# Chapter 18 - Key Tips

To play pickleball well, you first need to learn various skills comprehensively through a scientific training and master basic skills solidly. If you want to achieve excellent results in the tournament, you need to master more professional skills and apply them flexibly in the competition. These skills have higher requirements on players' physical strength, consciousness judgment, reaction speed and hand sensitivity.

## Practices

* Learn how to play hard first, then how to play softly, then play hard again. At last, master to play flexibly.
* Being able to control power is more important than power itself. Controlling means that with the same gesture, you can generate different power, speed, placement and spin.
* Ball follows the mind. You will see the trajectory before hitting the ball. The action of hitting the ball is just to implement it.
* Adjust the breathing rhythm. Get to the ready position when you inhale, and hit the ball when you exhale, which will be more stable.
* Drop is the far-net Dink; Dink is the near-net Drop. The first goal of both is not gifting an opportunity to the opponents.
* The most effective way of Dink and Drop is to push, rather than to drive or to spin.
* Lob must pass the opponent's top, and prepare to go to the net immediately.
* The ball flying over waist in the midfield will go out in most cases.
* For the battle in front of the net, use the forehand more for attack, and use the backhand more for defense.
* Attack more in a straight direction, and defense more in a cross direction. Return in a cross direction for a straight attack, and vice versa.
* During training, you should be focused and learn how to be quick; during tournament, you should be relaxed and remember to be slow as needed.
* It is usually more effective to control the placement and the trajectory, rather than hit more powerful and more quickly.
* Play less games before the correct action becomes your subconscious reaction.

## Tactics

* If the opponent's footwork is poor, let him run more; if the opponent's reaction is fast, disrupt the pace; if the opponent's near-net skill is good, try more lobs, otherwise, play more dinks.
* Return ball to an opponent in the backcourt, otherwise, to the weaker player.
* Run to the net as soon as possible and keep the opponents in the backcourt.
* If you don't know where to go, return the ball to the gap between the opponents.
* The offense should be aggressive, more hard shots and deep shots should be played; the defense should be gentle, and more soft shots and short shots should be played.
* The best footwork is to move least. The less to move, the more stable to hit.

## Strategies

* Take advantage of one's own strengths and attack others' weaknesses; first stand undefeated, and then defeat opponents.
* Footwork is more important than hand technique. Run into position before hitting.
* Don't get into a groove. Adjust at any time according to the opponent.
* Hit to low from high, hit to back court from near net, hit at early stage against at late stage.
* Those who can win the near-net battle will win the game, those who can control the rhythm will control the game.
* Begin with the end in mind, exhaust the opponents at your ease, and defeat the complication with simplification.
