Elite pickleball players don’t just hit better shots—they get ready earlier, move with the ball, stay loose under pressure, and choose higher-percentage options. Jill Braverman’s 6.0-level advice shows intermediate players how better split-step timing, positioning, tension control, and smarter counter-versus-reset decisions can create more time and fewer errors.

Watch an elite pickleball player for five minutes and it’s tempting to notice the wrong things.

The ridiculous hands.
The disguised speedup.
The two-handed roll.
The Erne.

But 6.0-level pro Jill Braverman recently shared some excellent advice on Instagram that focused on something much less flashy:

“The most important shot is not a shot.”

Her point was that high-level pickleball is often built on things rec players can improve without developing pro-level hand speed:

your feet
your positioning
your tension
and your ability to recognize what’s happening early enough that the ball doesn’t feel so fast.

That’s good news for a 3.5 or 4.0 player.

You may not be able to copy a pro’s hardest shots yet, but you can absolutely start copying some of the habits that make those shots possible.

So we’re breaking down Braverman’s recent “6.0 wisdom”—what it really means, where it needs a little context, and what you can start applying to your own game right now.

Upgrade No. 1: Stop Trying to Become Faster. Become Ready Earlier.

Braverman’s line is: “You’re not slow. Your first step to the ball is late.”

This may be the most useful sentence in the whole list. A lot of rec players diagnose themselves as slow when the real sequence looks like this:

Opponent swings.
Ball crosses the net.
Player realizes where it’s going.
Player finally stops moving.
Then player tries to react.

By then, yes—you are slow. Elite players steal time before the ball arrives.

Coach Michael Loyd’s split-step cue is almost exactly the fix: your small ready hop should occur around the opponent’s contact, with your weight prepared to move in either direction.

Try this instead of “move faster”

Have your partner call “hit” every time they contact the ball. Your job is to arrive in your athletic base at that moment. Not two steps afterward.

The difference can feel dramatic.

A ball that previously felt like a reaction test suddenly becomes a movement problem you were already prepared to solve.

Your cue:

Opponent hits → I am set.
Not: Opponent hits → I start getting ready.

That distinction alone can make a 3.5 player look considerably quicker.

Upgrade No. 2: Stop Treating Court Lines Like Parking Spaces

Braverman says: “Stop playing glued to the line.”
And: “You know you’re getting really good when you end up on your partner’s side of the court.”

Don’t interpret that as permission to wander around randomly. The real principle is: Your position belongs to the rally—not to your assigned square.

Most rec players think: I’m the right-side player, so I stand over here.
Better players think: Where did we hit the ball, what angles can come back, and which space needs to be protected now?

Coach Athena Trouillot teaches this as following the ball. If your team sends the ball to one side, both partners should shift accordingly so they protect the most dangerous return lanes rather than keeping one foot permanently attached to their sideline.

That’s also why good players occasionally cross the centerline.

It might be a poach.
It might be covering a partner who’s been pulled wide.
It might be taking a middle ball with the stronger forehand.
It might simply be following the geometry of the rally.

Selkirk’s doubles guidance specifically notes that a forehand-dominant player may cover beyond the centerline and that partner communication determines who owns those balls.

What a 3.5 should practice

Forget “my half, your half” for one session. Instead, after every shot ask: Where is the ball?

Then shift together.

You’re not abandoning your side. You’re shrinking the opponent’s useful court.

Upgrade No. 3: Learn to Move Backward Without Thinking You’re Losing

This one separates levels more than most rec players realize. Braverman argues that elite players move forward and backward almost as well as they move laterally.

That’s important because recreational pickleball has spent years teaching: Get to the kitchen. Stay at the kitchen. Never back up.

Good general rule.
Bad absolute rule.

Sometimes moving six inches or one step backward creates a much better contact point.

Current coaching increasingly reflects this. Advanced positioning instruction notes that strong players use small retreats, pivots and drop steps rather than remaining glued to the NVZ line, especially when they need space to handle a ball at their body or create a better offensive contact.

The same applies in transition. You don’t automatically charge forward because you hit a drop. You advance when the quality of your shot allows it.

A better rule:

1. Good ball? Gain ground.
2. Neutral ball? Hold.
3. Bad ball? Create space.

That is much more useful than “never back up.”

Upgrade No. 4: Pay More Attention to Shots Two and Four

Braverman makes a provocative claim: “The second and fourth shots are the two most important shots in pickleball.”

Calling them the two most important is debatable. But she is highlighting two shots rec players badly undervalue.

The second shot is the return. A deep, controlled return does three jobs at once:

1. pushes the serving team deeper
2. gives the returner time to reach the kitchen
3. makes the opponent’s third harder

Coaches recommends making the deep middle return a bread-and-butter pattern and aiming several feet inside the baseline rather than trying to paint the line.

Now the fourth shot.

Ben Johns calls it one of the easiest areas to improve that can make points much easier. Tyson McGuffin emphasizes using the fourth to keep the serving team under pressure rather than casually inviting them forward.

That means your fourth is not simply: “Volley the third back.”

Ask instead:

✔ Can I keep this player back?
✔ Can I put it at their feet?
✔ Can I take time away?
✔ Can I make their fifth harder than their third?

The overlooked progression

A lot of 3.5 players spend: 40% of drilling time on third-shot drops and approximately: 0% on fourth shots.

Try reversing that for 15 minutes.

One player starts at the baseline.
One at the kitchen.
Baseline player hits third shots.
Kitchen player practices only the fourth: deep when possible, down when attackable, soft only when necessary.

You’ll quickly understand why Braverman values the shot.

Upgrade No. 5: Stop Sacrificing Good for Perfect

This may be the most immediately profitable upgrade.

Braverman says: “Just make one more ball.”
And: “Stop sacrificing good for perfect.”

Collin Johns has offered almost identical advice in scramble situations: don’t try to make the perfect shot—keep another ball in play.

At 3.5–4.0, a huge amount of offense isn’t actually created by hitting winners. It’s created by making the opponent hit an additional difficult ball.

Think about your own misses:

• sharp crosscourt dink that clipped the tape.
• return aimed six inches from the baseline.
• counter you tried to finish instead of simply putting downward.
• third-shot drop you tried to make unattackable and left in the net.

Elite players obviously hit difficult targets. But they also understand when 90% quality is enough.

Use the “one-more-ball test”

Before attempting something spectacular, ask: Does this point require this shot to be perfect?

Usually the answer is no.

A dink doesn’t need to win.
A reset doesn’t need to paint a corner.
A fourth doesn’t need to be a winner.

Make the opponent solve another problem.

Upgrade No. 6: “Down” Is Often More Valuable Than “Hard”

Braverman’s bonus line is: “Down is greater than through.” This is advanced strategy condensed into four words.

At the kitchen, many rec players think speed wins hands battles. Often trajectory matters more. If your counter travels hard but flat, the opponent may counter it right back.

If you contact high enough and make the ball travel down toward their feet, their next contact happens lower.

Now they have to lift.

Collin Johns makes essentially the same point: the player who first gets the ball traveling downward often gains control of the exchange.

In a hands battle, think:

Not: Hit harder.
Think: Can I make their next contact lower than mine?

That’s much closer to elite pickleball.

Upgrade No. 7: Don’t Reset a Ball You Should Counter

Here’s where Braverman gets intentionally provocative: “You will never beat a banger by resetting the ball.”

Taken literally, I disagree.

Resets are absolutely useful against pace, especially when you’re stretched, contacting below the net or trying to survive transition. USA Pickleball explicitly teaches resets as a way to neutralize pressure in that part of the court.

But I think Braverman’s deeper point is excellent: Some intermediate players become too passive against pace.

They reset everything.
Even balls they’re balanced behind.
Even balls above the net.
Even predictable drives they could counter.

Coach Matt Slowinski emphasizes that strong preparation—paddle ready, knees bent, weight prepared—is what allows you to turn a hard attack into an authoritative counter.

Jordan Briones likewise teaches active countering as a way to stop power players from repeatedly dictating the rally.

So use this rule: If you own the contact, counter.

Balanced.
Ball in front.
Contact at a useful height.

If the ball owns you, reset.

Stretched.
Late.
Below net height.
Off balance.

That is a far better version of “never reset a banger.”

Upgrade No. 8: Your Partner’s Ball Is Also Your Ball

Braverman says: “Remove ‘my partner took my ball’ from your vocabulary.”

This sounds aggressive until you understand the principle. She’s not saying both players should swing at everything. She’s saying the non-hitting player should remain available.

Rec doubles often looks like this:

Player sees the ball headed toward their partner.
Player mentally leaves the rally.
Partner gets jammed.
Ball floats between them.
Nobody reacts.

Higher-level doubles is more connected. Both paddles remain involved until ownership is clear. That matters especially on:

• middle balls
• transition balls
• poaches
• balls behind a moving partner
• and balls where your partner changes their mind

A great practice cue: Assume it’s yours until it isn’t.

You can yield. But don’t disappear. “Two paddles is better than none” is a useful concept—provided your partnership has clear communication so it doesn’t become paddle-clashing chaos.

Upgrade No. 9: Tension Is Probably Making You Slower

Braverman says: “Tension is the enemy of speed.”

This is one of the least glamorous and most important upgrades. When hands battles accelerate, rec players often respond by:

• squeezing harder
• taking a bigger swing
• moving the paddle faster
• and trying to force reaction speed

That usually creates the opposite effect.

The paddle starts farther from neutral.
The wrist and forearm become rigid.
Recovery between volleys gets slower.

Current counter-volley coaching repeatedly emphasizes compact preparation, a paddle positioned in front, and controlled rather than excessive grip tension.

John Cincola similarly identifies oversized backswings as a common problem for players trying to advance.

Try Braverman’s paradox:

The more rushed you feel, the smaller your swing gets.

That’s a much better reaction than trying to swing faster. In fast exchanges:

1. paddle forward
2. compact movement
3. stable face
4. recover immediately

You don’t create time by hurrying. You create time by removing unnecessary motion.

Upgrade No. 10: “Get Low” Doesn’t Mean Fold Yourself in Half

Braverman says she has never met a student who gets too low. Then she adds the important qualifier: If you can’t get low, don’t sacrifice posture.

That’s the part many 50+ players should hear.

Getting low shouldn’t mean bending aggressively at the waist and putting your face over your toes.

The useful position is:

1. knees flexed
2. hips athletic
3. chest stable
4. eyes forward
5. paddle in front

Standard dink instruction also emphasizes bending through the knees and maintaining balance rather than reaching down primarily through the waist.

Braverman’s “knee is the backstop to the dink” is a useful coaching image. Instead of sending the paddle out alone after a wide dink, move the leg and body behind the contact.

Think:

Body gets there. Paddle comes with it.
Not: Paddle reaches. Body watches.

That produces a much more repeatable dink.

Upgrade No. 11: Stop Defending Empty Court

Another provocative Braverman line: “If you hit a good dink, cover middle. If you hit a bad dink, cover middle. Just stop covering your line.”

Again: don’t take “never cover line” literally. A down-the-line attack absolutely exists. The smarter point is about probability and geometry.

When the ball is on one side of the court, your team’s positioning should shift toward the most dangerous available lanes. Trouillot’s “follow the ball” system explicitly teaches protecting the middle and making opponents attempt the more difficult angle rather than leaving the easiest attack open.

Tony Roig’s positioning guidance similarly emphasizes protecting the middle based on where the ball comes from rather than blindly using “forehand takes middle.”

So don’t stand on the sideline defending a winner your opponent can barely make while leaving a huge seam between you and your partner.

Better cue:

Protect probable before possible.

The line is possible.
The middle is often probable.

Position accordingly.

Upgrade No. 12: Stop Using One Rule for Every Third Shot

Braverman throws in an interesting environmental example: against the wind, consider driving the third. The larger lesson matters more than the exact wind prescription.

Elite players don’t ask: “Am I a drop player or a drive player?” They read the ball.

Pro player Parris Todd teaches the third-shot decision around return depth, bounce height, player balance, ball speed and opponent position. A high, attackable return invites a drive; a defensive contact often calls for neutralization instead.

So graduate from: “I hit third-shot drops.”
To: “I choose the third that this ball gives me.”

That’s a much bigger level jump than simply improving one stroke.

The Real 6.0 Skill: Your Decisions Happen Earlier

Look back at Braverman’s advice and a pattern appears.

• Split sooner.
• Prepare sooner.
• Move your body behind the dink sooner.
• Recognize whether to counter sooner.
• Cover the right space sooner.
• Expect your partner’s ball sooner.
• Get balanced sooner.

None of those require a 6.0 forehand. That’s the lesson recreational players often miss when watching professionals.

Elite players certainly hit better shots. But they also make ordinary shots look easier because the work was already done before contact.

If you’re a 3.5 trying to become a 4.0, I wouldn’t start by copying an elite player’s hardest shot. I’d steal these five habits:

1. Split as the opponent hits.
2. Move with the ball instead of guarding your assigned square.
3. Make one more good ball instead of demanding a perfect one.
4. Counter when balanced; reset when compromised.
5. When everything speeds up, make your motion smaller—not faster.

Do those consistently and something interesting happens.

You may not suddenly hit like a 6.0. But you’ll start arriving at the ball with something elite players have far more often: time.