Weaponize Your ‘Old Guy Game’ and Make Younger Pickleballers Miserable
- Tom Kiat
- Jul 29
- 3 min read
You’ve heard it before “Pickleball is a young man’s game now.”
That’s what they say when a 24-year-old with a six-pack and a tennis background shows up and starts ripping drives. Yes, the pace of the game is faster. Players are stronger. Hands battles are real. But........
If you're over 50 and still playing “nice,” you're doing it wrong.
I’ve seen firsthand how guys in their 50s, 60s, even 70s albeit super athletic and often with a racquet background, can frustrate and beat younger, more athletic players, but only when they stop trying to play like them.
You’re not going to out-run a 28-year-old with a 40-inch vertical, but you can make him completely unravel.
Here’s how to turn your so-called “Old Guy Game” into a psychological and strategic nightmare.
1. Make Them Hit One More Ball
You don’t need to win the point. You need to outlast the ego. Young players love pace. They love ending points quickly. So what happens when you reset… and reset… and reset again? They overhit. They force it. They implode.
Your job? Turn the point into a grind. Make them prove they can be patient. Most can’t. I like going for winners too. I like seeing the young bucks frustrated, more.
2. Slow the Game Down, then Strike
Speed kills, but timing and disruption murder pace. Don’t feed their rhythm. Dink with purpose. Throw in surprise speed-ups when they least expect it.
The moment they start guessing, you’ve won.
3. Own the Kitchen with Soft Hands and Big Presence
You may not have the fastest legs, but you can have the best hands. If you spend 10 minutes a day drilling dinks and volleys off the wall, your touch will make their power meaningless. Pair that with smart positioning and you become a brick wall at the net.
YES Wall Drills Help!
4. Play Chess, Not Checkers
You’ve got decades of life experience. Use it. Younger players play on instinct. You play with intention. Lure them in. Show them one shot, then deliver another. Use misdirection.
They’ll start second-guessing everything. When they do, they lose.
5. Control the Tempo of the Match
This is your secret weapon. Don’t let them rush you. Take your time between points. Breathe. Think. Reset the energy. Let them fidget. Let them stew. You’re not just playing the ball, you’re managing the entire mood of the match. I like to slow down the pace by not rushing to get the ball. I take my time on serves. I joke around with my partner. When a young team is losing, they hate those tactics. I'm just enjoying the game.
Own the tempo, own the outcome.
6. Show Up Looking Ready
I’ve seen 60-year-olds walk onto the court looking like retired accountants, and walk off legends. Dress like you belong. Carry your paddle like a sword. Make them think, “Wait… this guy looks like he knows something I don’t.” Confidence is contagious. Doubt is lethal.
You plant both with your presence.
Your “Old Guy Game” isn’t a limitation, it’s a weapon. The problem is, most older players haven’t sharpened it. They’re too busy trying to play fast instead of playing smart. Too busy trying to prove they still “got it” instead of proving they know how to use it.
Once you embrace the mindset, sharpen your tools, and drill like it matters, you become a player younger guys hate to play, and even worse… hate to lose to.
And that, my friend, is the ultimate win.
Share this with the player who thinks he’s “too old to compete.”
He’s not.
He just hasn’t learned how to turn his game into their nightmare yet.
We appreciate everyone who reads and supports these blogs, your passion fuels this entire movement. Let’s grow the game, together.
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