Here at The Dink, we know a lot about pickleball strategy and technique. We live this sport, after all—studying it, watching it, and playing it ourselves.
But few people know more about the intricacies of advanced pickleball than multi-time PPA Tour medalist, MLP champion, and living legend Andrei Daescu.
We can study game film endlessly, but we decided to ask Andrei what he believes is the most important shot or skill right now.
“If you asked me what one shot has changed pro pickleball the most over the last year or so, my answer is pretty simple: the drive,” he told us.
A few years ago, the third-shot drive was used as a finishing shot. You pulled the trigger because you thought you could win the point outright or force a weak return.
“That’s no longer the primary goal,” Andrei explained.
“Today, the best players often drive to earn a better drop. That might sound backwards, but it has become one of the biggest strategic shifts in the game.”
As for where to aim your setup drive, take about 20% of the power off and place the ball where your opponent is not. Forcing them to take even one step before defending a low, topspin-heavy drive makes it much harder for them to generate offense.
“In today’s ultra-fast-paced game,” said Andrei, “that matters more than ever.”
Andrei wrote a full post about this. Check it out here.
