Pickleball Guide

Serve strategy

The three serve placements that win points: body serves, the deep backhand corner, and when to attack the forehand — with court diagrams.

Return strategy

Where to place your return of serve — deep crosscourt, down the line, or at the body — and how each one buys you time to reach the kitchen.

Third shot: drop vs drive

The third shot decides the point: drop to the middle kitchen, target the backhand corner, or drive at their feet — with when-to-use guidance.

The transition zone

Caught mid-court? Reset to the middle kitchen, drop low to the sideline, or drive center — how to survive no-man’s land and get to the line.

Dinking strategy

Win the kitchen battle: crosscourt dinks to the backhand, middle balls that cause confusion, and picking the right moment to speed up.

Attacking

Turn a high ball into the point: attack the feet, the shoulder, or the open sideline — and know which balls you should never speed up.

Defending the lob

Lobbed off the kitchen line? Lob back deep, reset into their kitchen, or drive to the open court — how to turn defense back into offense.

Punishing the short ball

They left it short — now what? Angle to the open sideline, drop into their kitchen, or drive at the body. Make short balls cost points.

The Erne

How to set up and finish an Erne: bait the sideline dink, time the jump, and pick the target — behind the near player, at the body, or center gap.

The ATP (around the post)

A wide dink pulls you off the court — that’s an ATP chance. Angles, footwork, and the reset option when the around-the-post shot isn’t there.