How to Win the Soft Game Against Aggressive Pickleball Opponents
If you’ve ever faced someone who smashes every ball like they’re swinging for the fences, you’ve met a pickleball “banger.” These aggressive players thrive on speed and chaos—but the good news is you don’t need more power to win. With the right strategy, especially a solid reset shot, you can flip the match in your favor.
Every pickleball player knows a “banger” or someone who plays super aggressively. I am one of those people! We live to crush the ball any chance we can. It can feel intimidating to be on the other side of a banger, until you learn that you don’t need to out hit us, just learn to reset it and play smart.
Sometimes the worst thing you can do against a banger or aggressive pickleball player is to hit the ball back hard. That’s our comfort zone. It feeds our need for pace. Instead, soften the ball. Slow it down, reset it, and force us to play slower.
The reset is your best friend! When we blast it at you, absorb the pace, block it softly, and drop it into the kitchen. Suddenly, our weapon turns into, at times, a weakness. A good reset ball can frustrate bangers more than anything else.
We want a fast, chaotic match. You want to control the situation. Mix in soft dinks, strategic drops, and change up the pace so you’re not feeding into our aggressive playing style..
The beauty of this strategy is that most bangers lack patience. When they can’t hit winners, they start forcing shots, make errors, and implode!
A great drill I do at the kitchen line with a partner is to only have one person be the aggressor and the other partner across the net can only block and reset. I bounce the ball into my opponent's kitchen and start to dink. We play to 11, then switch roles. It takes self control to not respond with a bang back but it really helps you hone your resets. Make sure you keep your paddle in front of you at 11 o'clock to protect yourself from the hard hits. It also allows you to focus on hitting better unattackable dinks!
The bottom line: you don’t need to out-hit a banger to beat them. By using smart pickleball strategy, practicing your reset shot, and forcing the pace to slow down, you’ll turn their biggest strength into their biggest weakness.
About the Author: Gina Cilento is a top 10 Senior Pro and multi-APP medalist who splits her time between competing and coaching. She’s the co-founder of The Pickleball Lab, a pod player for the Denver Iconics in the National Pickleball League, and co-host of Keeping It Real with Gina & Neil. Off the court, Gina shares her passion through her apparel line, The Pick, and her work with Empower Pickleball.
