Attacks during a pickleball game is never a good scenario, but there are players who frequently find themselves in such dire situations. Now, is there a way to prevent opponents from attacking? There sure is! Why don’t we take a peek at this solution?
First, pickleball players must realize the one thing that can lead to their opponents’ attacks: hitting the ball on the direction showcasing their strength. In most cases, pickleball players have a weak backhand. So, what can we do with this information? Simple. Apply this knowledge to a pickleball game, that is, send the ball to an opponent’s backhand side. With this strategy, opponents can only attack to a certain extent, thus decreasing their offensive mode compared with when they are using their forehand.
For practice, one can do drills that would allow them to take away the ball from their opponent’s strong side (or forehand most of the time). Specifically, the training should focus on directing the ball toward the opponent’s backhand. Given that the opponent will surely find a way to revert to their forehand, then a player should calculate each shot and ensure that the ball consistently ends up at their opponent’s backhand side.
As mentioned, directing the ball to the opponent’s backhand can be beneficial in preventing attacks or limiting forehand offensive shots. In addition, as the opponent’s become more agitated, given that they are losing their chance to execute an attack, they may lose their patience and commit an error while doing backhand shots. Furthermore, when the opponent tries to go around the ball to avoid making a backhand shot, they will create an opening that may lead to a winning point.
To sum up, pickleball is not all about attacks. This sport also employs sharpness of the mind and learning how to read the opponent’s movements. As mentioned, players should use their opponent’s weaknesses as their strength and take advantage of these inside the court. In addition, they must learn how to control their emotions and wait for the right moment to throw their rival off guard.