15 Essential Pickleball Tips to Level Up Your Game Fast

Main Points

Adjust your height based on your opponent’s attack to become a smaller target.
Angle your paddle to prepare for faster hands at the kitchen line.
Hit third-shot drives at about 70% power to force upward volleys.
Recover behind the baseline after serving to set up better third shots.
Use a cross-step and controlled bunt to handle aggressive dinks.
Keep your paddle in your peripheral vision on all soft shots.
Attack the extended backhand when opponents lack a two-handed backhand.
Keep opponents back—don’t give them free drops into the kitchen.
Hold your paddle around belly-button height to avoid reacting to out balls.
For bounce speed-ups, get your lead foot directly behind the ball.
Be completely set before your opponent makes contact after you drop and move in.
Push resets instead of slicing them for more control.
Lob opponents who take your dinks out of the air aggressively.
Retreat early and then set your feet to defend overheads.
Track the ball by pointing your paddle tip toward it to avoid chicken-wing traps.

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Summary

This video delivers a rapid set of practical, easy-to-apply pickleball tips designed to improve consistency, decision-making, and court presence. It begins with a focus on defensive positioning in the mid-court, showing how lowering your stance as an opponent raises their paddle dramatically reduces your vulnerability. The advice flows directly into paddle preparation, emphasizing that a backhand-biased ready position helps players cover the majority of incoming volleys with faster reactions.

Several tips highlight the importance of smart shot selection. Instead of swinging full power on a third-shot drive, the video explains why hitting at about 70% with a dipping trajectory creates easier follow-ups. Players also learn to avoid creeping forward after serving so they can step into their third shot with more control. During dink battles, the instruction focuses on using cross-steps, stable paddle angles, and maintaining peripheral vision to avoid pop-ups and regain control against sharp, aggressive dinks.

The video also dives into kitchen-line strategy, pointing out how to capitalize on opponents who take volleys early, when to attack a weak one-handed backhand, and how to keep opponents pinned deep instead of giving away free transitions. Key footwork cues are emphasized during speed-ups and transitions: always get your lead foot behind the ball for reliable attacks, and always be fully set before your opponent makes contact when approaching the kitchen.

Later tips cover higher-level strategy, such as pushing resets rather than slicing them, lobbing volley-heavy players whose momentum is forward, and taking early ground to prepare for defending overhead smashes. Finally, the video explains how proper paddle tracking prevents chicken-wing situations—simply point the paddle tip at the ball wherever it goes to maintain optimal coverage.

Together, these 15 tips offer a clear roadmap for improving faster, winning more points, and playing smarter pickleball at every level.