Win the kitchen line
After the two-bounce rule is satisfied, move forward behind a safe drop or deep return instead of charging through a hard drive.
pickleball strategy
Pickleball Strategy
Simple strategy principles that help rec players stop giving away points and start controlling rallies.
What this page covers
Get to the kitchen behind safe shots.
Keep returns deep and boring.
Attack high balls, not low balls.
Test weaker backhands before forcing winners.
Target backhands first
Most rec players are less stable on backhand dinks, blocks, and speedups. Test that side early.
Keep returns deep
A deep return gives your team time to reach the kitchen and makes the serving team's third shot harder.
Attack high balls only
Speeding up low balls creates counters. Wait for balls above net height or force a pop-up with patient dinks.