Give an angle, get an angle. Just be sure your angle is better than theirs.
Practice lobbing a return of serve. Change of pace is always worth trying. It requires greater judgment on the part of the opponent. It adds one more factor to consider.
Size up the opponent. If her groundstrokes are better than yours, you need to lob the return and not give her clean balls and consistent pace. Give her junk and spins. The rule of thumb is to hit when you can outhit; junk when you cannot. Never give the opponent what she likes to hit.
Position and footwork determine your options, and pickleball is a game played at the NVZ line. Your objective is to move forward as soon as possible and preferably before the opponents do. So, practice approach shots.
When you drill, don’ t just hit back and forth. Hit and go in. Do ball machine drills with two or more players so that you hit one or two balls, race in and volley the next. Don’ t get complacent. In practice and in play, look for every opportunity to move forward. You want to dictate the opponents’ response.
Dominating play at the net requires quick hands, good placement, and some authority on the ball. Develop quick hands by watching the ball come off your opponent’ s paddle and by watching your opponent’ s feet very closely. Line up your body to attack his shot. Not so much reactionary but more pre-planned aggression is the key.
Placement is a matter of practice. Use targets when you practice. Again, it is a chess move. If you hit an angle, the bishop will respond in kind. Know what options you give with your volley placement. Do not hit harder than you can cover for the next shot. If you are out of position, lob. Or you may find a soft drop or a reset the best response for you to get back in the game. Otherwise, you just made the opponent look good with a quick exchange to the opening you have given him. Don’ t be the player who makes everyone look good.
To develop authority on the volley, practice rat-a-tattat on a wall. Start back and move in as you volley quick exchanges, consistently keeping the ball in play. Build up your forearm and your quads. Get down. Keep the ball out in front. Use frontal vision rather than peripheral vision. Control the pace. It is weightlifting for the inclose volleyer!
Then switch and do backhand volleys. Next, alternate forehand, backhand, forehand. You can also make up patterns: three to one side, one to the other, back to three, etc. Practice your concentration while watching the ball and moving your feet.
Now you have preparation, placement, and authority. No more reactionary thoughts. It is up to you to set up the point and make things happen.
And poach! Practice poaching. Poaching should not be simply reactionary; it should be planned. Do drills that require you to poach.
Women’ s doubles needs poaching to dominate play. It forces the opponents to place the ball and it protects a weaker partner. Men’ s doubles is one big poach, first-come, first-served. Mixed doubles is won by the woman being consistent and the man dominating with power. But both partners must practice poaching so as not to hesitate when at the net. Get rid of the notion that partners divide the court 50 / 50. The person closer to the net has priority.
In mixed doubles, my partner can be a Flying Wallenda and cover the entire net if he so chooses( and often does). But he must put the ball away or be able to cover the next shot. In women’ s doubles, my partner has priority if she is closer to the net, but I must be ready to back her up if she chooses not to take that ball. Practicing together is so important to establish possession. In men’ s doubles, it is a scramble to the net, with one player usually having a better“ look” at the ball.
Better angle, better court position, in a bit closer, or just being more comfortable should help you decide who should take the ball. But do not divide the court in half and consider yourself as possessing one half. Good strategy involves accentuating the skills of the better player and minimizing the weaknesses of the lesser player. If the players are of equal ability, one still has better court position. The next ball belongs to that player.
Of course, to some degree we are all reactionary. There are let cords, bad bounces and mishits. You must be flexible, but that too is a matter of preparation and discipline. In practice, be sure to play the let cord shots— in the event that the let cord ruling is changed.
Make up your mind to add substance to your game through quality practice and good court communication. Visualize the opportunities before you, and be prepared to execute them. The ball is in your court. •
Alice Tym was ranked 13th in the world for tennis in the‘ 60s. She’ s been named USPTA Coach of the Year and is a USPTA Master Professional. As a 4.5 pickleball player, she has won gold in Huntsman, NSGA Nationals, US Open, and USA Pickleball events around the country. Alice is an IPTPA member, SSIPA founding board member, Bainbridge Cup Originator and gold medalist in Spain, Italy, and Germany.
NOVEMBER / DECEMBER 2025 | MAGAZINE 71