Hitting Behind your Opponent and Wrong Foot Them
We are going to discuss the pickleball strategy of hitting behind your opponent and wrong footing them. Playing singles in pickleball is different than the traditional doubles game. Singles is more physically demanding and often requires a different strategy than in doubles. Be prepared to run all over the court, split step, stop, change directions and do it all over again. This strategy can take advantage of all that running around.
Use your Opponent’s Speed Against Them by Hitting Behind Them!
Speed can give a player an inherent advantage during the course of a match. One pickleball strategy you can use to combat this is using an opponents speed against them. This cannot be done all the time but it is a strategy that you can exploit from time to time. Like with any strategy or shot you have to execute it properly.
In singles you have to cover the whole court so you should take advantage of this and use the whole court against you opponent. After a groundstroke or volley that takes our opponent out wide the natural tendency is for them to sprint back to the middle to recover. They will undoubtedly be expecting you to hit to the open court.
Instead of playing the expected shot to the “open” court you hit behind them. By hitting behind them while they are racing back to the middle you are using their momentum against them.
This strategy of hitting behind them and wrong footing them can be very effective when timed properly. It cannot be used all the time since it requires your opponent anticipating that you are going to hit away from them to the open court.
The term “wrong footing them” refers to having to hit off the wrong foot. During a normal forehand groundstroke if you are right handed you lead stepping in with your left foot. If you are hitting off the wrong foot your shots will not be as clean and accurate. By using your opponents momentum against them you are trying to get them to hit off the wrong foot if they can hit the pickleball at all.