How to Make Your Pickleball Opponents Hit Tough Shots, According to a Pro

I played a few games of pickleball yesterday and found one of my opponents particularly challenging. On the way home, I reflected on what I needed to do differently to win the game next time. Unfortunately, I didn't have any great insights until I started putting together the podcast I did with Pickleball professional Kyle Yates. He said what he teaches players in his clinics is to make their opponents hit tough shots.

So, what does it mean to make it difficult for your Pickleball competition? Kyle says you should hit the ball to your opponent's backhand and at their feet. In other words, you don't need to make crazy shots or go for a winner. 

“You don't need a bunch of amazing shots. You just need a lot of decent shots. You could win a match just by keeping the ball in play low to someone's foot.”  -Kyle Yates

What this means practically is you need to hit a lot of balls with a specific target in mind. In the case of playing a right-handed opponent, you want to target their left foot as this will be a low shot at their backhand.

After going through the interview with Kyle, I realized my opponent was doing just what he said to do. She wasn't hitting winners but almost every ball that came to me was in a very difficult spot. The result was that I ended up making mistakes by popping the ball up or hitting into the net so her doubles team won the game. 

Now I have to admit that I'm still not able to target all of my shots as precisely as to hit someone's left foot. But Kyle said that players really need to think about why and where they are hitting their shots. 

“You have this focus where, I mean, every single ball down at their left foot and really try to emphasize it. I think you'd be surprised. It's easier than you think. But most people just go and they just see the ball, they hit the ball, but they don't really think about where and why they're hitting their shots.” -Kyle Yates

I think this is great advice from Kyle and I know it will help my game. Hopefully, it helps yours too.