One of the biggest differences between developing players and advanced players is when they believe the point is won.
Developing players often focus on the final shot—the speed-up, putaway volley, overhead, or ball into the open court. Better players understand that the winner was often created one or two shots earlier.
The final attack may get the credit, but the shot before it did the real work.
Stop Looking for Pickleball Winners. Start Creating Them.
When players try to hit winners from neutral positions, they often take unnecessary risks. They hit harder, aim closer to the lines, attack balls from below the net, or try to create an angle that simply isn’t available.
Instead, think about creating a sequence:
Create discomfort → Force a predictable response → Attack the response
Your first shot doesn’t have to win the point. Its job might be to make the next ball easier. That shift in mindset can completely change your offensive game.
1. Placement Creates Predictability
Good placement isn’t always about hitting where your opponent isn’t.
Sometimes it’s about hitting somewhere that limits what they can do next.
For example, a well-placed dink toward an opponent’s outside foot may force them to move, reach, or contact the ball from an uncomfortable position.
Now their options are reduced. They may be more likely to:
- Float the ball higher
- Return toward the middle
- Lose their preferred contact point
- Leave a larger section of the court exposed
Instead of guessing where the next ball is going, you’ve helped determine where it is likely to go.
That’s the shot before the shot.
2. Movement Creates Openings
One of the easiest ways to create offense is to make your opponent hit while moving.
Imagine moving an opponent wide with a dink. They recover toward the middle, and then you redirect the next ball.
The second shot becomes more effective because of the movement created by the first. This is especially important at the kitchen line.
Rather than thinking:
“Where can I hit a winner?”
Ask:
“Where can I move this player so the next ball becomes easier?”
You’re not attacking the open space yet.
You’re creating the open space.
3. Depth Can Create the Short Ball
The same principle applies from the baseline and transition zone.
A deep return can push your opponent back and make their third shot more difficult. A deep volley can keep someone pinned near the baseline. A well-placed roll can force contact farther behind the body.
The payoff may come on the next ball. Think of depth as pressure.
Deep ball → Defensive contact → Shorter response → Attack
The deep shot doesn’t appear on the highlight reel, but without it, the attacking opportunity may never exist.
4. Pressure Doesn’t Always Mean Pace
Players often associate pressure with hitting the ball harder.
But pressure can take many forms:
Time. Position. Movement. Height. Depth. Direction.
A slower ball placed perfectly can create more pressure than a hard ball hit directly into someone’s strike zone. This is why advanced players can sometimes look like they’re playing effortlessly.
They aren’t necessarily overpowering opponents—they’re continually putting them in situations where their options become worse.
Eventually, they get the ball they’re waiting for.
Think in Two-Shot Pickleball Combinations
A great way to improve your strategy is to stop evaluating every shot individually.
Start thinking in combinations.
Instead of:
“I’m going to attack this ball.”
Try:
“I’m going to use this ball to create the ball I want to attack.”
For example:
Wide dink → Middle attack
Move the opponent outside the sideline, then look for the opening created through the middle.
Deep return → Short third → Attack
Use return depth to create a more attackable fourth shot.
Middle pressure → Outside opening
Compress your opponents toward the center before redirecting into newly created space.
Body attack → Predictable counter → Finish
Attack an uncomfortable contact point, knowing that the opponent’s response options may be limited, then prepare for the next ball instead of admiring your first attack.
Ask Yourself One Question Before the Next Shot
After hitting a good shot, don’t immediately think:
“Did I win the point?”
Ask:
“What did that shot make my opponent do?”
Did it move them?
Did it force them lower?
Did it push them backward?
Did it take away an angle?
Did it make their next response more predictable?
If so, you’ve created an advantage—even if the point isn’t over yet.
The best offensive players don’t just react to opportunities.
They manufacture them.
And when you start recognizing the shot before the shot, you’ll discover something interesting:
Your winners start looking easier.
Not because the final shot suddenly became better—but because you did the hard work one or two balls earlier.
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