Pickleball Strategy Tips: How to Play Against Bangers, Dinkers, and Chaos Players
Pickleball is a lot like dating: sometimes it’s fast and aggressive, sometimes it’s slow and strategic, and sometimes it’s just… weird. The key to surviving (and ideally, winning) is knowing who you’re dealing with and how to adjust your game.
Whether you're playing against a wrecking ball, a Zen dinker, or someone who clearly learned pickleball from TikTok, this guide breaks down the most common player styles and how to handle them without losing your mind, or the match.
The Banger: Power Over Everything
How to Spot Them: Every shot looks like it’s aimed at low-orbit satellites. They crush every ball and act personally offended by soft play.
Your Strategy:
Drop, don’t drive. Slow third-shot drops and resets are your best defense. Think tai chi, not tackle football.
Keep it low and junky. They can’t blast when they can’t reach. Serve up awkward balls they can’t attack.
Be a wall. Don’t swing, just block, absorb, reset. Let them burn themselves out.
The Dinker: The Kitchen Therapist
How to Spot Them: Suspiciously calm. Possibly meditating. Thrives in the kitchen and lives to dink you into psychological despair.
Your Strategy:
Don’t flinch first. This is a test of patience. Stay composed.
Change the tempo. Toss in a lob or surprise speed-up to disrupt their rhythm.
Target the weaker side. Everyone’s got one—they’re just hiding it behind Zen vibes.
The Chaos Player: Trick Shots & Mayhem
How to Spot Them: Tweeners. Spin serves. Lobs. You’re not sure if they’re competing or auditioning for America’s Got Talent.
Your Strategy:
Stay boring. Chaos hates consistency. Your job is to be a beige wall of reliability.
Look for patterns. Even chaos repeats. Eventually. Probably.
Punish the nonsense. That random lob? Smash it. That slice dink? Reset cleanly.
The Beginner: High Effort, Low Control
How to Spot Them: New paddle. Nervous feet. Shots that sometimes work and sometimes go into orbit. Big vibes, inconsistent execution.
Your Strategy:
Keep it clean. No need to overcomplicate—just rally and let the mistakes come.
Respect the effort. Everyone starts somewhere. Be competitive but kind.
Use this as training. Work on your consistency, shot placement, and mental game.
Final Thought: Adaptability Wins Games
Great pickleball is about playing the game your opponent hates.
So whether you’re battling a dink, deflecting drives, or watching someone attempt a crazy serve, remember: your job is to adapt, adjust, and have fun.
