Transcription
Modern pickleball is changing faster than ever. The game you remember even a year ago looks completely different today. I'm here with two of my best friends, Hunter and Yates Johnson, who also happen to be two of the best players in the world in my competitors on the PPA Tour. Hunter is currently ranked number two in the world and has had one of the biggest successes of any player this year, while Yates has been as ranked as high as 13 in the world and is one of the sharpest minds in the game. Together, we're going to show you the five strategies that pros are using and reshaping pickleball at the highest level with today. If you want to stay ahead of the curve and you want to not be left behind, you need to know these because if you're not using them, your opponents will. Let's get into it.
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The first big change we're seeing in 2025 is that more and more pros are driving their third shots instead of dropping them. And if you want to do this correctly, there's a few things that you need to understand. Driving is more effective now because returns are getting deeper and paddle technology gives you the spin and power to swing out without losing control, making it the more consistent option than trying to hit the perfect drop from the baseline. The purpose of the drive is to set up the fifth shot because when you drive, you often get a weaker reply that makes your fifth shot drop much easier and helps you get to that kitchen line. The drive also opens up offense with your partner, especially in plays like the shake and bake where your drive forces the returner to hit up and gives your partner the perfect chance to poach. Finally, the mindset is key. The third shot drive is a setup tool, not a winner. So, use different speeds like 60, 70, or 80% depending on the ball and think about creating the next opportunity rather than ending the point right away. So, when you think about driving thirds, don't look at it as trying to rip a winner. Look at it as the most reliable way to create pressure. Set up your next shot and get yourself and your partner to the kitchen line and control the point there.
All right. So, let's say I hit a good return and I move up to this kitchen line. Hunter now has a third shot. Hunter, why are you driving this third shot more than you're dropping? And what's your mindset when you're doing it?
Yeah. So, my mindset is whenever there's a deep return, I'm never trying to hit a winner off of my drive. This is a high percentage play. Instead of me trying to make a third shot drop off of a really deep return, I keep it about 60% power. I maybe back up if I have to keep a smooth swing two feet above the the net, keep it consistent and then wait for my either fifth shot or if I have to hit four, five, six drives just to get the ball that I want to make a perfect drop and get to the kitchen line, I will do that.
So, you're basically using this drive to set up an easy third shot. So rather than trying to hit that perfect third shot off, you know, a really good return, you're using the drive to get that shorter reply and then you're dropping off that, right?
>> Yes. If you look at the best players in the world like Annalie Waters, she can drop the ball from anywhere, but at the same time, because of higher margin, she chooses to make a smooth drive swing to make the ball more. And if you make the ball more, you're going to win more points because you get to the kitchen line more consistently. So, I'm never trying to hit a winner and win the point off of my drive. The only time I will do that is if there's a shorter, slower return. I can wind up, set my partner up to do the shake and bake. He can close in and then we create power.
The second big change we're seeing in 2025 is that more pros are speeding up off the bounce at the kitchen instead of just waiting for a high ball out of the air. And this has completely changed the modern game. In the past, players would dink forever, but with the new paddle technology and spin, speeding up off the bounce has become a consistent way to create pressure. First thing to know is that off the bounce speed up isn't about hitting a one-shot winner. It's about creating the volley you can attack next, usually one that you can drive down at your opponent's feet. Second, players are using combos, meaning they speed up with the intent to play the next ball. They're already anticipating the counter and setting up to volley again. Third, the key is pace. Instead of ripping it at 100%, dial it down to about 70% with spin and margin over the net is far more effective because it dips the ball low and sets up your next shot to be the true finisher. And fourth, once your opponent knows you can speed up off the bounce, it forces them to defend constantly. They start backing off the line and sitting up on their heels, which opens up more space for you to dink, manipulate the ball, and create deception. So, the off-bound speedup isn't just a flashy play. It's a pressure tool that keeps your opponent off balance and makes your whole kitchen game more dangerous.
Modern day pickleball, you have to be able to speed up off the bounce. If your opponent feels like you can't create pressure off the bounce and attack them, they feel like they can just sit there for days and dink, which is not going to be very threatening to them. And you want to create a threatening kitchen presence. It used to be where you would just dink and look to attack of the air, but that's not what we're doing these days. is we're speeding up off the bounce and we're creating pressure. When you can attack off the bounce, your opponents are going to move back naturally and sit on their heels cuz they're going to be waiting for you to attack off the bounce. So, what that does is it opens up a lot of room in front of your opponent for you to be deceptive and then dink in front of them. A really important key for the off- the-bounce attack is we're not trying to go for one shot winners. We're going for one setup shot. So maybe attacking at someone's chicken wing and then we're looking to hit the next volley down at their feet. So we're going in combos. This is really, really important because a lot of people will take that first speed up and they'll try and hit a one-shot winner and they get mad when they miss it because they're trying to hit it at 100% with very very fine margins. Instead, take that first ball, hit 70% out of spot on your opponent that you feel that they can't get a lot of power and then the next one is your winner. Sometimes you're even hitting three shots. So, make sure that you learn the off the-bounce speed up because it's very, very threatening to your opponent and you want to show them that you can attack off the bounce because if you can't, they're just going to play at your feet and not give you anything to attack out of the air and it's not going to be as threatening.
The third big change in 2025 is the rise of the aggressive right side player. Back in the day, the right side was the safe position. You were expected to keep balls in play, counter well, and let the left side player with the forehand in the middle do the damage. But modern pickleball has evolved. And with today's paddles giving more spin and more power, the right side is now a role of aggression. The first thing to understand is that the right side players are attacking off the bounce, often speeding up through the middle to set up their left side partner for the next combo shot. Second, they're leaning in and taking more balls out of the air, which shrinks the opponent's kitchen space and allows them to control points earlier. Third, the right side player is no longer limited to just their quarter of the court. Players are now reaching into the middle with their backhand or forehand, creating double the pressure in the center. Fourth, this shift means that both players are now weapons. It's no longer one alpha and one beta, but two players who can both create pressure and finish points. If you're a right side player, stop thinking of yourself as passive and start learning how to create because this is the direction that modern pickleball is headed.
So now it's all about being a more aggressive right side player. The old days of pickleball is kind of sitting over here 25% of the court being super passive and just making balls so that your left side guy can kind of control the point more. Now with modern day pickleball, we're doing a couple things here. I'm able to speed up off the bounce more, which creates more uh aggression and pressure on my opponents, and it also sets up my my partner more. I'm also able to take balls out of the air and use my flicks and aggression instead of just sitting back in the court and just being passive. Also, I'm able to hit a little bit more aggressive dinks, moving it around the court, and getting my opponents on their heels. That's also setting up my partner to be a little bit more aggressive. So, modernday pickleball, it's all about being the alpha on the right.
The fourth big change is that the serve has become a weapon you absolutely need to master. Back in the day, the serve was seen as just a way to start the point, a neutral shot to get the rally going. But pros now realize it's the only shot in pickleball they have complete control over. First, the serve gives you the first in the rally, which means you can manipulate the kind of return you want to start the point on your terms. Second, players are no longer just getting the ball in. They're going for power, spin, and placement to create pressure right away. Not just for missed returns, but also to set up their third shot in the way they prefer. Third, the serve allows you to play chess with your opponent. For example, serving deep to the backhand to get a short return to your forehand or mixing in kick serves, angle serves, or even specialty serves like the screw ball that Hunter has pioneered. And fourth, if you're not using the serve as a weapon, you're missing a huge opportunity because at the pro level, the serve is what sets up the rest of the rally and gives you that early edge. So, if you step up to the line and you're just trying to get the ball in, you're already behind. The modern game demands that you take advantage of your serve before your opponent takes advantage of you.
When I get up to the line on my serve, I like to be very aggressive. It's no longer just a passive play. So when I step up to the line, I'm trying to do three things. I'm trying to focus on my spin, my power, and my placement. The reason I do these things is to try to create a short ball for myself. The reason being is if I can create a short ball, I'm going to at a bigger advantage in the point to try to do what I want. I can drop, I can drive, I can crash, I can do all these different things because I start the point with aggression off of my serve. I'm creating setup shots to better my game and win more points. So, I'm using three different variations of my serve to create a short ball. I like to do hard top spin. I like to do flat and hard, or I like to do a screw ball. You can also create different heights over the net to give different bounces and variations to push your opponent back and allow your third shot to be an aggressive play to win more points. I'm trying to give my opponents different looks so they're not used to the same serve coming in every single time. If you do that and only just get your serve in, they're going to be able to hit different returns harder in different places of the court and get you out of position. This will not win you matches. You have to be aggressive from the very start of your serve.
The fifth big change is that dinking is no longer passive. It's become aggressive and proactive. In the past, players would sit at the kitchen line and dink forever, waiting for the perfect ball to attack. But in today's game, it's shifted with paddle technology and spin, allowing for more manipulation. First, modern players use dinking to actively create opportunities instead of waiting for them, keeping their opponents off balance and on their heels. Second, the goal of the dink is now to apply pressure right away, making your opponent feel unsettled and never fully comfortable at the line. Third, aggressive dinking relies on variation and deception using slice, top spin, and angles, and even fake speedups to force airs and set up attacks. And fourth, patience and consistency are still essential. The mindset has changed. You don't have to sit passively and wait. you can take control and use your dink as a weapon to build pressure and dictate play. So, if you're not adopting the aggressive dinking, you're giving away one of the most powerful tools in modern pickleball. Take it into your own hands or your opponents will.
All right, so the days of just sitting here and passively dinking are quickly coming to an end. It used to be where people would just sit here and dink like this and wait for a ball to attack out of the air. Instead, it's looking a little more like this, which is going to be creating opportunity from aggressive dinking. So, it's going to look more like this where I'm moving that ball around and I'm using different spins. I might use slice here or a net court if I get lucky. But, I'm using more movement and I'm trying to dink more aggressively to create opportunity. So, let's say I push a ball here to Yates's left foot with an aggressive dink and he pops it up and I attack out of the air. Well, I created that. So, I'm no longer passively waiting for my opportunities. I'm creating them at the kitchen line.
Yates does a really good job of using deception here at the kitchen line. So, like, what are the few things you think about when you're using that deception?
>> Yeah. I mean, mixing up your dinks is massive. Instead of just sitting here slicing, your opponent can see that they're watching your paddle face. So, if you're just sitting there with the open paddle face slicing, it doesn't do anything. If you're using your roll dink and it's kind of looking like you're going to speed up every single ball, then it's getting your opponents on your heels and you're creating a lot more offense and aggression.
>> How do you make everything look like a speed up? Is it that paddle tip getting down?
>> Yeah. It's kind of like a little circular motion and as long as you get your paddle tip down at the end, it's always going to look like you're going to dink. But at the last second, if you get in that position, you can always pull the trigger and speed up off the bounce like we worked on before. It's constantly making your opponent not know what you're going to do.
>> Yeah. No. And I think you do a really good job of that of holding that position. And I know just from playing with you and being across from you. When you hold that position, I don't know if you're going to speed up or a dink and all of a sudden, right, when you when you do that, I kind of have to sit on my heels because I I need to protect the counter. Um, and then you can actually roll me left and right and you caught me on my heels. though you have to be able to use aggressive dinking and you need to do that with footwork deception and not sitting there and waiting for your opportunities. Create them.
All right guys, so also the pickleball collective something I've been working on for a long long time. Join the waitlist. It's an online community where you're going to have the frameworks and road maps to get better at the quickest and highest level. and you're going to see more guys like Hunter Johnson and you're going to get that high quality information there. It's not out yet, but join the waitlist so you can be one of the first to join. We're going to have limited spots. You can join by clicking the link in the description or the top comment. I'll see you in there.
All right, so those are the five things that the pros are doing in order to push pickleball forwards and changing the way the games played. If you want to stay ahead of the curve, these are the adjustments you need to start working on right now. A big thanks to Hunter and Yates Johnson for coming out here and helping me break these down. Make sure you watch their matches because they're perfect examples of where the game is headed. And if you found this helpful, drop a comment of which one of these tips you're going to work on first. And don't forget to subscribe so I can bring more guides like this on and we can make highle breakdowns.
Yates, follow these tips, change your game, and tune in for more. We'll see you on the courts.