Video Transcript
Pickleball is a sport where you need to be offensive to win points. If you rely on just getting the ball back and letting your opponent make mistakes, you won’t be as successful. This is especially true at higher levels where you to need to attack to win.
Let’s take a look at the best time to be offensive. This occurs when your opponent has to hit up on the ball when they are near the net. This requires them to hit in an upward motion to get the ball over the net.
If they hit the ball with any force, it will fly high over the net. This means you have an opportunity to attack.
On the other hand, if your opponent hits the ball low over the net you don’t want to be offensive.
The best ball to attack is one that goes high over the net and comes to you shoulder high or above. You should then drive the ball toward you opponents feet or an empty opening on the court.
While balls coming to you shoulder height or higher are attackable, balls you contact below the net are not offensive opportunities unless you are a very advanced player.
As your skill level increases, you will start to attack balls even if they are below shoulder height. Very advanced players will attack balls hit to them below the net. The strategy here is to attack and force a weak reply which you can put away for a winner.
If you are not set up properly, do not attack low balls. Proper footwork and positioning is a must for this shot to be effective. Also, don’t go for the winner when you attack low balls. Remember the point of the low ball attack is to force your opponent to hit a weak shot.
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Also, write in the comments the height at which you feel comfortable attacking the ball. Is it shoulder high and above, from a contact point below the net or somewhere in between?
