with a standing overhead if you read the ball early.
The Erne is an advanced, aggressive shot where a player jumps or steps outside the sideline to hit a volley from beside — rather than behind — the kitchen line. Named after Erne Perry, who popularized it, this shot creates a surprising angle that catches opponents off guard.
Since the NVZ rules only restrict volleying from inside the kitchen, you can legally stand beside the court and volley a ball that travels close to the sideline. The Erne works because opponents dinking near the sideline often put the ball in range — and the close contact point means the return angle is almost impossible to handle.
You must not step through the kitchen to reach the position outside the sideline. You can jump over the kitchen corner (landing outside the NVZ) or walk around behind your NVZ. Touching inside the kitchen during the motion is a fault.
The Around the Post (ATP) is one of the most spectacular shots in pickleball. When a ball travels wide of the court past the net post, a player can legally hit it around the post — without going over the net — to land in the opponent's court. There is no height restriction on an ATP.
ATPs typically occur when an opponent hits a heavily angled dink or drop that pulls you wide. If the ball travels past the net post, instead of chasing it back toward the center, you hit it around the outside of the post and angle it back into their court.
ATPs are as much about recognition as technique — you have to read the wide ball early to get in position. Practice wide ball drills to build this instinct.
Adding spin to your shots changes how the ball moves through the air and how it behaves when it bounces or lands on your opponent's paddle. Understanding spin — both creating it and reading it — is a skill that separates intermediate players from advanced ones.
Topspin is created by brushing upward over the back of the ball at contact. It causes the ball to dip down faster than a flat shot — useful for drives that clear the net but drop quickly at the opponent's feet. Topspin on a dink or third shot drop makes the shot harder to attack because it keeps low after the bounce.
Backspin is created by cutting under the ball at contact, brushing downward. A sliced ball stays low after the bounce, making it difficult for opponents to get under it for a clean dink. Backspin on a dink can force a pop-up if the opponent doesn't adjust their paddle angle.
Sidespin is generated by brushing across the ball from left to right or right to left. It causes the ball to curve and bounce at an angle away from the opponent. Sidespin serves are increasingly popular because they can curve into the returner's body or off the court unexpectedly.
The speed-up is an offensive attack launched from a dinking exchange — taking a ball that should be dinkable and driving it hard at the opponent's body or shoulder. It's designed to catch opponents off guard when they're in "dinking mode" and expecting a soft shot.
The best speed-up targets are: the opponent's right shoulder (for right-handers, this jams them between forehand and backhand), the hip or body at close range, and the paddle-side shoulder of the weaker partner in doubles. Avoid aiming at open court — a speed-up is about creating body pressure, not placement.
When a speed-up comes at you, block or reset — don't try to attack it back. Keep your paddle compact, relax your grip, and drop the ball softly into the kitchen. The player who resists the urge to counter-attack usually wins the exchange.
The kitchen line battle — also called the NVZ battle or the dink game — is the central tactical theater of doubles pickleball. Both teams stand at the NVZ line, exchanging dinks, probing for openings, and waiting for the right moment to speed up or lob.
Knowing how to hit every shot is only half the equation — knowing when to use each one is what separates good players from great ones. Here are the foundational principles of smart shot selection.
When you're in the transition zone (between the baseline and the kitchen line), you're in the most vulnerable area of the court. The primary goal in the transition zone is to get to the kitchen line. Hit drops, not drives. Take pace off the ball. Never attempt high-risk shots when you're caught in no man's land.
| Ball height at contact | Best shot option |
|---|---|
| Above net level (attackable) | Drive, speed-up, or roll volley |
| At net level | Flat punch or angled dink |
| Below net level (defensive) | Drop, reset, or lob |
| At your feet (very low) | Reset or let it bounce and reset |
Most recreational points are lost, not won. Unforced errors — trying too hard, attacking too early, going for hero shots — account for the majority of losing points at skill levels below 4.5. The discipline to wait for the right ball, execute a high-percentage shot, and stay patient in a long dink rally is the most underrated skill in pickleball.
NoteIf the ball is below the net when you contact it, your only job is to get it over the net safely. Don't try to win the point from a defensive position. Reset. Wait. Win the point when you have a ball above the net you can attack.
The third shot drop is widely considered the most important shot in pickleball. It allows the serving team to neutralize the opponent's advantage at the kitchen line and transition forward. Without a reliable third shot drop, the serving team is stuck at the baseline and constantly under pressure.
A dink is a soft shot hit from at or near the kitchen line that lands in the opponent's Non-Volley Zone — it's used to extend kitchen line rallies and create openings. A drop shot (like the third shot drop) is hit from farther back — typically the baseline or transition zone — with the goal of landing softly in the kitchen to neutralize a fast-court position. Both shots require touch, but they serve different tactical purposes.
No. Volleying from inside the Non-Volley Zone (kitchen) is a fault. You must let the ball bounce before hitting it if you're inside the NVZ. However, you can step into the kitchen to hit a ball that has already bounced, and you can enter the kitchen at any time — as long as you don't volley while inside it.
Resetting the rally means using a soft, controlled shot — usually into the kitchen — to slow down a fast-paced exchange and return the rally to a neutral, dinking pace. It's a defensive tactic used when you're being attacked or are out of position. A successful reset removes the opponent's attacking advantage and restores balance to the point.
Yes, the Erne is a legal shot. As long as the player does not step through the NVZ to reach the position outside the sideline — and does not touch inside the kitchen during or after the shot — it's perfectly legal to stand beside the court and volley a ball that passes near the net post. Players can jump over the kitchen corner (landing outside) or walk around behind the NVZ to get into Erne position.
The fastest way to improve your dinking is structured practice at the kitchen line. Work on: (1) cross-court dink consistency — rally with a partner cross-court and count consecutive successful dinks; (2) relaxing your grip — grip pressure is the most common dink killer; (3) staying at the kitchen line — backing up makes dinking harder; and (4) targeting specific spots rather than just keeping it in. Playing against stronger dink players is also one of the fastest ways to improve.
Have questions about a specific shot or technique not covered here? Reach out to our support team at [email protected] — we're happy to help.