Pickleball Strategies for Beginners: How to Win Your First Game

Pickleball is often celebrated for its simplicity and accessibility, but as any player knows, mastering the sport requires more than just understanding the rules. If you're new to pickleball, improving your strategy will help you dominate your first games and set a foundation for long-term success. In this blog, we’ll cover essential pickleball strategies for beginners, including positioning, shot selection, and how to outsmart your opponent to win your first match.

Mastering the Basics: Serve and Return

The serve is the first opportunity to put pressure on your opponent, and how you handle the return can determine the pace of the game.

The Serve

In pickleball, the serve is underhand, but that doesn’t mean it should be passive. A deep, well-placed serve to the back of the opponent’s court limits their options and can set you up for an early advantage. A common beginner mistake is not serving deep enough, which gives your opponent more angles to work with and the ability to hit an aggressive return. Aim for the back third of the service box, making your opponent move backward and giving you time to move into better positioning.

Tip: If you struggle with depth on your serve, focus on following through with your paddle after contact and practice serving towards different spots on the court to keep your opponent guessing.

The Return

Your goal when returning serve should be to place the ball deep into your opponent’s court, ideally toward their backhand, which is often weaker for most players. A deep return makes it harder for your opponent to come to the net, giving you control of the pace.

Tip: As you get more comfortable, experiment with adding topspin to your returns to keep your opponent on the defensive and prevent them from attacking.

Dominating the Kitchen Line

One of the most important strategies in pickleball is controlling the area near the net, known as the kitchen or non-volley zone. Staying close to the kitchen line allows you to take advantage of your opponent’s weak shots and set up for powerful volleys.

Move Quickly to the Kitchen Line

After your return of serve, aim to move up to the kitchen line as quickly as possible. This is the strongest position on the court because it allows you to intercept the ball early and use volleying tactics. Many beginners make the mistake of lingering too far back, allowing their opponents to dictate play and forcing them into defensive positions.

Tip: Practice moving up to the kitchen line immediately after your return of serve, making sure to get into a balanced, ready position with your paddle up.

Dinking: The Essential Kitchen Strategy

Once at the kitchen line, one of the most effective strategies is the “dink.” A dink is a soft, low shot that lands in the opponent’s non-volley zone, forcing them to hit up on the ball and limiting their ability to attack. Dinking can lead to longer rallies, but it also creates opportunities to set up offensive shots. It’s a game of patience, where you wait for your opponent to make a mistake or pop the ball up, giving you a chance to hit an aggressive shot.

Tip: Practice dinking cross-court, as this provides you with a larger margin of error due to the longer diagonal distance.

Shot Selection: Control is Key

Unlike in sports like tennis, pickleball is not just about power—it’s about placement, control, and consistency. Here are the shots you should focus on to win your first game.

Third Shot Drop

The third shot drop is one of the most important shots in pickleball, especially if your opponents are already at the kitchen line. This shot is designed to land softly in your opponent’s kitchen, neutralizing their advantage and allowing you to move up to the net.

Beginners often attempt to drive the ball hard, but this can backfire if your opponents are in strong net positions. The third shot drop, when executed correctly, shifts control back to your side by slowing down the game.

Tip: Focus on making your third shot drop land softly and just over the net, forcing your opponents to hit up on the ball.

Lob When Needed

While the lob is often considered a defensive shot, it can be a great way to break up a fast-paced rally and force your opponents out of position. Lobbing the ball over your opponent’s head forces them to move back, giving you control of the kitchen area. However, it’s important to place lobs carefully, as a poorly executed lob can give your opponent an easy overhead smash.

Tip: Use the lob sparingly and only when you see your opponent out of position or too close to the net.

Anticipation and Reading Your Opponent

Winning at pickleball often comes down to anticipation and smart positioning. Pay attention to your opponent’s tendencies—do they favor forehand or backhand? Do they struggle with low balls or react poorly to high, deep shots? By reading their playstyle, you can adjust your tactics to keep them off balance.

Watch Their Paddle Position

A key skill in pickleball is learning to read your opponent’s paddle position. If their paddle is low, they are more likely to dink or hit a soft shot, giving you time to move forward. If their paddle is high, expect a harder shot and prepare to defend or counter-attack.

Tip: Always stay in a ready position, with your paddle up, so you can react quickly to your opponent’s next move.

Mindset: Stay Calm and Play Smart

Pickleball, especially at the beginner level, is as much a mental game as a physical one. Keep a calm mindset, focus on consistency, and don’t try to win the game with every shot. Patience is key, especially when playing against more experienced players who are waiting for you to make mistakes.

Avoid Unforced Errors

Many beginner games are won or lost due to unforced errors—shots that are missed without pressure from the opponent. Keep your shots controlled and don’t go for the winner too early in a rally. By reducing your unforced errors, you’ll force your opponent to play harder and make more mistakes themselves.

Conclusion: Win Your First Game with Strategy

By mastering the basic strategies—serving deep, moving to the kitchen line, controlling your shots, and reading your opponent—you can quickly become a competitive player and win your first pickleball match. The game isn’t just about power; it’s about control, patience, and smart decision-making. With practice, you’ll find that the more strategic you are, the more games you’ll win.