Pickleball Strategy to Beat Hard-Hitting Bangers
Going up against a banger (someone who hits everything hard) in pickleball can be extremely frustrating. Their game seems to lack any form of strategy, and they constantly keep you on your heels with every shot. Yet, somehow they win.
In this article and this video from Enhance Pickleball, we’ll help you develop a strategy to beat hard-hitting bangers and make them wish they’d chosen a different opponent to mash against that match.
Let’s get started.
Pickleball Strategy #1 - Let their drives go out of bounds
One of the first tips about going against bangers who like to destroy the ball on the drive is that many of their drive shots may sail completely off the court and out of bounds. Consider that it may keep going if they hit the ball hard enough and it’s not within a foot of the top of the net. You must learn to recognize which of these shots to hit and which to let go out of bounds.
Another rule of thumb is that if it’s a drive shot and it’s at shoulder height, there’s a very high chance it’s a shot you should let keep going instead of returning. This can be tricky when you’re up at the net and your reflexes kick in but imagine the frustration on your opponent’s face when you start letting those balls go, and they just keep losing points.
Remember, “If the drive is high, let it fly!”
Pickleball Strategy #2 - Bangers can be streaky
One thing you may notice when you play bangers is just how streaky they can be. It’s not uncommon for a banger to score a bunch of points in a row or lose a bunch in a row. When playing doubles, and you see that the banger is on a hot streak, try to hit it to the other player as much as possible. If they’re cold as ice, hit it at them.
You don’t want to play into your opponent’s strengths, but you should exploit their weaknesses.
Pickleball Strategy #3 - Keep your body square and your paddle up
Perhaps the worst thing you can do is have your paddle below your waist while waiting for your opponent to take their next shot. A good position, especially at the net, is to have your base wide (feet spread apart), your shoulders facing the net, and your paddle up at your chest or eye level.
This position will help you be ready for any shot that comes your way and puts you in a great position to block any hard shots that come right at you.
Pickleball Strategy #4 - Keep them back. Aim at their feet
Another great way to play a banger is to keep them back at the baseline for as long as possible, and as they move up, you want to aim your shots at their feet. For a banger to hit a successful hard shot, they need the ball to be up by their hip. To prevent this, you want to add as much depth to your shots as possible.
Adding depth is all about aiming at a player’s feet. When you aim at their feet, they won’t have room to let the ball bounce, and the ball won’t be high enough for them to slam away. Another great place to aim is on either side. The perfect spot to hit every shot is outside of either foot.
If you can hit this spot most of the time, your opponent won’t know what to do.
Pickleball Strategy #5 - Keep a firm wrist when blocking
One thing that’s rarely discussed, especially against hard drive shots, is keeping a firm wrist when you’re at the net. Many players keep their wrists loose–and for a good reason, but when you’re playing a banger, you need to have your wrist firmer when you know you’re taking a lot of block shots at the kitchen line. The firm wrist will help you get the ball over the net instead of dropping it right into it. So often, it’s difficult to get the paddle's sweet spot on these hard drives, but having that tighter grip will help you when the ball hits other parts of your paddle.
Want more tips on how to dominate versus a hard-hitting banger? Check out this video from Enhance Pickleball. There are so many great pieces of advice in the video that we couldn’t possibly cover them all in this article.
Stay tuned to Pickleball University for more great announcements, tips, and help with everything pickleball.
