If you watch higher-level pickleball, you will notice the players hitting on average 75-85 percent of their dinks cross court. This is the safer and smarter play, as it gives you a higher margin for error on your dink without getting attacked. Practice dinking cross court and use the down-the-line dink as a mix up or to target weaker opponents.

When dinking, keep your feet shoulder-width apart and stay in an athletic stance with your knees slightly bent. When you have to move side-to-side, don’t cross your feet, but stay with them apart and crab walk. This will keep you ready for any form of attack and will allow you to move more fluidly along the Kitchen line.

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One of the best pickleball tips is to vary your shots. To win, you need to be unpredictable.

If you hit the same shot repeatedly, or to the same spot every time, your game will be predictable and your opponent will be able to block or return the shot easily.

Mix up your shots. Use different angles, pace, and spin.Here are a few pickleball tips to help you out:

• Vary the height of your shots – throw in a high lob every now and then.

• Use both soft and hard shots.

• Alternate using topspin and backspin.

• Use angles your shots, but always remember the middle is the safest.

• Vary the pace and height of your serves

A majority of points scored in pickleball rallies are earned by players whose toes are close to the kitchen line. Therefore, it’s important to move up as soon as you can and get yourself in the best position to score.

Remember, now that you’re closer to your opponent, rallies will speed up. You need to always be ready! When both of you are at the kitchen line, you will create a visual wall to your opponents. This might put them on the defense and allow you to set up offensive opportunities.

If you are in the position to return the serve, your partner is already at the kitchen line. Put pressure on your opponents by immediately moving forward as soon as you have returned the serve. The sooner you both are at the kitchen line, the more offensive you can be.

Remember, though, that the kitchen can also be dangerous. The ball comes back faster, and no one wants to take a ball in the face! Keep your paddle up, and ready for every shot.

And of course, don’t step into the kitchen, or even on the kitchen line, when you’re hitting (you will lose the point on a fault).

As you progress and start to improve your shot placement, start to target your opponent’s backhand, especially low toward their feet.

Many players favor their forehand, and will position themselves accordingly. Make them have to turn their bodies to get to the ball. This could pull out of position and allow you to put the return away.

Hitting a shot to the middle, but toward one player's backhand can cause confusion and result in neither of them hitting the ball properly.

This tip is especially useful for singles, where there’s more opportunity to hit the backhand.

Pickleball is most often played in pairs, which means you and your partner need to decide things like, who is going to serve first and whether you prefer your forehand or backhand. The best way to do this is through talking and clear communication.

• Say 'mine!' when you're going to hit the ball, especially when the shot is hit up the middle, between the two of you. This will erase any doubts your teammate has about who should hit it.

• When your team scores a point, make sure to celebrate with a 'good job!' Encourage one another after every rally, whether you win the point or not. Stay positive and keep good energy flowing between you.

Description Just as your goal is to get to the kitchen as quickly as possible, you should try to keep your opponents back toward their baseline for as long as possible. This will force them to hit shots that are more difficult and out of their comfort zone.

Here are a few ways to do this:

• Hit your serves deep and as close to the baseline as possible.

• Return serves with arc and as deep as possible so your opponent has to wait longer for the bounce before they can return it. This will also give you time to get to the kitchen line and go on the offensive sooner. Continue to hit the player who is further back in the pickleball court, aiming at their feet.

• Occasionally try a faster-paced serve, maybe with spin to catch your opponent off guard. Be sure you’ve practiced this before trying it in a pickleball match.

• If you can successfully keep or force your opponents back, you'll be in a much better position to win the rally.