All pickleball players want to win more rallies, more games and more matches.

And a lot of people have advice on how to do that -- YouTube videos, instructors, your friends at the court, etc. Everyone claims to have the solution that will help you win more. That's the promise.

If it was working, you probably wouldn't be reading this. So let's try something different.

In this article, I'll share what will make a real difference and coach you on three things you can do to implement a very simple strategy that almost all of the top pros have mastered -- including Ben Johns and Anna Leigh Waters.

OMS – What it means

OMS stands for One More Shot. Making just One More Shot may seem oversimplistic or trite. So let’s start with the proof that it works: Ben Johns.

What is it that Johns does to win so many games? Does he attack balls off the bounce? Try to thread the needle with crazy winners? Hit other highlight reel shots? Nope.

“All” Johns does is hit One More Shot. He knows that, no matter the opponent, he can always hit one more shot than they can. Pull up one of his matches on the PPA channel on YouTube. Make it a match that really matters – where Johns wants to play his best. A finals match will do the trick.

Watch the way he plays. Also watch his partner, Gabe Tardio. Gabe wants to speed the ball up and play creatively. But that’s not the plan. The plan is OMS.

It was the same plan when Johns played with his brother, Collin. It's the one that allowed the brothers to win 43 medals during their time together on the tour.

Before you come at me with “Ben’s roll volley is the best in the game” ... first, no argument from me on the effectiveness of Ben’s roll volley. Legendary.

But he only uses the backhand roll volley when the opponent gives him the opening – a “popup” in pro terms. It is pretty much never forced. If he does not have the opening, Johns is going to dink the ball crosscourt or middle (but pretty much never straight on).

That’s it. Rinse and repeat. Just One More Shot.

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It is the same on the women’s tour. Anna Leigh Waters is an offensive powerhouse. But you know what she also is: a defensive force.

Making the case here is a bit more complicated – because it is not as straightforward as with Johns – but if you stick with me here for a moment longer, I think you will see it.

There are several challengers in the field, but the most dangerous challengers to Waters and Anna Bright are the Kawamoto sisters. What makes them so dangerous is their ability to extend rallies. Jade and Jackie Kawamoto are the literal embodiment of OMS.

The reason that the sisters cannot regularly beat Waters and Bright is that they are also masters of OMS. Plus, they have more putaway power. But … if Waters and Bright lacked the OMS approach, their additional putaway power would not be enough.

Case in point, the 2025 Cincinnati Showcase on the PPA Tour, where the Kawamoto sisters beat them in the semifinals. The question I have for you is this: If the OMS strategy is good enough for Ben Johns and Anna Leigh Waters, why isn't it good enough for you?

What OMS will do for your game

How many shots can you successfully hit, on average, before your stroke breaks down and you miss? Give this a second. Not talking outlier rallies – I know you have hit more than a few shots in a rally. I’m talking on average.

Take that number – let’s say it’s 4. That is probably a good average for your play group. If you are playing competitively in the group, then the others in the group are also around 4 shots per rally on average.

Now, let’s work on your game a bit. We will use the coaching I will share with you below to do this. Our objective is straightforward: Increase our average shots per rally. First to 4.5. Then to 5. What do you think will happen when you show up the next time for play with your regular group?

Remember, this is a 4-shot-per-rally group. You are a 5-shot-per-rally player. The outcome should be pretty easy to predict: You will win. Not 100% of the time. But way more now that you can execute One More Shot.

You can play with this idea the other way, too: if you are a 4-shot-per-rally player, you will not be able to “hang” with 5+ shot-per-rally players. It’s that simple.

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OMS – How to execute it

You are going to achieve OMS through simplifying. Not through further complicating your play. Often, the mistake in our play comes from trying to do too much when less would have done the trick.

DO NOT LET THE NET BEAT YOU

The only 100% sure way of losing a rally is hitting your ball into the net. Pop the ball up? Not ideal, but you still have a chance. Hit your ball so that it is heading 5 feet out of bounds? There’s a good chance that your opponent will do you the favor of not letting it land out of bounds. In the net? 100% loss and nothing anyone can do to bail you out.

The good news is that balls into the net are an area that you can 100% control. Here’s how. Aim your shots the following heights over the net:

Serve and return of serve: 4 feet
Punch volley: 16 inches
Offensive dink: 3 inches
Third-shot drop from the baseline under stress: 2 feet

There are too many variables to give you exact heights for each and every shot. But the above spread of heights gets you to start thinking differently about how you aim your shots relative to the net.

REDUCE YOUR WINNERS

Winners are overrated. I shall repeat it: Winners are overrated. Winners are, by definition, risky shots. They look amazing when successful, but often add needless risk to the situation.

The outcome of a rally is scored the same whether you hit the most ESPN-worthy winner of the day or your opponent drops their shot into the net (or 2 feet out of bounds). The idea here is not to abandon all winner shots. It is to reduce them.

Save the winner shot for when it makes sense to do so. The rest of the time, it is OMS.

Extra coaching tip: One time when taking the risk of a winner makes sense is when you can attack the return team while it is in transition, especially on a short return of serve. Because of the relatively higher value of a serve-side winner, you can go for those more readily.

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DON'T ADD UNNECESSARY SPIN

Adding spin has become all the rage in pickleball. No one wants to be left behind with the spins. To be clear, we are talking about “extra” spins here. Every shot you hit already has spin. I'm referring to the extra spin from brushing up on the ball for topspin or really cutting it for underspin.

This extra spin comes at a cost (two actually, but we are concerned with one here). The cost is increased shot variability. And increased shot variability means more errors. If you want to lean into OMS, consider tabling those extra spins.

Instead, focus on repeatable and consistent shots; shots that you can count on and do not break down. The simpler the shot, the less likely it is to break down.

Result: higher shots per rally on average. Avoid the temptation offered by fancy strategies and shots.

At its core, pickleball is a game won by the team that can send the ball over one more time than their opponent. Buy into that philosophy, and you will be the team coming out on top more often than not.

If you're looking for more insights into high-level pickleball, the Better Pickleball Academy has you covered. You’ll also gain access to their 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 months 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.