Tip 1: Where to hit your overheads
Pace doesn’t phase strong players. That is a universal truth in pickleball. The stronger your opponents, the less likely it is that you will beat them simply by hitting hard, which means that you’ll need to beat them using placement.
If you’re hitting an overhead, and your opponents are pinned at the baseline, they won’t have too much difficulty getting your shot back if you hit it right to them. Instead, prioritize angling your overhead off the court so that they have to move to the ball. There’s no problem with taking some pace off to hit an angle, because even if your opponent does get to it, they will be out of position off the court.
The easiest way to angle the ball off the court is by angling your body in the direction that you want to hit. If you want to hit the ball to the left, stagger your stance slightly to the left. If you want to hit the ball to the right, stagger your stance slightly to the right. This will telegraph where you’re hitting to your opponent, but it will also get you used to hitting sharp angles.
Tip 2: Where to lob
When executing a lob, make it a priority to hit the ball to your opponent’s backhand side. The difference between targeting the backhand versus the forehand is significant. Overheads on the forehand side are the most powerful shots in pickleball because you can generate tons of power by winding up and extending fully.
On the other hand, the backhand overhead doesn’t allow the same fluid mechanics. Most players are unable to wind up as effectively or generate the necessary snap to drive the ball with authority from the backhand side. Additionally, most players naturally have less reach on their backhand, making it more difficult to extend or jump for added height. This mechanical disadvantage means that a lob aimed at the backhand forces your opponent into a position where returning the shot is considerably more challenging. In fact, the backhand lob is so effective that you can often get away with hitting relatively low lobs, increasing your margin for error significantly.
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