INSTRUCTION By PPR’s Sarah Ansboury,
Nicole Hobson & Lee Whitwell
When to Attack
What is your favorite shot in pickleball? It’s
the SLAM, the TAG, the FINISH—basically
any ball that you can attack, right?
How many times do you SLAM a ball
that you thought was attackable and it winds up in the
bottom of the net?
One of the biggest struggles when coaching pickleball
players of all levels is to help easily identify which balls to
attack, which to reset and which to dink.
An easy visualization that every player can relate to is
using the traffic light analogy by correlating the body to a
visual traffic light.
to experiment with attacking and resetting the ball.
The trajectory of the ball in the yellow zone is typically
not an extreme angle and allows for players to BANG or
SLAM away. Players must stay in control of the shot and
recognize when to reset the ball when out of control.
Take CAUTION because the yellow zone has several shot
options.
Red Zone
If the contact point of the ball is below the mid-thigh,
return the shot with a dink or a reset ball. As a player, if
you are receiving a ball that has a downward trajectory,
the best reply is a dink or a reset. Think SLOW and dink
when the contact point is low.
Green Zone
If the contact point of the ball is above the ribs, SWING
away and have fun. The trajectory of the receiving ball
travels from high to low allowing aggressive shots to
FINISH the point. The light is GREEN so go for it and
keep your opponents on the defensive.
Now, when playing a match, think of the lights and
you’ll know when to attack! •
Yellow Zone
If the contact point of the ball is between the upper
thigh and the bottom of the rib cage, the player can start
Lee Whitwell is a PPR Clinician and the Director
of Pickleball for Widgi Creek.
Sarah Ansboury is PPR’s education consultant
and lead clinician, and she is a Head pro player.
Nicole Hobson is the PPR Member Services
Director. She also serves as an Ambassador
for USA Pickleball Association (USAPA) and is a
USAPA-certified referee, tournament director,
and a lead clinician for PPR.
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