As you are wanting to grow your playing skills in the game of pickleball, you will start to learn pickleball strategy and you will most likely not know where to start. We have enlisted the help of Team ONIX professional pickleball player Jaci West Reynolds, who, within this article, is sharing her professional tips on the best practice for efficient pickleball strategy. 

Pickleball Strategy according to a professional:

Stay tethered to your partner. Always move with your partner — whether that’s moving laterally, back, or forward. The only time you should be away from your partner is when one is returning and the other is at the kitchen.

Mirror the ball. Whenever the ball lands on the opposite side of the court, be sure that you and your partner are moving accordingly. Example: If your partner hits crosscourt, you must move laterally to be in front of the ball while your partner covers the middle.

Forehand takes the middle. It can get confusing on who hits the ball when it is going down the middle of the court. When in doubt, let the person with the forehand take the shot so they have the better angle. 

Communicate with your partner. Are you playing with a lefty? Or maybe you hit a ball too high and need to retreat. Communicate to your partner with short words like, “me, yours, mine, back, attack” during the point when it is necessary.

Look for weaknesses and patterns. The longer the points go on, the more you are able to spot your opponent’s weakness and tendencies. If there is a player that tends to lob the ball a lot, try to anticipate moving back before they hit the ball so you can be in better position to receive it.

Hit both serves and returns deep. The deeper and more aggressive your serve is, the higher the possibility of getting an easier ball to hit a third shot drive or a drop. Alternatively, if you hit the serve deep and to your opponent’s backhand, it will be harder for them to hit a tough third shot during play.

This article was written by Team ONIX pro pickleball player Jaci West Reynolds. You can read more from Jaci West Reynolds at her website or you can find her on Instagram here.

You can also feel free to check out more about all of our ONIX pro pickleball athletes from the team at the link: https://www.onixpickleball.com/pages/team-onix.

 

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