7 Forehand Speed Up Patterns That Make the Right Side a Weapon
Most players practice the forehand speed up technique but never learn where to aim it. This lesson from pro coach Zack Silver shows how to set up and choose your spots from the right side.
Your forehand speed up probably feels like a gamble every time you pull the trigger.
You see a ball, you swing, and you hope nobody counters it back at your shoelaces.
The fix is rarely a better swing. It is a better system for choosing where to hit and when.
That is the heart of a lesson from Pickleball Studio on YouTube, where Chris Olson sat down with pro coach Zack Silver, who works with Auggie Ge and Kyle Koszuta.
The lesson skips the mechanics and focuses on strategy: which spots to attack, in what order, and why. Here are the patterns that stood out.
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Why Does Attacking Feel So Scary?
Attacking off the bounce feels vulnerable because you have no plan for what happens next.
Silver’s answer is to build a full system of when, where, and why you attack, so every forehand speed up has a built-in follow-up.
Silver admits he does not have great hands. He would rather be the attacker than the one being attacked, and he gets there by making each attack automatic.
When you know how a point will play out, the speed up stops feeling like a coin flip.
If you want to sharpen the mechanics too, our guide on how to hit a speed up in pickleball covers the swing itself.
Which Spot Should You Attack First?
Attack the hardest spot first, which for most right side players is down the line. Save the easiest, highest percentage spot for when you need it most.
On the right side, the easiest forehand speed up goes through the middle, right at the chicken wing. It is also one of the toughest spots for opponents to cover.
That is exactly why you should not burn it early. Silver would rather hit the difficult line shot first, because even a miss trains your opponent to sit on the line.
The 7 Patterns That Set Up the Forehand Speed Up
These patterns come straight from the lesson. Work through them in order and your attacks start to feel like a plan instead of a guess.
- Go down the line first. It is your hardest shot, so start there and force your opponent to respect it.
- Keep going until they cover it. Silver will hit the line as many times as he can beat you there, and only stops when someone Ernes it.
- Use the middle second. Once the left side player is glued to the line, the middle opens like parted seas.
- Save the inside hip for later. Hit it once or twice, then hold it back so it works when you need it.
- Attack on wide to wide. When you send a ball wide and it comes back wide, you own outside leverage and the line is the easiest shot in the game.
- Bait the forehand dink. Dink to the left side player’s forehand to invite a pulled back ball you can counter.
- Attack on movement. Chaos, shifting, and confusion are the best signals that it is time to speed up.
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What Is Outside Leverage and Why Does It Matter?
Outside leverage means your opponents are pulled toward the sideline while you hold the angle, so the open court is behind them.
It is the single best trigger for a down the line forehand speed up.
If you send Isaac wide and he sends it back wide, his partner has shifted with him. Now the line is wide open and you can hit it even slightly off balance.
When you do not have outside leverage, the line is a risky shot with a short shelf life. Treat it as a keep them honest ball, not your default.
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How Do You Bait the Forehand Dink?
Dink to your opponent’s inside foot on purpose, because a smart left side player will take it out of the air.
That is generally seen as a bad habit, and Silver wants it.
If they take it out of the air and pull it back to you, you have a natural counter in your favorite spot. If they leave it high, you attack it.
This is how you win the point twice. You win the point itself, then your opponents remember that you counter well and stop testing you.
Nothing here happens by accident.
You already know where the ball goes, so your reaction time sits far ahead of theirs, which research on anticipation frames as probability estimation rather than raw speed.
For more on controlling those exchanges, read our pickleball kitchen strategy breakdown.
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Where Should the Right Side Player Stand?
Do not camp on the line shutting down a spot that never gets hit.
Silver points out that almost no speed ups ever go to the right side players forehand lane at lower levels.
Standing there only exposes your backhand side. You are covering a shot that will not happen and leaving the ball you actually want to take wide open.
Good pickleball court positioning is the foundation for everything above. If you cannot cover your territory comfortably, none of the setup patterns work.
Silver even invites the opponent to speed up through the middle. Standing there and waiting is better than defending a ghost.
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How Do You Make Your Dinks Look Like Speed Ups?
Make your dinks look like speed ups, not the other way around.
Most players telegraph an attack by changing their setup, and a good opponent reads it instantly.
Get the ball out in front of you and keep a slightly dropped paddle face on both shots.
When the dink and the forehand speed up look the same, your opponent has to guess.
Versatility is the real goal. If you are behind the ball with it out front, you can dink, speed up, or lob, and nobody knows which.
Our guide on disguising your dink at the net goes deeper on this.
Sometimes the obvious attack ball is the hardest one to hit.
Against elite players, a ball that screams attack gets countered, while a ball taken during chaos or movement often wins.
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Why Should You Step Off the Kitchen Line?
Stepping back gives you time to recover and the freedom to choose.
Silver calls the fear of getting off the line outdated, given how fast modern paddles and balls move, and injury research comparing pickleball to tennis notes the shorter reaction times and tighter player proximity that come with it.
If you leave a dink high from too close, you are stuck trying to recover forward. From a bit further back, you can split step right into the next ball.
Stepping back also gives you distance to reset if they speed it up on you.
You are not conceding anything, you are buying time. We cover the upside in 4 benefits of playing off the kitchen line.
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What Is the Steve Nash Principle for Attacking?
The Steve Nash principle is simple: every attack is a question you ask your opponent.
Silver borrowed it from the basketball legend, who dribbled behind the hoop to see how defenders would react.
Will the left side player cover for their partner? Will they stay on the line? Each speed up gives you an answer you can use on the next point.
The more variety you show, the more answers you collect. That is how you stay one step ahead once opponents catch on.
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What Do These Patterns Look Like in Real Games?
Chris showed several points that mirror the lesson.
When Sergi sent a ball wide, Chris sent it wide back, knowing Isaac expects a line attack only when Chris has outside leverage.
When the next ball came without outside leverage, Chris went at the line anyway and caught Isaac off guard.
That works because Isaac had been trained to expect the opposite.
In other points, Chris pulled through the middle to see whether Sergi or David would cover for Isaac.
The answer told him whether the crosscourt lane was open for future points.
One middle attack drifted too close to Sergi’s right hip and got countered.
Chris expected the return, though, and hit a counter Sergi was not ready for. Even a miss fit the system.
Why Percentages Beat Perfection
You have to play percentages and accept that great shots will sometimes beat you. If someone rips a perfect ball over your shoulder, that is pickleball.
If you win 75 percent of the points where the pattern works and lose 25 percent to great shots, you are winning.
Losing sleep over the other 25 will keep you from ever attacking.
Pair that mindset with patience and you will stop forcing a bad forehand speed up.
Our article on 3 keys pros use before every pickleball speed up adds a few more triggers worth memorizing.
Frequently Asked Questions
Where should I hit my forehand speed up from the right side?
Start with down the line, since it is the hardest spot, then move to the middle once your opponent covers the line. Save the inside hip for later so it stays effective when you need it.
When is the best time to speed up in pickleball?
The best time is when your opponents are moving or out of position, such as on a wide to wide exchange where you hold outside leverage. Movement and chaos are better triggers than the ball height alone.
How many times should I attack the same spot?
Keep going to a spot as long as you keep beating your opponent there. Switch when someone Ernies it or clearly sits on the spot, because that tells you the next opening.
Should I stand on the kitchen line on the right side?
Not always. Standing slightly off the line gives you recovery time and avoids over covering a shot that rarely gets hit, which exposes your backhand side.
How do I stop telegraphing my speed ups?
Get the ball out in front of you and keep your paddle face similar on dinks and attacks. When both shots look the same, opponents cannot tell which one is coming.
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