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Simple tips for winning at singles
Paul from Pickleball Daily
December 05, 2025
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Tip of the day
This video provides five essential and simple tips focused on singles strategy to help you gain a significant advantage over your opponents.
Tip number one is to stand in the middle of the court when serving and always serve with power and depth to immediately put your opponent on their heels.
By standing middle, you minimize the amount of running you must do after the serve, and serving big forces a shorter, weaker return, which allows you to attack.
The goal on the return is to hit the ball deep and follow it to the kitchen line to control the net, as a short return gives the server a wide array of attacking options.
You should always aim to hit the ball to your opponent's backhand as much as possible, as the backhand is typically the weaker shot for most players, especially at lower levels.
The most critical factor in singles is controlling the net: the player who gets to and holds the net typically controls the point and has a much higher likelihood of winning.
If your opponent returns and stays back, you should immediately hit the ball to an open spot and charge the net to force them into a difficult passing shot.
Another option is to hit a third shot drop, which should be aimed at their backhand, and then immediately approach the kitchen line to force a tough recovery.
Key Points:
Stand in the middle of the court and use a powerful, deep serve to maintain court position and gain an immediate advantage.
Always return the ball deep and run straight to the kitchen to take control of the net.
Exploit your opponent’s backhand whenever possible, as it is usually their weaker side.
Have the courage to control the net, as the net player typically wins the point in singles.
If your opponent stays back after the return, attack the open court and come to the net to flip the court advantage.
Use a third shot drop aimed at the opponent's backhand, followed by an immediate advance to the kitchen.
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That’s it for today! As always, thank you for reading. 🙏
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Happy pickling,
Paul