When to attack is the hardest decision in pickleball.
Not because attacking shots are technically difficult, but because the decision to attack happens in a split second. . . and most players make it for the wrong reason.
They attack because they’re impatient, or bored, or overwhelmed by the moment, or, hitting hard is just fun. (i’m guilty too😂)
But none of those are strategic reasons.
See, the best players think in probabilities.
Take #2 in the world, Anna Bright, for example. If Anna plays a 4.0, she can attack almost anything (including extremely low balls) and win because her speed-up quality is so much better than the opponents counterattack ability.
But put Anna up against, #5 in the world, Jorja Johnson and the exact same shot becomes more risky. And it's not because the shot changed, but the opponent did.
Which means, the real question before attacking is two fold:
Am I just better than the person across from me?
Did I earn a high probability attacking ball?
To understand the first question, you have to gather information. Early in a match, that may actually mean attacking sooner than you usually do. Not necessarily to win the point (although that's nice too), but to learn.
To learn how dangerous their counter attack is? To learn how comfortable they are under pressure?
Now, understanding the 2nd question is about split second pattern recognition.
If you’re off balance and they’re not → attack
If you forced a pop up → attack
If neither of those are true → patience is usually the smart choice.
See, winning matches in pickleball rarely comes from the occasional highlight shot. The real difference is in your ability to make the higher-probability decision. . . again and again. . . across many points.
And listen, I get it. It’s not easy. But learning how to read those moments faster is crucial to improving your game. Because when you start seeing the court through the lens of probabilities, patterns, and decision-making, the game slows down.
See you next Friday,
-Kyle
P.S. These are the exact skills we help people improve inside ThatPickleballSchool. So if you’re the type of person obsessed with getting better at this game, try our 7-day free trial, and I’ll personally help you get started on the right track! 🙂
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