Master Court Control to Win More Pickleball Games
Last Edited
Oct 21 2024
Category
Instruction
Winning more pickleball games really comes down to mastering strategy, court control, and shot selection.
Pickleball is a game of strategy, and which strategy you choose can be boiled down to one simple concept: controlling the point.
Players like Ben Johns are masters at this. Every point is on his terms; he decides when to speed the ball up or slow it down; he forces you into the game he wants you to play. As a result, he tends to win a lot.
I'm sure you've felt that way many times when playing against more advanced opponents: even if you make great shots, you still feel like everything is slipping out of your control. But it doesn't have to be that way.
The first rule when it comes to controlling the point is keeping yourself under control.
I’ll catch beginners sprinting to the kitchen after a return of serve only to get caught off balance by their opponents third shot. Everything you do on a pickleball court needs to be balanced.
Your movement, your footwork, your swing; everything needs to be fluid and under control.
To practice this, start by drilling with a partner:
- You begin at the baseline, and your partner at the kitchen
- Your job is to get to the kitchen and your partners job is to not let you
- Once you get to the kitchen, try to win the point
It sounds easy, but it’s not.
This will force you to be controlled while you’re approaching the kitchen line. It will make you think before you take that first step in and get a better sense of where you need to be on the court based on the shot you just hit.
Next is pace of play.
This isn't how fast the game goes in terms of time on court, but whether the game is quick, with a lot of speed ups, or slow, with more dinking.
This one is super easy to practice, and if you commit to it, probably the single greatest way to win more games.
Here’s how it works:
- The next time you play rec, force every point into a fast pace or slow pace
- Do this for the entire game and preferably for the entire play session
- You'll get more comfortable against different players and how they react to this type of pressure
What this does is allows you to dictate every point. When they speed it up, you slow it down. Now they are playing your game, not the other way around.
This part has a secret hidden in it though.
A lot of players tend to get frustrated when the game is not being played to suit their play style. If you’re going against bangers and you slow down every point, they are not going to like that.
They are going to force speed ups and try to get the fast paced play style they like back into the game but that’s when errors start to creep in. Now you’ve got them beat mentally and all that’s left to do is finish them.
Read Next: This is What Good Poaching in Pickleball Looks Like
Controlling the point in pickleball is what separates good players from great ones. Athleticism and mechanics all play a crucial role, but to be elite, you need to be able to force your opponents to play on your terms.
Take some time this week and focus on controlling the point. I promise, you'll win more pickleball games if you do.
Watch some film of players you admire and get a deeper understanding of how they approach every point. Understand why they hit the ball where they do and the purpose of every shot they take.
Control the controllable, and the point is most definitely controllable.
Frank Hines loves the game of pickleball and sharing that passion with as many people as possible. He found the game over two years ago and hasn't let up since. Follow Frank on X (formerly Twitter) and Instagram.
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