08/22/2026
This is shared from Jordan Briones.
When it comes to playing "smart" pickleball, what is the first thing that comes to your mind?
As players watch their favorite pros play on TV, it's easy to look for the crazy firefights at the kitchen line, the fancy behind-the-back shots, and also the sweeping around-the-post shots that we all love to see.
This past week, I watched and studied the pro gold medal match from this past US Open.
And unlike others, I wasn't looking for the highlights.
As a coach, I'm often looking for what actually separates the very top players from the "rest of the field".
The big question is:
How are the same few players often able to make it to every Championship Sunday?
Well, after going through this match, point by point, I kept landing on the same answer....
...which is the answer that I already knew.
You see, it's almost never about their shot-making abilities.
At the highest level, everyone has great shot making skills, although the biggest gap between the top players in the game and the rest of the field, is their decision making and intention on every single shot.
Even if you're not planning to go "pro" one day, you too, can make a lot better decisions on the court, compared to your opponents on the other side of the net.
And at the end of the day, the team that makes better decisions on the court, usually ends up winning the match.
Below, are 5 simple decision making tips that I took away from watching the latest US Open Gold Medal Match:
1. Prioritize deep, high-percentage middle returns
As many returns we hit in this game, you would think more players would practice their returns more often.
Now to most players, returns may sound super "boring", but when looking at the data....
...it shows that 2-4 returns are missed (on average) in every single game at the 3.0-3.5 level of recreational play.
This may be the most underrated stat in of all of pickleball, as every missed return is a free point handed over to your opponents.
At the pro level, returns are rarely missed — and you'd better believe that they prioritize their return game in practice.
Like I stated above, returning deep towards the middle of the court, is the highest percentage return that you can hit.
2. Use the 3rd shot drive primarily to "set up" your next shot
This one caught my eye on every single point.
When high level players drive the ball from behind the baseline, they don't crash and rush in behind it.
After they drive the ball, they quickly stop and set their feet to prepare for the next ball.
I call it the "drive and stabilize".
After you drive your 3rd shot, you should be actively looking to set up for your 5th shot drop immediately.
If you don't have a plan after you drive the ball, you'll most likely react and make the wrong decision.
3. Don't attack when you're reaching or when you are off balance
Even though high-level players can virtually attack any ball that they hit, they don't.
Why?
Because they are playing the "long" game.
Instead of attacking a ball that is too low (in which they might win the point 50% of the time, they would much rather wait for another ball that they could attack knowing that they would win that exchange 80% of the time).
When you're in the heat of the battle, it can definitely be hard to "hold back" and not attack the ball in the moment.
But sometimes... it might just be the best thing for your team to do.
As a general rule, I don't like to initiate an attack unless I know that I can hit a very good target that I'm going for.
If the ball is too low or if I'm a little bit off balance, I'll just d**k the ball instead.
4. Step off the NVZ line, if it gives you an advantage
Whether you've been told to always "stay up" at the kitchen line, or if your feet are just naturally "glued" to the line, I just want you to know that the pros purposely step "off" of the NVZ line to create better attacking opportunities for themselves.
Every time the ball bounces, hitting the ball at the apex will generally put you in a better position to hit a more offensive shot.
When you finally get to experience this yourself, creating space isn't about retreating..... it's about setting up a stronger hitting position.
So, if the ball is bouncing into your NVZ, look to create space to attack or to hit a more aggressive ball!
5. In a hands battle, think "down and away", not hard
It's not always the one who hits the "hardest" ball, who wins the point.
Why is this?
Well, especially at higher levels, just hitting the ball "hard" isn't always the best strategy...
Where you hit the ball and how low you can hit the ball really makes the biggest difference.
When you do get into a fast hands battle, try directing the ball down instead of hitting the ball as hard as you can. You'll be pretty surprised on what that can do.
So....
Now that you know these 5 huge decision-making tips, how can you actually apply it on the court?
My suggestion is that you pick one of these things (maybe the one that you struggle with the most), and just work on that for one week.
That is my challenge to you!
I know that if you constantly try to think about and apply just one of these things to your game, it can go a long way!
I hope this helps!
Your coach,
Jordan Briones
