It’s a bad habit in intermediate pickleball: when players start to get uncomfortable, they resort to the all-or-nothing option.

• A little off-balanced? Try to smack a winner down the middle.
• Get pulled off the side of the court? Why not snipe the back corner.
• Lob fly over your head and land in? Time to break out the tweener.

In each of these scenarios, a reset is the better option.

The key is not to panic in the middle of the chaos. It’s the hardest thing to do in pickleball, and in sports generally.

Employ composure when it matters most.

Embrace the long drawn-out points. Use the reset to your advantage. It’s what makes the game of pickleball beautiful.

What to focus on

The seven-foot non-volley zone (kitchen) on the other side of the net provides a safe place to land any ball.

It’s a port in the storm. The great equalizer that makes pickleball a game where power and athleticism can be neutralized with finesse and precision.

In higher-level pickleball, players are comfortable resetting the ball in all types of scenarios. They’re used to stretched out rallies and the advantage shifting back and forth in a single point.

Resets don't have to be perfect, they just have to BOUNCE. If the ball bounces in the kitchen, you earn more time to recover and advance.

We have a blog all about resets. Click here to read it and put these tips into practice on the court.

Next time you hit the court, don’t be a hero. Embrace being uncomfortable. Be patient with your points.

Instead of ripping a high-risk winner, get reps in on the reset. It will pay off in the long run.

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