Play pickleball long enough and you'll start to see certain patterns emerge — both in your own game and that of your opponents.
The sooner you recognize winning patterns and implement them into every point you play, the sooner you'll start to see that DUPR creep up. Here are three to start with.
Serve wide, poach the return. A wide serve typically produces a crosscourt return, which gives your partner a predictable opportunity to poach the middle. Added bonus: do this even once and your opponents will start feeling the pressure on every serve return. That means more unforced errors for them and more easy points for you.
Third shot drop, crash on the soft ball. Hit a quality third shot drop and move forward while the ball is still in flight. If the fourth shot coming back is soft and below net level, reset it. If it floats even a little bit high, rip it middle or aim for paddle-side hips and shoulders. Be the aggressor early in the point to establish pace of play on your own terms.
Dink to the backhand, speed-up middle. Dink persistently to the weaker player's backhand, pulling them out a little wider with every shot. Stack enough dinks that they start reaching and they're bound to pop a ball up eventually. The key here is two-fold: be patient, then pounce at the first sign of a floater.
You've likely done these yourself without realizing it. Now make them a strategic part of your game. Every game.
Congrats, this is what advanced pickleball looks like.
