The 10 Most Important Pickleball Tips for Intermediate Players
Summary
Coach Dave Furman of Pickleball Daily packs ten intermediate upgrades into one lesson. Prefer the middle: it protects the biggest part of the court, lowers the net target for you, and avoids the sharp angles that create chaos for your own partner. Stay near the kitchen when countering speed-ups — backing up opens feet and width for the attacker. Cross-court (diagonal) dinks give more distance, a lower middle net, and more time if you leave one up.
Be selective with aggression: attack the paddle-side pocket between hip and armpit so the opponent jams on a forehand. Catch people off-guard, watch the ball to the paddle face with peripheral awareness of opponents, and use stacking plus simple hand signals (open hand = switch, fist = stay) while calling off switches on trouble returns. The most underrated shot is the soft reset: absorb near the body with an open face and soft grip, get low, and re-establish the point instead of forcing a late counter.
Key takeaways
- Hit middle more; angles create counter-angles on your partner
- Stay on the kitchen line to counter; backing up opens your feet
- Diagonal dinks = more margin and time
- Attack the paddle-side hip/armpit pocket
- Watch the ball to the paddle; use peripheral vision for opponents
- Stack and signal switch vs stay; cancel switches on trouble returns
- Soft reset near the body beats a late forced counter
Action items
- Play a set where middle targets are mandatory on every third and fifth shot
- Practice open-face resets from mid-court with a partner speeding up at you
- Agree fist/open-hand signals with your partner before the next match