If you’ve ever wondered which pickleball shots actually matter, you’re not alone. With so many techniques out there, it’s easy to feel overwhelmed or focus on the wrong things.
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The good news is you don’t need flashy trick shots to win more games. In fact, the most effective pickleball shots for beginners and senior players are built around control, placement, and smart strategy.
In this guide, we’ll walk through the essential pickleball shots you’ll use in every game, along with when and how to use them.
Key Takeaways:
- Mastering various pickleball shots, especially the third shot drop, is key to progressing in the game.
- Effective pickleball involves strategic shot selection, varying your play between offensive drives and soft touch shots.
- Top players continuously refine their shots, maintain a good position, and employ advanced techniques to gain an edge over their opponents.
TL;DR
If you want to play better pickleball without running yourself ragged, the shots in this guide are your best friends. Soft shots like the dink and the reset are especially valuable for 55+ players because they win points through placement, not power. The third shot drop alone can change how your whole game feels.
🏓 Quick Shot Selection Guide
- At the baseline → Serve deep
- Returning serve → Hit deep + move forward
- Opponent at the kitchen → Dink
- Stuck at baseline → Third shot drop
- Opponent out of position → Drive
- Under pressure → Reset
- Opponent crowding net → Lob
The Serve
The serve gets the point started, but your goal isn’t to blast an ace. For most recreational and senior players, a consistent, deep serve is far more useful than a powerful one.
Aim for the back third of your opponent’s service box. A deep serve pushes them back and gives you more time to get into position. That’s it. You’re not trying to win the point on the serve; you’re just setting yourself up well for what comes next.
Keep it simple. Keep it consistent.
If you’re ever unsure about what’s allowed, you can review the official rules from USA Pickleball for the most up-to-date guidelines.
If you want to make your serve more consistent and effective, check out our guide on how to improve your pickleball serve for simple tips that make a big difference.
The Return of Serve
Your return of serve has one main job: buy you time to get to the kitchen line.
Hit it deep, toward your opponent’s baseline, with enough height to clear the net comfortably. A deep return pushes them back and forces them to hit their third shot from behind the baseline. That’s exactly where you want them.
After you hit your return, move forward. You want to be at or near the non-volley zone line before the ball comes back to you.
The Dink
If you take one shot seriously from this list, let it be the dink.
A dink is a soft, controlled shot that arcs just over the net and lands in the opponent’s kitchen, the non-volley zone. It looks gentle, but it’s anything but easy to deal with.
The whole point of a dink is to slow the game down and force your opponents to hit up on the ball, which limits what they can do with it. When both sides are dinking well, the point becomes a patience contest. Whoever gets impatient and tries to speed things up prematurely usually loses the point.
How to dink well:
- Use a short, compact swing with a firm wrist
- Let the paddle do the work; no big arm swing needed
- Aim for a low arc, just clearing the tape
- Place it cross-court or down the line to keep opponents moving
There are several dink variations worth practicing: cross-court dinks, down-the-line dinks, and the “dink fake,” where you look like you’re about to speed up but don’t. Mix them up and watch opponents get antsy.
When to dink: Anytime you’re at the kitchen line, and your opponent is also at the kitchen line. You’re waiting for a weak ball you can attack, or for them to pop one up.
If you want to really dial this in, check out our full guide on how to hit a dink shot.
The Third Shot Drop
This is the shot that separates casual players from consistent players.
After the serve and return of serve, the serving team is stuck at the baseline while the receiving team is already up at the kitchen. The third shot drop is how the serving team closes that gap safely.
Instead of driving the ball hard and giving opponents an easy volley to put away, you hit a soft, arcing shot that lands in the opponent’s kitchen. If it lands in the kitchen, they have to hit up on it, which gives you time to move forward.
It requires touch more than power. The most common mistake is not giving it enough arc, and the ball catches the net, or hitting it too high, and getting it attacked.
How to practice it: Stand at the baseline and have someone feed you balls. Your only goal is to land the ball in the kitchen. Repeat until it feels natural. It takes time, but it’s worth every minute of practice.
This is the shot that changes everything for beginner and intermediate players, especially those learning to control the pace of the game.
If you’re new to this shot, focus on height and soft touch first. Accuracy comes with repetition.
The Third Shot Drive
Sometimes, instead of a drop, you go with a drive: a fast, low shot aimed at your opponents’ feet or at a gap in their positioning.
The drive works best when your opponents aren’t set, when there’s a clear opening, or when you’ve been dropping a lot and want to mix things up. It’s a higher risk than the drop, but it can win outright points when well-placed.
Don’t overuse it. It works partly because opponents don’t expect it.
The Forehand Drive
A forehand drive is a flat, fast, low shot that travels deep into the opponent’s court. It’s useful when you get a ball sitting up in your strike zone, and you want to go on offense.
The key is to generate pace from your shoulder and core rotation, not from flipping your wrist. Keep your swing compact, make contact out in front of your body, and aim low over the net.
For senior players, especially, you don’t need to hit it as hard as you think. A well-placed drive at 70% effort will do the job just as well as a full-swing drive, and you’ll have better control.
The Smash
When a lob goes too short, or an opponent pops the ball up high, the smash is your answer.
Move your feet to get under the ball, reach up, and redirect it down into the opponent’s court with authority. Aim for an open area, down the middle or at the feet of the player closest to you.
The smash doesn’t have to be brutal to be effective. A well-placed smash to an open corner wins the point just as reliably as a hammer shot.
If you have any shoulder concerns, a punch volley can achieve a similar result with far less strain.
The Lob
The lob is wildly underused by recreational players, and it shouldn’t be.
When your opponents are camped at the kitchen line and not moving much, a well-placed lob over their heads forces them to turn, back up, and hit a difficult overhead. If they’re slow to retreat or not expecting it, a lob can win the point outright.
Hit it with enough height to clear their reach, but aim to land it near the baseline, not short, where they can easily smash it back.
When to lob:
- Your opponents are close to the net and not watching for a lob
- You’re in a tough defensive position and need to reset the point
- You’ve been dinking steadily and want to surprise them
Don’t lob into a headwind. The ball will carry short and you’ll be handing them an easy overhead.
The Reset Shot
The reset is a quiet hero of good pickleball.
When you’re on defense, and the ball is coming at you fast, the reset is how you take the pace off the ball and get back to neutral. Instead of trying to counter-attack, you absorb the shot with soft hands and guide the ball into the kitchen.
Think of it like catching an egg. No big swing, just a firm-but-relaxed grip and a controlled motion forward.
A good reset lands softly in the kitchen and forces your opponent to reset too. A bad reset floats up and gives them another easy attack.
This shot doesn’t feel satisfying in the moment, but it’s one of the most important skills in senior pickleball because it keeps rallies going and takes pressure off your reaction time.
The Backhand Stroke
Your backhand will come up constantly, so it’s worth developing a reliable one.
For most recreational players, a two-handed backhand is more stable and easier on the elbow and shoulder than a one-handed backhand. Experiment and find what feels natural for you.
Two useful backhand variations to practice:
- Backhand slice: A high-to-low motion that puts backspin on the ball. It stays low after the bounce and can be tricky for opponents to handle.
- Backhand block: A short, controlled motion used against fast balls coming at your backhand side. No swing, just redirect.
Advanced Shots Worth Knowing
Topspin and Backspin: Adding spin to your shots is a way to create problems without adding power. Topspin makes the ball dip faster and bounce higher. Backspin (slice) keeps the ball low and can cause the ball to skid awkwardly off the court. Both take practice, but add a nice layer to your game once your fundamentals are solid.
The Erne: When you move outside the court to intercept a dink before it crosses the net (without touching the kitchen or its lines). It’s a surprise move that can catch opponents completely off guard. It’s advanced, but if you play at a higher level, it’s a useful tool to have. Any player can use it, not just the serving team.
The Around-the-Post (ATP): The ATP is one of the flashiest shots in pickleball: you hit the ball around the outside of the net post when it travels wide off the court. It’s legal as long as the ball passes outside the post and lands in bounds. You won’t use it often, but when the opportunity is there, and you take it, it’s deeply satisfying.
Common Mistakes Beginner Players Make
- Trying to hit everything hard
- Not getting to the kitchen fast enough
- Avoiding dinking
- Overusing drives
Practice Drills for Each Shot
You don’t need a full game to work on these. Here are simple ways to drill:
- Third shot drop: Stand at the baseline, have a partner feed balls from the kitchen. Goal: land every ball in the kitchen. 50 reps per session.
- Dink rally: Stand across from a partner at the kitchen line and dink back and forth. Start slow, keep it in control. Add cross-court and down-the-line targets as you improve.
- Reset drill: Have a partner hit medium-speed balls at you from the kitchen. Practice absorbing and redirecting softly into the kitchen.
- Lob practice: From the kitchen line, practice lobbing over a raised target (a pole, a raised paddle). Focus on depth.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is the most important shot in pickleball?
Most coaches and experienced players point to the third shot drop as the single most important shot to develop. It’s what allows the serving team to get to the kitchen and play from a position of strength.
What shot is hardest for beginners to learn?
The third shot drop, because it requires touch and feel rather than power. Most beginners want to hit hard, so learning to take pace off the ball on purpose takes real adjustment.
Are soft shots or power shots more effective for senior players?
Soft shots tend to be more effective for most senior and recreational players. Dinks, resets, and drops win more points at the 3.0 to 4.0 level than drives do, and they’re much easier on your body over the course of a long session.
Should I play singles or doubles?
Most 55+ players prefer doubles, and honestly, it’s the better format for longevity. Less ground to cover, more strategy involved, and easier on joints. If you’re new to the game, start with doubles.
How long does it take to learn these shots?
The basics of most shots can be picked up in a few weeks of regular play. The third shot drop and consistent dinking take longer, often several months of intentional practice. But every session you put in adds up.
Closing Thoughts
The great thing about pickleball, especially as we get older, is that the shots that work best don’t require power or speed. They require patience, placement, and a little bit of court awareness.
Start with the third shot drop and the dink. Get comfortable there, and the rest of the shots will make more sense as your game develops. And if you’re looking for a paddle that makes soft shots feel easier, check out our best pickleball paddles for beginners post for recommendations that hold up well for senior players.
If you’re working on improving your game, focus on just two shots first: the dink and the third shot drop. Master those, and you’ll win more games without working harder.
See you on the court.
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