Teeter-Totter Offense: Only Speed Up When They Must Hit Up
Summary
All Things Pickleball explains the teeter-totter: balls you hit up on are defensive; balls you hit down on are offensive. The goal is to create a world where you’re hitting down and they’re hitting up.
Beginners often speed up a low ball that arrives high for the opponent — flipping the teeter the wrong way (or sailing long). Pull the trigger when the bounce is high enough that you can hit down, or so the ball forces them to hit up by the time it arrives.
Key takeaways
- Offense = hitting down; defense = hitting up
- Don’t speed up balls that gift them a down-ball
- Trigger when height/probability puts them on the up-swing
Action items
- Kitchen game: only speed up balls at net-tape height or higher
- After each speed-up, ask: did they hit up or down?