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Master the right side

Master the right side

Paul from Pickleball Daily
November 25, 2025

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Tip of the day

Collin Johns Teaches How to Master the Right Side in Pickleball

This video, featuring pro player Collin Johns, focuses on the specific mindset and strategies necessary for a right-side player (typically a righty playing with another righty) to dominate and set up their partner.

As a right-side player, your primary mindset should be to accept the role of the "setter" rather than the "hitter," focusing on creating opportunities for your partner.

When a dink lands in the middle of the court, the left-side player (with the forehand) should generally take it to allow the team to work the corner and keep the right-side player stationary and ready to counter.

In a speed-up situation where you initiate the attack and the opponent floats the ball back over your left shoulder, it is crucial to immediately get out of the way and let your left-side partner finish the point with their powerful forehand.

When defending, the right-side player can utilize the backhand's wide coverage area by slightly fading diagonally toward their sideline to cut off more angles and make straight-ahead attacks difficult for the opponent.

If you counter-punch with a backhand, ensure you hit it straight ahead and down, which allows your left-side partner to crash into the middle with their forehand for an easy finishing shot.

The most important takeaway for all these strategies is constant communication and syncing up with your partner to agree on who takes which shots in the middle to eliminate indecision.

Finally, do not let the center line limit your coverage; the left-side player should cover all the way until the right-side player's backhand range becomes limited.

Key Points:

Adopt a mindset of being the "setter" to make your left-side partner the "hitter" and take advantage of their forehand power in the middle.
When a dink is in the middle, generally let the left-side player take it to better isolate the opponent's corner.
After initiating a speed-up, quickly move out of the way and trust your partner to crash and finish the point with their forehand.
The right-side player can cover more court on the defense by fading diagonally toward the sideline to maximize backhand range.
Always communicate with your partner to agree on who takes which balls in the middle to eliminate indecision and maintain a two-on-one advantage.

Watch the full tutorial here.