Skilled pickleball participant Ashley Griffith breaks down 5 important methods that will help you cease getting attacked and really feel extra assured throughout rallies. From holding the ball low to bettering your footwork, these methods will rework how opponents stress you on the courtroom.
For those who continually really feel like opponents are dashing every part up at you, pressuring you, or forcing dangerous balls, you are not alone.
The distinction between superior gamers and everybody else usually comes down to at least one factor: they’re actually laborious to assault.
Studying learn how to cease getting attacked in pickleball is not about hitting tougher or transferring sooner.
It is about making smarter choices and positioning your self so your opponents have fewer alternatives to place you away.
Ashley Griffith, an expert pickleball participant on the PPA Tour, breaks down precisely learn how to develop into approach much less attackable and immediately really feel extra assured throughout rallies.
Listed here are the 5 methods that separate the gamers who management the courtroom from those that spend rallies on their heels.
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1. Cease Popping the Ball Up in a Pickleball Assault Scenario
The primary approach you are going to get attacked in pickleball is by popping the ball up.
While you hit a pop-up, the purpose is normally over earlier than it even will get attention-grabbing. So how do you stop this?
First, maintain your paddle face steady. For those who’re not holding it steady and durable, you’ll be able to simply flip it upward, which is the place most pop-ups come from.
The second mistake is having too massive of a swing on gentle photographs like dinks and resets.
When you’ve an enormous swing on these management photographs, you usually give the ball an excessive amount of and pop it up.
Here is the factor: you wish to get energy by your legs, not by enormous swings on the ball.
That is the place issues develop into uncontrollable and find yourself flying on you. Your contact level issues too.
While you’re hitting the ball out in entrance, you are early and also you’re steady.
However when your contact level is behind you and also you’re reaching, that is one other enormous cause you hit a variety of pop-ups.
Understanding this one spot that forces probably the most pop-ups in pickleball can instantly clear up your ball management.
Keep in mind that the upper the ball is, the simpler it’s to assault.
In pickleball, you wish to be getting the ball under shoulder peak to restrict these assaults.
The second it will get greater than that, it is an overhead or a volley down at your ft that is very easy to place away.
The repair: Cease popping the ball up by prioritizing hand velocity and paddle positioning over an enormous swing each single time.
2. Use Crosscourt Photographs to Stop a Pickleball Assault
While you hit the ball crosscourt, you’ve far more web margin as a result of the center of the online is so much decrease than straight down the road.
You even have much more courtroom area as a result of if you’re hitting at a diagonal, you’ve further ft in depth that you simply would not have taking place the road.
The angle can also be tougher to assault coming from crosscourt than immediately at somebody.
It offers you far more restoration time, and the crosscourt dink and drop is simply general so much safer.
When Ashley Griffith first began taking part in pickleball, she would go down the road so much.
However she slowly realized that the crosscourt shot is so underutilized as a result of it is simply much more excessive share.
While you hit much more excessive share photographs, you are approach much less attackable.
Hitting a crosscourt drop or a crosscourt dink is one simpler to make and two tougher to assault.
For those who’re below stress or simply not feeling assured in a sure shot, whether or not it is a forehand or a backhand, going cross goes to be a lot extra excessive share and constant.
This works on something too. It may be on a reset, a dink, a drop, or a drive.
If you wish to see precisely learn how to execute the proper crosscourt assault, the mechanics are easy when you perceive the geometry.
It is an important spot to combine in, and you’ll nonetheless be aggressive when hitting it.
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3. Add Extra Depth to Your Photographs to Neutralize a Pickleball Assault
Hitting quick balls with out depth is a big cause you get attacked in pickleball.
Good depth places a lot stress in your opponent and makes it a lot tougher for them to hit a return, a drive, or a 3rd shot off of a deep, laborious ball.
Griffith has personally been engaged on this so much as a result of she notices when she performs a participant that hits deep balls, it is a lot tougher to assault and create.
She’s actually labored on hitting laborious deep serves about two ft in entrance of the baseline. Arduous deep returns must also be about two ft in entrance of the baseline.
For those who’re hitting a drive or a tough third, you need it to be proper two ft in entrance of the baseline too.
Images: Selkirk Omni Debuts as Successor to the Boomstik
An all-court, full-foam paddle that may debut in a variety of shapes and colours.
This provides you a variety of safety to start out the purpose, get to the online, do what it’s worthwhile to do, and never be on protection.
The very first thing it’s worthwhile to do to have depth is hit laborious with good stable velocity.
However you additionally wish to have a fine condition on the ball as a result of hitting laborious with out spin is not going to push them again as a lot.
Understanding why depth is vital in a pickleball return offers you the strategic context behind this shot choice.
Deal with having good topspin, good brush up on the ball, and good stable tempo in your photographs.
A good way to follow that is by merely working towards hitting laborious photographs on a regular basis. Quick balls are going to get attacked. Deep balls maintain you impartial.
If you wish to sharpen your ball-flight management, studying learn how to hit a heavy topspin drive in pickleball will add the form and penetration that makes your depth photographs far more practical.
6 Pickleball Photographs Shaping the Way forward for the Sport
The pickleball shot panorama is evolving quick, and the gamers who grasp these six methods could have a critical aggressive benefit. From the two-handed backhand to the off-the-bounce combo, right here’s what it’s worthwhile to know to remain forward in 2026.
How Does Topspin Assist You Keep away from Getting Attacked?
Topspin forces the ball to dip because it crosses the online, making it tougher on your opponent to take a excessive aggressive swing.
A ball with heavy topspin and good depth lands deep, bounces excessive off the baseline, and creates a rushed response.
That rushed response is precisely the sort of unattackable state of affairs you wish to manufacture.
Pair topspin with depth and your opponent’s pickleball assault window closes quick.
Mastering Pickleball Topspin: 5 Frequent Errors and Repair Them
By sustaining a steady face and letting the trail of the paddle create the spin, you widen your margin for error and maximize consistency
Higher footwork has an enormous correlation with not getting attacked in pickleball.
Often if you’re off steadiness and never getting steady and set for the shot, you are hitting an attackable ball.
So how will you have higher footwork and get in higher place to keep away from assaults?
The very first thing is having a great prepared place. This does not simply imply having your paddle up and being prepared. It means getting low and being up in your toes.
Griffith notices that amateurs are sometimes in a prepared place however tremendous flatfooted. While you’re up in your toes, it permits you to spring off and transfer faster.
Flatfooted is only a lot tougher to go off into the shot.
Use small adjustment steps reasonably than simply doing one giant reaching step. You are able to do a lot of tiny steps to get to the ball.
By no means hit falling backwards. You wish to no less than be impartial or falling ahead into your shot. That additionally goes together with staying balanced if you hit.
Engaged on perfecting your pickleball posture is foundational right here, as a result of steadiness and footwork are inseparable within the fashionable sport.
One other factor that goes together with that is recovering again after you hit the shot.
Many beginner gamers hit and find yourself off one facet of the courtroom with out dashing again to get again to the center.
You must bear in mind to get well and get again into your prepared place when you are going to hit the following ball.
In case your physique retains betraying you on attacking conditions, take into account how a lot stopping silly photographs and letting steadiness change every part really strikes the needle.
Enhance Pickleball Footwork: 5 Professional Drills
Pickleball footwork drills are the quickest technique to shut the hole between your shot-making capability and your precise on-court outcomes. Listed here are 5 drills that aggressive gamers use to maneuver sooner, get well faster, and cease freely giving free factors.
What Prepared Place Truly Means in Pickleball
The prepared place is not only a posture, it is a launch pad.
Your weight must be on the balls of your ft, your paddle must be up and in entrance, and your eyes ought to observe the ball always.
Amateurs are likely to settle flat-footed and upright between photographs, which provides a half-second delay to each response.
That half-second is all a talented opponent wants to show your impartial ball right into a pickleball assault.
5. Be Prepared for the Subsequent Ball to Shut Down the Pickleball Assault
This correlates on to footwork, however there’s a variety of different issues you are able to do to be prepared for the following ball as properly.
You need your paddle to be up in entrance. Griffith notices a variety of beginner gamers not doing this.
You must have a great stable prepared place, not simply within the legs, but additionally paddle being up and simply trying ahead and looking out on the ball being engaged.
You wish to be following the ball within the level even when it is not coming to you so that you will be tremendous prepared when it does come to you.
One other factor is you do not wish to be admiring your photographs. We’re all responsible of this.
You hit an important shot, you suppose it is a winner, you are taking a look at it, it is nice, then they get the ball again and also you lose the purpose.
You must not admire your photographs until the ball bounces twice and the purpose is over.
At all times keep prepared as a result of in pickleball there are loopy will get and loopy web cords.
The massive factor to deal with is anticipation, which fits together with watching the ball and watching your opponents.
That is one thing a variety of beginner degree gamers do not do. As a professional, Griffith is certainly doing this. She’s making an attempt to learn and react.
For those who begin to work on watching the place the ball contacts and watching in the event that they’re falling again or operating ahead, you’ll be able to anticipate and be much more prepared.
That behavior is precisely what learn how to anticipate each shot like a pickleball professional breaks down intimately.
Growing that ability additionally connects on to the rope rule and the easy positioning secret to cease ball watching, an idea price learning in case your consideration drifts mid-rally.
Pickleball Prepared Place: Why You’re By no means Prepared For Shot
Your prepared place is the muse of each defensive play in pickleball. Grasp this elementary method and also you’ll react sooner, defend higher, and win extra factors.
Placing It All Collectively: Cease Getting Attacked in Pickleball
If you wish to develop into much less attackable in pickleball, you wish to maintain the ball low and cease popping it up over the online.
You additionally wish to use crosscourt for extra restoration time and margin. Deal with including extra depth to your whole photographs.
Use higher footwork so you’ll be able to keep balanced and get well shortly, and be mentally engaged to be prepared for the following shot.
For those who’re critical about leveling up your general sport, the 12 drills it’s worthwhile to play your greatest pickleball in 2026 offers you a structured follow roadmap constructed round precisely these ideas.
If you are able to do these 5 issues persistently, you are going to really feel far more steady in rallies and make it a lot tougher for opponents to place stress on you.
These methods are going to make you approach much less attackable and mean you can really feel extra assured and aggressive so you can begin being the one which’s attacking in factors.
For an entire overview of offensive patterns and when to flip the script, try the dos and don’ts of attacking in pickleball and be taught the place to assault your opponent in pickleball when it is your flip to use stress.
Need to put this all right into a cohesive sport plan?
A easy 4-step system to win extra pickleball video games in 2026 ties collectively shot high quality, positioning, and psychological engagement into one actionable framework.
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Often Requested Questions
What is the Most Frequent Purpose Gamers Get Attacked in Pickleball?
Popping the ball up is the primary approach gamers get attacked in pickleball. When the ball goes above web peak, your opponent has a straightforward alternative to hit an overhead or a volley down at your ft that is almost unimaginable to defend. Preserving the ball low and steady is the muse of turning into much less attackable.
How Can I Enhance My Depth on Serves and Returns?
Hit laborious deep serves and returns about two ft in entrance of the baseline. Deal with having good topspin and brush on the ball, not simply velocity. Training laborious photographs persistently will aid you develop the texture for depth and penetration that retains opponents impartial as an alternative of on the assault.
Why Is Crosscourt Hitting Safer Than Down-the-Line Photographs?
Crosscourt photographs have extra web margin as a result of the center of the online is decrease than straight down the road. You even have further courtroom area when hitting diagonally, which provides you extra restoration time. The angle can also be tougher on your opponent to assault in comparison with a shot hit immediately at them.
What is the Connection Between Footwork and Getting Attacked in Pickleball?
While you’re off steadiness and never steady, you hit attackable balls. Good footwork means staying up in your toes in your prepared place, utilizing small adjustment steps, and recovering again to the center after every shot. This stability permits you to hit stable, managed photographs which can be tougher for opponents to assault.
How Do I Keep Mentally Prepared Throughout Lengthy Rallies?
Comply with the ball within the level even when it is not coming to you, maintain your paddle up in entrance, and do not admire your photographs till the purpose is over. Anticipation is vital, so watch the place your opponent contacts the ball and browse their physique language. This psychological engagement retains you prepared for something they hit.
