If you could go back to the beginning of your pickleball journey, what advice would you give yourself?

Whether you’re new to the game or trying to break through to the next level, a few key concepts can dramatically improve your consistency, decision-making, and confidence on the court.

Here are 10 pickleball tips from Barrett Bass and Danea Zeigle we wish we had learned sooner, the same concepts many advanced players and pros use every match.

1. Stop hitting every drive at 100%

One of the biggest beginner mistakes is trying to crush every drive as hard as possible.

The problem is that flat, hard drives often sail long or sit up for your opponent to counter aggressively. Instead of trying to overpower the ball, focus on creating dip and shape. A controlled drive with a low-to-high swing path creates topspin, allowing the ball to arc over the net and drop safely into the court. This forces your opponents to hit upward on their next shot, making it much easier for you to advance and hit an effective third-shot drop.

Rather than swinging at full power, try swinging at roughly 70% pace while brushing up the back of the ball. Consistency and spin will help you get to the kitchen line far more effectively than raw power ever will.

2. Create spin from the sides of the ball

Most players learn topspin by brushing the back of the ball, but advanced players often create spin by brushing the sides of the ball as well.

Learning this technique changes the game because it allows you to manipulate angles and direction without having to perfectly position your body behind every shot. Instead of constantly chasing the ideal contact point, you can use your paddle face to shape the ball more creatively.

This creates more deception, improves court positioning, and reduces unnecessary footwork. It also allows you to create sharper angles on dinks, drops, and drives while staying balanced at the kitchen line. Once you start using the sides of the ball to generate spin, your shots become much less predictable and much more difficult to defend.

3. Only speed up balls you’re prepared for

Knowing when to attack is just as important as knowing how.

A great rule to follow is that you should only speed up balls when you are prepared early. That means your feet are set, your paddle is ready, and your body is balanced before contact.

If you are stretched wide, off balance, or late to the ball, speeding up usually leads to errors or easy counters for your opponent. Smart aggression comes from preparation, not panic.

When you get your paddle-side leg behind the ball and prepare early, your attacks become more deceptive, controlled, and effective. If you cannot get prepared in time, it is usually better to stay patient and reset the point instead of forcing offense.

4. Target the middle against strong dinkers

When you are playing against opponents with aggressive angles and strong dinking skills, trying to out-angle them often leads to mistakes.

A smarter strategy is targeting the middle of the court. Hitting through the middle naturally removes many of the extreme angles your opponents rely on. It also shrinks the court and limits their attacking options.

When opponents are pulled wide, they can attack crosscourt, down the line, or through the middle. But when the ball stays in the middle, those options become much more limited. As a result, attacks become easier to anticipate and defend.

If you struggle against aggressive dinkers, simplifying the game by targeting the middle can completely change the flow of a match.

5. Target backhands at the baseline

Early in a match, targeting your opponents’ backhands from the baseline is usually a smart strategy.

Most players are naturally more comfortable hitting forehands, especially under pressure. By serving or driving toward the backhand side, you can create indecision and force weaker responses.

Shots aimed near the inside foot are especially effective because they make players hesitate about whether to run around the ball for a forehand or stay with their backhand. That hesitation alone can create errors or weak returns.

Until your opponents prove they can consistently handle pressure on the backhand side, it is often the safest and most effective target.

6. Target forehands at the kitchen line

Interestingly, the strategy changes once players reach the kitchen line.

At the net, many players defend best with their backhand because it naturally covers more of the body during counters and hand battles. That is why attacking the forehand side can actually be more effective at the kitchen line.

Targeting the forehand side often creates the awkward “chicken wing” position where players become jammed and unsure whether to use a forehand or backhand. This uncertainty slows reaction time and creates pop-ups or weak counters.

Until opponents prove they can consistently defend that area, attacking the forehand side at the kitchen line is often the smarter play.

7. Use depth at the kitchen line

Many players are taught to hug the kitchen line at all times, but eventually that mindset becomes limiting.

Advanced players constantly adjust their depth by using drop steps, pivots, and small retreats off the line. Moving backward slightly creates space to contact the ball at a better height and allows players to hit more aggressive and controlled dinks.

Staying glued to the line often forces players into purely defensive shots because they do not have enough room to attack comfortably. By giving yourself space and moving dynamically, you can create better angles, apply more pressure, and become much more deceptive.

The best dinkers are not stationary. They are constantly adjusting their positioning to create offensive opportunities.

8. Move forward with your partner, not alone

One of the hardest transitions in pickleball is moving from the baseline to the kitchen line effectively.

Many players either rush forward recklessly or stay back too long. The better approach is to move based on the quality of your partner’s drop shot.

As your partner hits the third-shot drop, float slightly forward while reading the ball. If the drop is good, move in aggressively and apply pressure. If the drop sits too high, stay back and prepare for defense.

This approach helps you avoid getting caught in “no man’s land” and keeps you balanced during transitions. The key is understanding that you should not chase bad drops. You should only advance when your team has earned the opportunity.

9. Keep firefight swings short and compact

Fast hands win firefights at the kitchen line.

One of the biggest mistakes players make during hand battles is taking oversized swings or leaving their follow-through extended after contact. That may feel powerful, but it leaves them completely unprepared for the next shot.

Professional players keep their counters extremely short and compact because compact mechanics allow faster reloads and quicker reactions.

By shortening your swing and immediately resetting your paddle after contact, you improve your reaction time, control, and consistency during fast exchanges. In firefights, efficiency almost always beats power.

10. Learn the “Teeter Totter Effect”

The final concept is simple but incredibly valuable.

The “teeter totter effect” refers to reading paddle position to anticipate what type of shot is coming next.

If your opponent’s paddle is low, they will usually need to hit upward on the ball. That means you can prepare to attack downward on the next shot. On the other hand, if your opponent’s paddle is high, they are more likely to attack aggressively downward, which means you should lower your stance and prepare defensively.

Understanding this relationship between paddle height and shot trajectory helps you anticipate play before the ball is even struck. That anticipation alone can help you react faster, defend better, and win more points.

---

Improvement in pickleball rarely comes from learning one flashy shot. More often, it comes from understanding positioning, timing, decision-making, and pressure.

These 10 concepts can help you reach the kitchen line more consistently, make smarter attacking decisions, defend more effectively, and become a more complete player overall.

The sooner you start implementing them, the faster your game will improve.