David Zapatka
From 2.0 to 5.0, we have all faced the “bangers,” those players who prefer to hit everything hard rather than play the soft game hitting dinks and drop shots. Would you like to defeat these hard hitters? Consider adopting these tips.
Hit deep returns. Keep the banger at the baseline with a deep return of serve. This will give you more time to react to the hard drive. Hit your return with backspin, a slice. The ball will not bounce as high making it more difficult for the banger to hit hard. Hit your return to the banger’s backhand where they cannot get as much pace on the ball.
Keep the banger at the baseline. Once you hit a deep return and get to the kitchen line, the banger can be pinned at the baseline if you continue hitting deep shots she cannot attack. Do not allow her to move forward into a closer, offensive position.
You know it’s coming. Be prepared, knees bent, relaxed, eyes on the ball, paddle out in front of you in the ready position. It’s coming hard. Expect it. Embrace it! Learn to love to play the hard-hitters. Enjoy the challenge.
You’ve heard “Be the ball.” Against the banger, think, “Be the wall.” Use a loose grip and little to no backswing to block the ball deep into the court at their feet or at an angle away from the banger. Keep the angle of the paddle slightly closed so the ball will move down toward your opponent. His feet are a good target, particularly his backhand foot. Popping the ball up is an invitation to the banger to hit another hard shot. Stay poised and focused, ready to block deep and low.
Hit to the banger’s partner. The partner may not be a banger. This will avoid the banger’s second hard shot and change the tempo of the rally. This is effective when trying to safely get to the kitchen on your third or fifth shot of the rally.
Let the out balls go out! This is one of the hardest skills to learn. We are so in the moment trying to hit every ball that comes across the net. Bangers hit a lot of long balls. Let them go! Recognize when the ball is high and traveling fast. Get out of the way. Don’t swing.
Play the soft game dropping and dinking the banger. Many bangers are not mobile and lack soft-game skills. Hitting drops and dinks will make them uncomfortable as they will have to play below the top of the net where they are not skilled. This will generate errors from them.
Have a question about pickleball? Want to know more about the sport, the rules, equipment or have some pickilicious news you would like to share with our pickleball community? Email David Zapatka at dzapatka@wbhsi.net.