This is one of the more difficult things to learn in pickleball… As a beginner, it’s no fun when the other team is hitting the ball as hard as they can at you.
If you’re new to the game, we refer to these people as “bangers.” They prefer to hit the ball hard every chance they get… no such thing as a drop shot or dink in their game.
So, how do you stop bangers in pickleball? There are a few main tips that will help…
Related: Avoid These 7 Beginner Pickleball Mistakes (Easy To Fix)
5 Tips To Win Against Pickleball BANGERS
Readiness
The first step is simple, but it’s something I overlooked for a long time.
Half the battle of beating pickleball bangers is being ready for them to hit it hard at you.
When I started, I just hoped my opponent wouldn’t hit it hard at me. After my hopes were crushed time after time, I had to learn to expect them to hit it hard at me every time.
Just doing this one tip will help you tremendously.
Avoid Out Balls
This second tip is also very simple, but hard to implement.
One of the main differences between each level of pickleball is the ability to let out balls go.
It’s so easy to be in the moment and just want to hit every ball back.
However, when we are playing against bangers, a lot of their shot will go out if we just get out of the way.
Chest high, let it fly.
Paddle Out Front
When playing against a pickleball banger, we don’t need a big swing… we actually don’t really need to swing at all.
Try keeping your paddle out front and just blocking the ball. No backswing. Just focus on getting your paddle in front of the ball and “punching” the ball back.
Hit Low & Deep
If your opponent is deep at the baseline, punch the ball back to them… low & deep!
The further away from the net a pickleball banger is, the higher likelihood for an error.
Stay calm, keep your paddle out front, and punch the ball deep.
Make them keep banging the ball at you… sooner or later they will hit it into the net or sail it out of bounds.
Placement
If your opponent is on fire and not missing, return the ball to their partner.
The last thing we want is to keep hitting to a banger that can’t miss.
Mix it up and get your opponents out of rhythm.
Check out the video below for a full video explanation!
