🔥Stop Blasting Every Ball: The Counterintuitive Pickleball Strategy That Wins 80% of Games
- Tom Kiat
- Aug 22
- 2 min read
If I had a dollar for every player who lost a game because they couldn’t resist blasting the ball… I’d own four indoor courts, a food truck, and a pickleball accessory shop somewhere in Austin Texas.
Blasting the ball feels good.
It looks good.
It gets the occasional point.
But 80% of the time? It costs you the game.
If you’re serious about leveling up, especially into the 4.0+ ranks, I need you to hear this loud and clear:
Power is Not a Strategy. Patience Is.
That opponent who’s grunting on every drive?
The guy swinging like it’s Game 7 of the World Series?
The woman who smashes every high ball like she’s mad at it?
They’re losing to players who understand one thing:
Controlled players crush chaotic players, every. single. time.
If you’re swinging like a maniac hoping the ball ends the point, you’ve already lost the point. Because high-level pickleball isn’t about power, it’s about setting traps, building pressure, and waiting for your moment.
Let’s Talk About The Soft Game (Yeah, That Boring Stuff That Wins Tournaments)
The best players, yes, even the “big bangers”, are masters of the soft game.
When you drop the ball softly into the kitchen with intention, you’re forcing your opponent into one of three terrible choices:
Try to attack a low ball (and pop it up).
Reset… and stay in the dink war (where patience wins).
Rush in and take a bad swing (congrats, you just baited them).
It’s like playing chess, but with a paddle and a smirk. And when you have the self-control to stop hitting 80 mph drives into the net and instead reset, drop, and move forward, you unlock a level of play most never reach.
The Real Stats: Soft Game = More Wins
In rec play, power wins points.
In competitive play, patience wins games.
In tournaments, shot selection wins brackets.
The common trait among 4.5+ players?
They only attack when it’s right. Not when they feel like it. Not because it looks good.
They built the point perfectly.
Want to join the smarter 20%?
Try these changes this week:
Rule #1: No attack from below the net
If it’s low, you drop. Period.
Rule #2: Build the point with intention
Stop trying to “end it.” Start trying to make them crack first.
Rule #3: Practice your resets
Every great player resets like it’s second nature. You don’t win points by getting to the kitchen, you win by staying calm once you're there.
Rule #4: Ask yourself before swinging, am I reacting or strategizing?
This question alone will save you 5 unforced errors per match.
Smashing feels fun. But winning feels better.
If you can resist the urge to blast, and instead learn to control, reset, and choose your moments, you’ll frustrate every banger in your league.
You’ll beat them without breaking a sweat.
So next time that ball floats just a little high and your ego says “Kill it!”
take a breath.
Drop it.
Move forward.
Let them make the mistake.
🔥WIN MORE. FAST.
Next 50 players get Pickleball IQ Advantage for $1.99 (was $14.99) , PLUS the 4-Week Drills Program & Doubles GamePlan Blueprint FREE!
Outsmart, outplay, & dominate players who shouldn’t beat you.
Stop guessing , start winning.
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