How to Attack Drives and Beat Bangers in Pickleball

The lesson is simple, execution is the tricky part: control the point through positioning and technique, not through raw power

Getting absolutely demolished by hard hitters? Yeah, we've all been there. You're standing at the net, minding your own business, and suddenly someone unleashes a drive that feels like it's traveling at light speed. Your instinct is to swing harder, to match their power with your own. But here's the thing: that's exactly the wrong move.

Richard Livornese just dropped a masterclass on how to flip the script entirely.

Instead of getting pushed around by aggressive drives, you can actually take control of the point and turn defense into offense. Better still, it's not nearly as complicated as you might think.

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The Power Paradox: Less Swing, More Control

Let's start with the counterintuitive part. When someone's ripping a drive at you, your natural reaction is to muscle it back.

But Richard breaks down something that separates elite players from everyone else: you don't need to swing hard when your opponent is already doing the heavy lifting for you.

This is the fundamental mindset shift that changes everything. Instead of a full swing, you're looking at extension. Think of it like catching a ball and redirecting it, not like you're trying to hit a home run. Your paddle stays flat, your wrist stays locked, and you let the opponent's power do the work. It sounds simple because it actually is, but executing it requires understanding the mechanics.

1. The One-Handed Backhand Counter: Your New Best Friend

The one-handed backhand counter is the bread and butter of drive defense. Richard emphasizes that this is the most important shot you need in your arsenal when facing aggressive hitters.

Here's what makes it work: you get low (seriously, get low), keep your paddle face flat, and extend through the ball. No wrist involvement. No shoulder rotation. Just your forearm doing the work. Your elbow bends, then straightens. That's the entire motion.

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The positioning matters too. You want to aim for the back third of the court, not the net. When you do this correctly, the ball lands deep and low, making it nearly impossible for your opponent to hit a quality fifth shot. They're stuck at their feet, scrambling to get the ball up. You've just flipped the entire dynamic of the point.

Richard demonstrates this with live examples, showing how the ball placement stays consistent when the technique is sound. The key is keeping that paddle face neutral or slightly angled downward if the ball is high. If it's low, stay dead flat. This precision is what separates a floating counter from a devastating one.

2. When to Switch to the Two-Handed Backhand

Now, the one-handed backhand works for most situations, but there are specific moments when you need to load up with both hands. This is where positioning becomes crucial.

If you're on the left side of the court, use the two-handed backhand only when the ball is in the corner. If you're on the right side, use it when the ball is anywhere on the right side of the court. The reason? You need to protect your body and maintain the ability to slide or open up if the ball pulls away from you.

When you're loading the two-handed backhand, don't start way back. Stay relatively neutral, ready to adjust. As the ball comes, take a minor backswing, go to neutral, and then extend with your left hand driving through the court. Same principle as the one-hander: you're going through the ball, not chopping at it.

Richard notes that slicing the volley when the ball gets off your body is an easy tell for opponents to crash the net. By loading the two-handed backhand in those corner situations, you maintain aggression while staying in control.

3. Packing the Middle: The Advanced Move

Here's where things get interesting. Most players don't think about this, but the top players in pickleball absolutely do: packing the middle.

When someone drives from the corners, it's straightforward. You know where to position yourself. But when the ball comes from the middle or slightly to either side, that's where players get caught. The solution? Commit to your backhand.

Instead of trying to guess whether you should hit a forehand or backhand, just take everything as a backhand when it's in the middle. Slide into the middle of the court, stay aggressive, and focus on extension rather than worrying about opening or closing your paddle face. If the ball pulls way over to the forehand side, sure, you might need to open up. But for most middle balls, you're taking them as backhands.

This positioning allows you to be more aggressive overall. You're not standing in no-man's-land trying to cover everything. You're committing to a strategy that protects the highest-level threat first, which is the drive.

The Bigger Picture: Why This Matters

What Richard is really teaching here is a fundamental principle of pickleball strategy: control the point through positioning and technique, not through raw power. The players who dominate at higher levels aren't necessarily the strongest hitters. They're the ones who understand how to use their opponent's power against them.

This approach also builds confidence. When you stop getting pushed back and start controlling the rally, your entire game changes. You're no longer reacting; you're dictating. And that psychological shift is just as important as the technical one.

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If you're getting crushed by hard hitters, the solution isn't to hit harder. It's to hit smarter. Master the one-handed backhand counter, know when to switch to the two-handed version, and learn to pack the middle. These three techniques form the foundation of elite-level drive defense.