There’s a moment every serious pickleballer hits: you’re playing hard, doing “everything right,” and still losing points to players who seem just a little faster, a little sharper, a little more in control.

You wonder—what’s the missing piece?

Well, here’s the truth: the best players are using strategies and skills most people never explain. Sometimes it’s because they assume you already know. Sometimes it’s because, honestly, they’d rather keep the edge for themselves.

This article pulls back the curtain on some of the real secrets that separate good players from great ones—and how you can start using them today.

1. The Real Way to Win Hands Battles: It’s Your Elbow, Not Your Shoulder

Most of us were taught to “push with the shoulder” during fast exchanges. But pros know that’s a slow, clunky way to fight at the net.

The secret: Use your elbow and wrist as a fast, explosive hinge. Quick snap, reload, quick snap again. Think elbow down, paddle snaps out—like you’re flicking water off your hand.

✅ Why pros keep it secret: It’s a massive speed advantage at the kitchen line.

✅ How to apply: Practice snapping from the elbow in wall drills. Fast hinge, small movement. Feel your paddle explode through contact without big swings.

✅ How it improves your game: Your hands will feel faster immediately—and you’ll win more of those lightning-quick kitchen exchanges.

2. When to Speed Up (and When to Chill)

Sure, you can speed up almost anything—but smart players know when not to.

The secret: Only attack balls that are at net height or slightly lower—and be patient off the bounce unless the ball lands wide. Deep dinks or middle-of-the-court bounces? Stay patient.

✅ Why it’s often secret: Everyone wants to look aggressive. But restraint wins matches.

✅ How to apply: Count to ten—literally. In rec games, tell yourself you can’t attack until you’ve hit at least 10 patient dinks. You’ll train your brain to choose better moments.

✅ How it improves your game: You’ll stop handing free points to your opponents by attacking bad balls—and start setting up points you control.

3. Attack Out of the Air, Not Off the Bounce

Pros take dinks out of the air as often as possible—not to attack immediately, but to take away time.

The secret: Leaning in, volleying dinks early, and pressuring your opponent forces rushed mistakes.

✅ Why it stays secret: It’s subtle. You’re not doing more—you’re giving your opponents less time.

✅ How to apply: In your next game, focus on stepping into dinks instead of letting them bounce whenever possible. Even if you dink it back soft, do it out of the air.

✅ How it improves your game: You’ll control the rhythm, dictate the kitchen line, and catch your opponents off balance more often.

4. Faster Feet, Cleaner Shots

Watch top pros: they move fast between points, but their strokes are small and clean. No huge swings. No wasted motion.

The secret: Small steps, small swings. Intensity in your feet, calmness in your hands.

✅ Why pros don’t talk about it: Footwork isn’t sexy, but it wins games.

✅ How to apply: Between every shot—even dinks—take small recovery steps and re-center your paddle in front of your body like a magnet pulling it back.

✅ How it improves your game: Better balance, cleaner resets, and faster reactions without even swinging harder.

5. Balance Before Power

If you’re off-balance when you speed up or counterattack, you’ve already lost the point—no matter how good your shot is.

The secret: Prioritize getting balanced first, then pull the trigger. Pros wait for shots they can attack while staying centered.

✅ Why it’s often skipped: It’s tempting to go for hero shots even when off-balance.

✅ How to apply: Practice split-stepping into a wide, athletic stance before hitting any aggressive shot—especially during transitions.

✅ How it improves your game: You’ll make cleaner, sharper attacks—and stop giving away points after speeding up at the wrong time.

6. Topspin Isn’t Just for Drives—It Wins Dinks Too

If you think topspin is just for serves and drives, think again. Great players add a subtle topspin brush even on their dinks.

The secret: Brush up slightly on your dinks, using a low-to-high motion to keep them heavy and unattackable—without swinging harder.

✅ Why it’s a secret: Dinking looks “soft” from the outside. But that slight spin? It keeps the ball low, heavy, and hard for your opponent to attack.

✅ How to apply: Use a soft brushing motion even during dinks—low to high, not flat. Just a touch. You’re not ripping it, you’re controlling it.

✅ How it improves your game: Your dinks stay low and dangerous instead of sitting up begging to be attacked.

7. The Best Offense at the Kitchen? Sometimes… Do Nothing

When the firefight starts at the kitchen, our instinct is to hit back fast.
But sometimes, the best move? Let them overcook it.

The secret: Block calmly instead of counterattacking—let their speed work against them.

✅ Why it’s a secret: Everyone thinks fast hands beat fast hands. But calm hands often win more.

✅ How to apply: When overwhelmed at the net, soften your hands, deaden the ball, and block it short into the kitchen instead of swinging back hard.

✅ How it improves your game: You’ll force frustrated errors—and win firefights without even fighting.

8. The Best Reset Is No Swing at All

When pros reset tough balls at the kitchen, they don’t swing—they catch and guide.

The secret: Use your paddle like a backboard. Soft hands, no swing—just absorb and direct the ball gently back.

✅ Why it’s a secret: It looks like magic because it’s so smooth and small, not flashy.

✅ How to apply: In drills, focus on absorbing fastballs with little to no paddle movement—imagine “catch and place.”

✅ How it improves your game: You’ll handle fast attacks calmly and turn chaos into calm, winning more kitchen battles.

9. Good Players Talk—Great Players Whisper

The best communication isn’t loud panic after the ball drops—it’s calm, early whispers between partners.

The secret: Call your moves before the ball crosses the net: “switch,” “yours,” “mine”—all quiet, but all clear.

✅ Why it’s a secret: Loud calls usually come too late. Great teams are already moving before trouble hits.

✅ How to apply: Practice quick, early calls every rally—not just when things get messy.

✅ How it improves your game: You and your partner stay in sync, move faster, and leave opponents chasing.

10. Winning Players Think “Margins,” Not “Winners”

The highlight shots are fun to watch—but smart players aim safe, not fancy.

The secret: Target two to three feet inside the court on every shot. Big margin = big success.

✅ Why it’s a secret: Everyone loves chasing winners, but winners are built by consistent pressure, not miracles.

✅ How to apply: Aim bigger. Swing confidently with topspin into safer spaces and force your opponents to take the risks.

✅ How it improves your game: You’ll cut unforced errors and control more points—without changing your strokes at all.

Why These Secrets Matter

Pickleball looks simple. But once you scratch below the surface, it’s the tiny adjustments—the faster hands, the smarter attacks, the better footwork—that make the difference between playing good and playing great.

None of these secrets are magic. But once you start applying them, you’ll notice games getting easier, opponents feeling slower, and wins coming more often.

Because in pickleball, it’s not always about working harder.

It’s about knowing what really matters—and finally playing the way you know you can.

Let’s go shrink that kitchen line, snap those fast hands, and play a little smarter, shall we?