space, or a lob over compressed players.
On the other hand, if your opponent is off-balance or gave you a floater in the middle of the court, that may be your green light for forward pressure— bringing pace into a spot they can’ t defend well or to jam them up.
Example: Lateral Pressure – Offensive Lob You’ re Player B and receive an attackable dink in front of you. Both opponents look ready for a speed-up, staying low and compressed at the kitchen. Instead of playing to their expectation, go up and over with an offensive lob— ideally crosscourt over Opponent 1 or over Opponent 2’ s backhand side.
Crosscourt gives you more depth and a higher margin for error. Even if it’ s not a winner, it flips the script and resets your court positioning. And throwing in this shot occasionally— even if they’ re not compressed— adds variety and unpredictability to your game.
How Do I Choose the Right Kind of Pressure?
The key to applying the right kind of pressure is awareness. You need to read the court, your opponents, and the patterns developing during the match. Here’ s how to dial in your decision-making:
STEP 1 READ THE CLUES Before choosing how to attack, take a split second to see what the court is giving you. Ask yourself:
• Is an opponent leaning or reaching and off-balance?
• Are the opponents recovering from a wide shot and leaving space open?
• Are they vulnerable to a lob due to court position or body positioning?
These cues often point to lateral pressure opportunities— a dink behind movement, a push into
STEP 2 EVALUATE WHAT’ S WORKING
Don’ t fall into the trap of using the same tactic over and over. Instead, constantly gather feedback during the match. Ask:
• Are my speed-ups earning points, or are they getting countered?
• Are opponents struggling to reset or defend when I move them laterally?
• Are we creating chaos or just feeding their strengths?
If what you’ re doing isn’ t producing pressure, adjust the recipe. Maybe your drives and speed-ups aren’ t making your opponents uncomfortable, but they are late to set up or recover from a dink or a drop. That’ s your cue to lean into precision and court movement over pace.
STEP 3 KEEP THEM GUESSING Pressure isn’ t just power. It’ s about keeping your opponents guessing, off-balance, and reacting instead of dictating. Mix in both forward and lateral pressure. Be observant. Be strategic. And most important, be willing to adjust.
Because at the end of the day, the best pressure is the kind your opponent didn’ t see coming. •
Watch in-action video examples of how to apply pressure like a pro— see the shots, feel the strategy at suzeeandersonacademy. com / pressure.
Suzee Anderson PPR Coach Developer Club Pickleball USA Suzee Anderson Academy
MAY / JUNE 2025 | MAGAZINE 67