| Shot | What it is | When to use it |
|---|---|---|
| Serve | Underhand shot that starts each point | Aim deep. Consistency matters more than power |
| Return of serve | The receiver's first shot, after the bounce | Hit it deep, then walk up to the kitchen line |
| Third-shot drop | A soft shot from the back that lands in the opponents' kitchen | Lets the serving team move up to the net safely |
| Drive | A fast, low, flat shot | When the opponents are deep, or the ball is high and in front of you |
| Dink | A soft shot from the kitchen line that lands in the opponents' kitchen | The patient battle at the net. Wait for a ball you can attack |
| Volley | Hitting the ball in the air, before it bounces | At the kitchen line, to take time away from the opponents |
| Reset | Taking pace off a hard ball so it drops softly into the kitchen | When you're under pressure or caught mid-court |
| Speed-up | Suddenly hitting a dink hard at the opponent | When the ball sits up high enough to hit down on |
| Lob | A high shot over the opponents' heads | Use rarely; it works when opponents are crowding the net |
| Overhead smash | A hard downward hit on a high ball | Finish the point when they lob short |
| Erne | Jumping or stepping outside the kitchen to volley near the sideline | Advanced: against predictable dinks down the line |
| ATP (around the post) | Hitting the ball around the side of the net post instead of over it | Advanced: on wide balls pulled outside the court |
One idea to remember: pickleball is won at the kitchen line. Most points are won by the team that gets there first and stays patient.