The Modern Pickleball Meta: Aggressive Teams Win More

The era of the passive dinker is over; it’s time to embrace tactical aggression

The days of the "patient dinker" winning every match are officially numbered.

If you’ve been around the courts for a few years, you probably remember when the golden rule was simple: don't speed up first.

The team that stayed patient, dinked until their opponents made a mistake, and only attacked on a high ball was the team that walked away with the win.

But have you noticed how much faster the game feels lately?

Top APP pro Richard Livornese Jr. recently dropped a video – and it’s a wake-up call for anyone still playing like it’s 2021.

The meta has shifted. We’re seeing players like Gabe Tardio, Hayden Patriquin, Anna Leigh Waters, and Anna Bright dictate rallies – and entire games – by taking the initiative earlier than ever.

It’s not just about being fast; it’s about a fundamental mindset shift toward "smart aggression."

The Death of the 50/50 Ball

For a long time, coaches told us to only speed up "green light" balls, those sitting well above the net.

Everything else was a "yellow light" or "red light," meaning you should dink it back and wait. Richard argues that in the modern game, those "yellow light" balls, what he calls 50/50 balls, are now prime targets for an attack.

These are the balls at knee height or balls you have to reach for. In the past, you’d dink these 100 percent of the time. Now? If you can get topspin on it, you should probably be looking to roll it or reach and attack.

"That aggression is the change," Richard notes. "Don't be afraid to be more aggressive."

It’s a bit of a gamble, sure. You might speed up two in a row and lose the point. But over the course of a match, the team that takes the initiative and forces the opponent to react is the team that wins more often than not.

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Beating the 'Slider' with Off-Pace Attacks

As players get more aggressive, defensive strategies have evolved too. You’ve probably played against a "slider," someone who anticipates your speed-up and slides laterally to counter it with a big rip. It’s frustrating, right? You hit a decent shot, and they’re already there waiting for it.

Here’s the thing: you don't beat a slider by hitting it harder. You beat them with what Richard calls the "off-pace" aggressive shot.

If you know your opponent is looking to slide and counter, try hitting a low, dipping roll right in front of you. Because they’re already moving or expecting a heater, they often get stuck.

They either miss the ball entirely, hit it into the back fence, or, most commonly, they’re late and pop it up for an easy putaway. It’s aggressive because you’re taking the initiative, but it’s smart because you’re using their own momentum against them.

Hunting the Wide Ball

One of the biggest takeaways from the video is how we should be treating wide dinks. Traditionally, if you were pulled wide, the "safe" play was to dink it back crosscourt or middle.

Richard suggests we throw that old playbook in the trash.

The wider the ball is, the more options you actually have. When you’re pulled out wide, your opponents have a massive amount of court to cover. Richard highlights four main options for these scenarios:

1. The Line Pull: A hard shot down the line
2. The Middle Pull: An aggressive roll into the center
3. Hard Crosscourt: Catching them leaning the wrong way
4. The Lob: If they’re leaning in, expecting a counter, a well-placed lob can be devastating

By attacking from a wide position, often the exact thing your opponent will least expect, you force the defending team into a guessing game they usually lose.

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Pickleball's New Meta

If you’ve been playing for years, you’ve likely been conditioned to play it safe. And look, nobody is saying you should start blasting balls from your ankles while off-balance. That’s still a recipe for disaster.

However, with modern paddle technology and the way the game is evolving, the risk-reward ratio for being aggressive has shifted. Whether it’s finding the opponent's body or using off-pace spin to jam them up, the goal is to be the one asking the questions, not the one answering them.

If you mess up an aggressive shot, don't immediately retreat into a shell and start dinking everything. Instead, focus on changing your target. The era of the passive dinker is over; it’s time to embrace smart aggression.