When you get that perfect lob floating high over the net, it’s tempting to swing hard and crush it straight ahead. But the players who consistently finish points know the real advantage isn’t power—it’s placement.

An angled overhead forces your opponents into uncomfortable positions, opens up the court, and gives you far more control than swinging for the fences.

The Power of Direction Over Force

In pickleball, your goal isn’t only to hit hard—it’s to hit where your opponent isn’t. By changing the angle of your overhead instead of relying solely on power, you make your shot far tougher to defend.

A sharp crosscourt angle pulls opponents wide off the court.
A short diagonal overhead drops in front of them, making recovery nearly impossible.
A down-the-line smash can overwhelm your opponents when the defense shades toward the middle.

The key is to use your paddle face like a steering wheel—tilt and guide, don’t just hammer.

Pickleball overhead technique with the paddle tilted to create angle and direction. — A player using body rotation and paddle angle to place an overhead out of reach.
Photo by The APP

Read the Setup Before You Swing

Before you even strike, take a half-second to glance at your opponents’ positions.

If they’re stacked side-by-side, aim for the middle to cause confusion.
If one player is deep and the other is up, angle your overhead to the open gap on court.
If both are at the baseline, drop the angle shorter to force them forward under pressure.

Good players think two shots ahead—use the overhead not only to end the rally, but to create the next winning ball.

Body Position Creates Natural Angles

Your body’s rotation is what generates the best angles—not only your arm.

Turn your shoulders early to square to the ball.
As you swing, let your hips lead and follow through across your body.
To hit sharper angles, contact the ball slightly in front and to the side of your hitting shoulder.

Clean mechanics produce clean angles.

Mix Up Depth and Trajectory

Not every overhead needs to be a cannon. Sometimes the best shot is a controlled, slicing angle that barely clears the net and spins away. Other times, especially against deep defenders, a deep topspin overhead to the back corner keeps them pinned and in defense.

The goal is unpredictability—make your opponents guess, hesitate, and scramble.

Practice the “Three Target Drill”

Here’s an easy way to master angled overheads:

Place three targets (or cones)—one crosscourt short, one deep middle, and one down the line.
Have your partner feed lobs.
Call your target before you swing.

This teaches you to control both placement and intent, so every overhead has purpose.

Before Your Next Overhead

Angles win points. Power gets applause. The next time you go for an overhead, think about where you can shape the ball instead of how hard you can swing. With better placement and smarter geometry, even a simple lob becomes a chance to take control of the rally.

How to Use Angles to Win More Points With Your Overhead