6 pickleball shots and strategies that will help you win more games in 2026

Tony Roig

Contributor

Last Edited

Jan 19 2026

1. A reliable backhand return of serve

Hear me out on this one. Too many of you are running around the backhand return to hit a forehand. There are a few downsides to that strategy:

1. You open up the court on your side.
2. You make it way harder to get to the NVZ line before the fourth shot (this is deadly to your game).
3. You increase the chances that you will return short (it’s an energy issue).

So stop running around your backhand and start developing a backhand return that you can trust. The shot does not have to look amazing, it just needs to be effective: In and deep.

Extra coaching tip: While you work on improving your backhand, you can get more “natural” forehand returns (where you are not running around them) by shading your return position over toward your backhand. For example, if you are a right-handed player and want to make the forehand more accessible for returns, you slide a bit to your left. Doing so opens more forehand shots. This is a good interim solution while you get your backhand sorted.

2. Comfort using more middle dinks

Dinking to the outside is all the rage. And there is nothing wrong with outside dinks per se. But they make you predictable. If all you are doing is going sharp diagonal dink to sharp diagonal dink then:

1. Your opponent can “sit” on that shot.
2. If you miss it a little bit high, they are in position to attack.
3. You risk the sideline out of bounds.
4. At higher levels, you potentially give your opponent an ATP opportunity.

Instead, do as the pros do, and start using more middle dinks. You will be amazed at how much this will stress your opponents and even cause middle confusion.

Extra coaching tip: You can use a pre-selected pattern of 2 outside, 1 inside or 2 inside, 1 outside to help you gain more comfort with in-game dinking patterns. These patterns are taken from the Better Pickleball Academy Play Guides. If you are not yet comfortable with middle dinking patterns, work on them. They will pay big dividends in 2026.

3. Off-court lob

This shot is a beast. You’re pulled super wide in a dink but not wide enough for an ATP (or you aren’t sure how to hit it). Worry not. You calmly lift the ball over your opponent aiming to the center line behind them. Not only are you out of trouble, but you’ve gained the upper hand. From my perspective, there’s not a more fun shot to hit in all of pickleball.

4. The 'TPS Serve'

There is a serve we coach that we refer to as the “TPS Serve” (TPS stands for The Pickleball System). It isn’t designed to be a highlight reel shot or to gain you “oohs and aahs” from the other players at the courts when you hit it. But it's a serve that gets the job done, consistently and effectively. With the TPS Serve, you will miss fewer serves and put more pressure on your opponents. Here’s how you hit it:

1. Aim your serve to clear the net by 3-4 feet. Yes, you hear me correctly. Three to four feet over the net. Trust me on this one.
2. Aim your serve at the spot that is 4 feet from the baseline in the middle of the serve box.

Extra coaching tip: Won’t this serve make me predictable? No. The above are targets. You are not a robot. Your serve will land in a variety of places in the court. Plus, even if you were, in theory, to become predictable with the serve – so what? The serve is a rally starter in pickleball. As your coach, I’ve thought this one through so you don’t have to. And I use this serve – when playing against 4.5+ players – so why can’t you?

5. Learn to open the door

This one is a precursor to a shot. You got lobbed. It is heading over and behind you. Too many of you are back-pedaling here (moving backward without turning). This is the single most dangerous thing you can do on a pickleball court. Let’s not do it in 2026.

Instead, when you get lobbed, the first thing you want to do is open the door. You can do it now to try it.

1. Stand up in a ready position (paddle can be used but not necessary).
2. Shift your weight into your non-dominant foot (the foot opposite your paddle hand). 3. Push off your dominant foot and swing it back so that your body is 90 degrees from where you started.

To check yourself, your paddle hand should be facing the back of the court (the baseline) and your chest should be facing one of the sidelines (which one depends on your dominant side). Now that you have opened the door, you can choose to move laterally back and smash the ball or you can “close” the door and run “forward” toward the back of the court to retrieve the lob.

Extra coaching tip: Close the door in the direction you want to head. If you are crossing behind your partner, you will close in a roughly 45-degree angle so you can head straight to the ball.

6. Hybrid third shot

A third shot drop is a great shot to have. A third shot drive is sexy and has its place. But there are times when a hybrid gives you the best of all worlds. The hybrid is between a drop and a drive. It is hit softly, or with spin, so that it dips just over the net. As the ball dives down onto the court, it puts a lot of pressure on your opponent. Well-placed hybrid third shots can help you generate more popups and putaway opportunities from your opponents.

Extra coaching tip: If you are working on other parts of your game, table this shot for now. A hybrid third shot is great but a reliable backhand return of serve – or learning how to open the door so you move safely to cover lobs – is likely a better bang for your buck.

Let’s keep building our games in 2026. There's no limit to how far you can go.

If you want to know more about these shots and why they’re important to your performance, the Better Pickleball Academy has you covered. You’ll also gain access to our easy to use “BP Play Guides” including middle dinking patterns and more. Use code "KITCHEN26" at checkout for a special offer just for Kitchen community members (3 month for the price of 2).

Tony Roig is a nationally-recognized coach, Sr. Pro Player, developer of “Respect the X” on the In2Pickle YouTube channel, and the voice behind the Pickleball Therapy podcast. Visit BetterPickleball.com for information on coaching from Tony and the BP team through their Camps, Academy, and No. 1 online training program: The Pickleball System.

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