Question: I am more of a finesse player. A good amount of players I play with are considered bangers. They love to hit hard and hard all the time. I would rather set up the shot for an opening than slam the ball. I am patient and wait for the opening.
The trouble is that I get caught at the kitchen. The bangers hit the ball and we end up in a firefight.
What would you recommend? I always tell my partner to slow the game down to win points using our heads.
PS: They all know my finesse game.
Thanks!
- Vik
Answer: Hi Vik,
If you had asked me 5 years ago, I would be able to reply with a simple “focus on your drops, resets, and just keep your dinks low.” Unfortunately, with the advent of uber-powerful paddles that impart a massive spin, subtlety is knocking on death's door. The skill level required to reset and outdink even the most novice banger is disproportionately high when compared to the skill needed to plow through a finesse player.
That said, I am here to help so here are a few tips to give you a fighting chance:
The chaos often starts with their serve and 3rd shot drive, the first lines of offense in their blunt force trauma strategy. You’ll need to be armed with the correct counterplay. So I want you to use one of two strategies:
The drop volley
If the banger chooses to drive the ball from behind the baseline, then the drop volley is a fantastic option to either hit a clean winner or force a serious scramble and difficult next shot.
Simply put the paddle behind the ball, open the face, then squeeze and freeze to absorb their power. Practice this shot with a friend or ball machine with the goal of getting your ball to bounce twice inside the kitchen.
The punch volley
The 2nd strategy you’ll need to employ comes when the banger drives the ball when they are inside the baseline, especially when their momentum is also coming forward. In this scenario, it would be incredibly difficult to successfully use the drop volley, as they already have a head start and could easily follow up with a swinging volley if you pop the ball up just a little high.
In this case, it’s time to use the punch volley, specifically aimed at their future feet. When I say future feet, what I mean is: you need to gauge where their momentum is taking them and aim your volley there.
If you place the ball well, then it doesn’t necessarily need to be struck with the power of Zeus to force a very tricky shot for them. Often, when a banger starts banging, they continue the trend until the point is over, for better or worse. You can use this to your advantage by letting the next ball go. If your volley has found their feet and they continue to drive, their next ball is more than likely going out.
When they’re already at the kitchen line
Ok, so what happens when they are already up at the kitchen? To be effective against the banger when it’s a level playing field involves great ball control, good movement, and shot variety.
- Firstly, do your best to keep your dinks towards your opponent's backhands, and ask your partner to kindly do the same.
- Secondly, look for the opportunities to lob your opponent, ideally using a volley and directed crosscourt, over the right-side player's backhand side. This will reset them back to a pseudo-3rd shot scenario where you can lean on the drop or punch volley I discussed earlier.
- Lastly, learn to step back! That’s right, I said it. When your opponent has anything that they typically attack, step back off the line. Distance is the enemy of the banger. Distance gives you extra reaction time to reset the ball and even more importantly, it gives you a much better perspective of which balls are staying in and which ones are destined to break the back fence.
Vik, you’re not alone. Legions of players are in the same boat, tired of being bullied by bangers. Objectively, good pickleball is whatever wins but I think history will look fondly on those with a gentle touch that could still hoist the gold.
I wish you the best of luck in your journey and may your ball forever hit the net, and trickle over.
- Morgan Evans
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