Pickleball Tips
Most points are lost, not won. These tips all point the same way: control the net, cut your errors, and let your opponents be the impatient ones. A handful of habits raise your level faster than any new paddle.
By the VolleyForge team · Reviewed August 2026
Get to the kitchen line
The team at the line wins most points. Your first goal every rally is to get both feet to the kitchen line — usually behind a third shot drop— and then hold it. Almost every other tip exists to help you get there.
Keep serves and returns deep
A deep serve and a deep return push your opponents back and buy you time to move up. A short return, by contrast, hands them an easy approach. Aim a few feet inside the baseline, not at the line.
Slow the game down
Resist the urge to speed up every ball. Play the soft game, wait for a ball that pops up above the net, and only then attack. Patience is a skill, and it wins.
Hit to the middle
“Down the middle solves the riddle.” A ball between two opponents causes hesitation and removes their sharp return angles. When you’re unsure where to hit, the middle is the high-percentage answer. More on this in doubles strategy.
Let out balls go
A ball landing past the baseline or wide is a free point — if you let it bounce. Get in the habit of tracking depth near the baseline and pulling your paddle back on anything sailing long. Volleying a ball that was going out just gives the point away.
Paddle up, and talk
Keep your paddle up and in frontso you’re ready for the fast ball. In doubles, call “mine,” “yours,” and “bounce it” — a talking team covers the middle and lets fewer balls drop between them.
Pickleball Strategy (start here)
The habits that actually raise your level — get to the net, master the soft game, and play smarter doubles.
How to dink
The soft game that wins points at the net — how to dink low, cross-court, and patiently, plus the mistakes to avoid.
The third shot drop
The most important shot in pickleball — why you hit it, how to execute it, and when to drive instead.
Doubles strategy
Get to the net together, hit to the middle, be patient — the positioning and shot selection that win doubles.
How to raise your DUPR
What actually moves your rating — play rated matches, challenge up, sharpen the soft game, and log results.
Practice drills
The highest-leverage drills — dinking, third-shot drops, resets, and hand speed — plus solo wall drills you can do alone.