As players improve in pickleball, one of the biggest changes isn’t necessarily how hard they can hit the ball. It’s understanding when they don’t need to.
At higher levels, offense is less about maximum power and more about creating pressure.
The best players use placement, timing, angles, changes of pace, and uncomfortable contact points to make the next ball easier. Instead of asking, “How hard can I hit this?” they are thinking, “How difficult can I make the next ball for my opponent?”
Pressure Is Different From Power
A hard ball can certainly create pressure, but pace is only one way to do it.
Imagine your opponent is stretched wide at the kitchen line. You receive a ball you could attack at full speed. But blasting it directly at them may make their job easier—they can use your pace to counter.
Instead, taking 20–30% off the shot and placing the ball where your opponent has to reach, adjust, or move can make the return much more difficult.
You haven’t hit a harder shot.
You’ve created a harder problem.
That’s an important distinction.
Four Ways to Create Pressure Without More Speed
1. Placement
Before adding pace, look at where your opponent is positioned.
Attack the space they are struggling to protect. That might be the middle, an outside hip, behind a moving player, or into an open portion of the court.
A well-placed 60% attack can create more trouble than a predictable 100% attack.
2. Timing
Taking the ball early can steal time from your opponent without requiring you to swing harder.
This is particularly effective around the kitchen. If you can contact the ball earlier and redirect it while your opponent is still recovering, you’ve created time pressure.
Think of it this way:
You don’t always have to make the ball faster. You can make your opponent’s available time shorter.
3. Angles
Straight-line power is relatively predictable. Angles make players move, reach, and defend more court.
An angled dink, roll or controlled attack can pull someone outside their preferred position and create open space for the next shot.
Sometimes your first offensive shot isn’t intended to win the rally at all. Its job is to create the opening that allows the next ball to win it.
4. Uncomfortable Contact
One of the most overlooked offensive skills is forcing opponents to contact the ball somewhere they don’t want to.
Look for opportunities to make them:
- reach away from their body
- contact below net height
- defend while moving
- handle a ball around their dominant-side hip or shoulder
- change direction quickly
- hit from an unbalanced position
Once you start thinking this way, offense becomes much more than just hitting hard.
When Should You Take Speed Off in Pickleball?
Start by reading the situation.
If your opponent is already off balance, stretched, moving, or recovering, you may not need additional pace. Placement can magnify the problem they’re already experiencing.
Taking pace off can also be valuable when your opponent is a strong counterattacker. Giving them less incoming speed means they have to generate more of their own power instead of redirecting yours.
Changes of pace can be especially effective. If you’ve established that you’re capable of attacking hard, a softer attack, roll, angle, or reset can disrupt your opponent’s timing because they can’t automatically prepare for one speed.
And if you’re attacking a ball from a less-than-ideal position, trying to manufacture maximum pace often creates unnecessary errors. Controlled offense can keep you in an attacking position without turning a good opportunity into a low-percentage shot.
Start Thinking One Ball Ahead
Advanced pickleball offense isn’t always:
Attack → Winner
More often, it’s:
Create discomfort → Force a predictable response → Attack the next ball
That mindset changes shot selection.
Instead of judging your offense by whether the first attack ends the rally, ask whether it created an advantage.
Did your opponent pop the ball up?
Did you move them out of position?
Did you force them to defend below the net?
Did you create an opening?
Did you make their next shot predictable?
If you did, your shot worked—even if the rally continued.
A Simple Question to Use During Your Next Pickleball Game
Before attacking, ask yourself:
“Do I need more speed, or can I create more pressure?”
Sometimes those are the same thing.
But often they’re not.
As your game develops, try experimenting with attacks at 60%, 70%, and 80% pace. Pay attention to what happens to the next ball, not just the shot you hit.
You’ll begin to discover something advanced players understand very well:
The goal isn’t to hit the hardest ball. It’s to give your opponent the hardest ball to handle.
About the Author: Sarah Ansboury is a professional pickleball coach, educator, and commentator who has been part of the sport since 2014. A former professional player and U.S. Open champion, she now provides commentary for the PPA Tour and Major League Pickleball and is a co-founder of Global Pickleball Academy. She also serves as a Strategic Advisor for Empower Pickleball.
