Stop Hitting Stupid Shots: Why Balance Changes Everything in Pickleball
There’s a specific moment that happens to every pickleball player, regardless of skill level. You’re stretched out wide, your weight is on your back foot, your paddle is barely in position, and somehow your brain decides this is the perfect time to go for a winner. You wind up, take your shot, and watch the ball sail long or crash into the net. Sound familiar?
This pattern repeats itself on courts across the country every single day. Players find themselves off balance and immediately reach for their most aggressive shot. It’s instinctive, it feels right in the moment, and it’s costing you more points than you realize. The fundamental issue isn’t your technique or your paddle choice or even your shot selection in a vacuum. The problem is that you’re making offensive decisions from a defensive position.
Kyle Koszuta recently addressed this exact issue in his 21-day series on pro-level concepts. His message cuts through all the complexity: don’t hit stupid shots. It sounds almost too simple, but this single principle separates players who plateau from those who continue improving year after year.
Understanding the Psychology Behind Poor Shot Selection
When you’re off balance in pickleball, something interesting happens in your decision-making process. You’re vulnerable, exposed, and your instinct screams at you to regain control immediately. Your brain interprets this vulnerability as urgency, and urgency translates into aggression. You feel like you need to end the point right now, before your opponent can capitalize on your weak position.
The cruel twist is that this approach works just often enough to reinforce the behavior. You scramble, you go for the speed-up, and occasionally it works. Your opponent wasn’t expecting it, or you caught them leaning the wrong way, or you just hit a great shot despite poor positioning. That success creates a feedback loop that keeps you coming back to the same bad decision over and over again.
Professional players have trained themselves to recognize this psychological trap and avoid it. They understand that being off balance isn’t a signal to attack. It’s a signal to reset, reposition, and wait for a better opportunity. This mindset shift represents one of the most significant differences between intermediate players and advanced competitors.
The numbers don’t lie. When you attempt an aggressive shot while off balance, your error rate skyrockets. Your accuracy drops, your power becomes inconsistent, and you give your opponent easy points. Meanwhile, the professional approach of resetting and repositioning might not feel as exciting, but it maintains competitive pressure while dramatically reducing unforced errors.
The Lob: Your Strategic Reset Button
When you find yourself scrambling, your feet aren’t set, and you’re stretched to your limit, the lob becomes your most valuable weapon. Not a weak, apologetic lob that barely clears the net, but a purposeful, high, and deep lob that serves multiple strategic functions simultaneously.
First, the lob buys you time. A well-executed lob gives you three to four seconds to recover your position, reset your feet, and get back into proper court positioning. Those few seconds make an enormous difference. You go from being reactive and defensive to being balanced and ready for the next shot.
Second, the lob forces your opponents to move backward and potentially give up their kitchen line position. Even if they handle your lob effectively, they’re now hitting from a less advantageous position than they were moments before. You’ve shifted the geometry of the point in your favor simply by recognizing your own limitations and playing within them.
Third, and perhaps most importantly, the lob preserves the point. You’re not giving your opponent a pop-up to smash. You’re not hitting the ball into the net. You’re keeping the ball in play while improving your strategic position. This is what skilled players understand about the lob that recreational players often miss.
The mental block many players face with the lob comes from ego. Hitting a lob feels defensive, and defensive feels like losing. But this perception couldn’t be more wrong. The lob is an offensive weapon disguised as a defensive shot. You’re not surrendering control of the point. You’re actively choosing to extend the point until you can win it from a position of strength rather than weakness.
Mastering the Reset When You’re Stretched Wide
Another common scenario plays out countless times in every pickleball session. Your opponent hits a dink that pulls you wide, well outside the court’s natural boundaries. You’re stretched, your weight is moving laterally, and now you have to make a decision. The temptation is to try something aggressive, to catch them off guard, to prove you can still attack from this compromised position.
The correct play is almost always to reset the ball back into the kitchen. This means a soft, controlled shot that drops into the non-volley zone and forces the rally to continue. You’re not trying to win the point with this shot. You’re trying to not lose the point with this shot. There’s a critical difference.
After you reset, you move back toward center court, reestablish your balance, and prepare for the next exchange. Now, from this balanced position, you can look for your opportunity to be aggressive. Maybe it’s two shots later, maybe it’s five shots later, but you’re attacking from a position where you can actually execute effectively.
This concept ties directly into the broader principle of playing within yourself. Every shot you hit should be a shot you can execute consistently from your current position. When you’re balanced at the kitchen line with good court position, you have a wide range of shots available. When you’re stretched wide and scrambling, your range of effective shots narrows dramatically. Recognizing this and adjusting accordingly is what separates smart players from frustrated ones.
The reset also sends a message to your opponents. It tells them that you’re not going to beat yourself. They’re going to have to earn this point by executing their own shots rather than capitalizing on your mistakes. This mental aspect of the game matters more than most players realize. Opponents become more tentative when they know they can’t simply wait for you to self-destruct.
For Players New to These Concepts
If you’re relatively new to pickleball or haven’t thought deeply about shot selection strategy, this might seem overly complicated. The core idea is actually quite straightforward: only attempt shots you can execute consistently from your current position on the court.
Think of it like shooting a basketball. If you’re a decent shooter, you probably have a range where you’re comfortable and accurate. Maybe that’s fifteen feet from the basket. When you’re within that range and you have time to set your feet and aim, you take the shot. But if you’re sprinting toward the corner with a defender on you, you don’t pull up for a three-pointer. You pass, you drive, you do something else that gives you a better chance of success.
Pickleball works the same way. When you’re balanced, positioned well, and your feet are set, you can be aggressive. You can speed up the ball, you can attack, you can go for winners. But when you’re off balance, stretched out, or caught in transition, those aggressive shots become low-percentage plays. The smart move is to hit a shot that gets you back to a position where you can be aggressive effectively.
The lob and the reset are your two primary tools for this. The lob is for when you’re really scrambling and need maximum time to recover. The reset is for when you’re somewhat out of position but can still maintain a rally. Both shots share the same purpose: keeping the point alive while improving your position.
This approach might feel passive at first, especially if you’re used to being aggressive whenever possible. But it’s not passive at all. You’re actively managing the point, making strategic decisions, and setting yourself up for success. You’re being patient, which is completely different from being passive. Simple adjustments like this can transform your game without requiring hours of additional practice.
The Strategic Mindset That Wins Matches
Modern pickleball has evolved far beyond the serve-and-smash game it once was. The players dominating tournaments today aren’t necessarily the most powerful or the most athletic. They’re the ones who understand positioning, recognize opportunities, and have the discipline to wait for the right moment to attack.
This patient, strategic approach might not look as exciting from the sidelines. There are fewer spectacular winners, fewer high-risk shots that draw applause. But watch the scoreboard. These players are winning consistently because they’re eliminating the unforced errors that plague everyone else.
The concept extends beyond just the lob and the reset. It’s about developing a broader awareness of your position on the court and your relationship to your opponents. Are you balanced or off balance? Are you in a strong position or a weak one? Do you have time to set up your shot or are you rushed? Every one of these factors should influence your shot selection.
Great players are constantly making these micro-assessments. They’re not thinking about it consciously anymore because it’s become automatic, but they’re always calibrating their aggression level to match their position. When they have an advantage, they press it. When they’re at a disadvantage, they neutralize it. They never try to create offense from defense.
This is why watching professional pickleball can be so instructive. Pay attention not to the spectacular winners but to the shots that preceded them. You’ll notice that pros almost always set up their attacks from balanced, advantageous positions. The winner is just the final shot in a sequence that began with smart, patient play when they were under pressure.
Implementing This in Your Own Game
Understanding these concepts intellectually is one thing. Actually implementing them on the court is another challenge entirely. Your habits are deeply ingrained, and changing them requires conscious effort and repetition.
Start by simply becoming aware of your balance. Before you hit any shot, take a split second to assess whether your feet are under you and your weight is distributed properly. If you’re balanced, you have more options. If you’re not, your options narrow. This awareness alone will start changing your shot selection.
Next time you’re scrambling or stretched wide, resist the urge to do something spectacular. Hit that lob. Hit that reset. Feel how different the point plays out when you give yourself time to recover rather than forcing a low-percentage shot. You’ll probably find that you win more of these points, and you’ll definitely find that you lose fewer of them to unforced errors.
Practice these shots during warm-ups and recreational play. Get comfortable with the mechanics of a good lob and a good reset. These aren’t flashy shots that people practice often, but they’re the shots that win matches. The more comfortable you become with them, the more naturally you’ll reach for them in pressure situations.
Also pay attention to the mental side. When you hit a lob or a reset instead of going for a hero shot, you might feel like you’re playing scared or giving up an opportunity. That’s your ego talking. Learn to recognize that feeling and ignore it. Trust the process and the strategy. The results will validate your approach.
The Evolution of Pickleball Strategy
The game continues to evolve rapidly, and the strategic sophistication keeps increasing. What worked two years ago might not work today. Players are getting better at reading opponents, anticipating shots, and capitalizing on mistakes. In this environment, the players who eliminate unforced errors gain an enormous advantage.
The rise of professional pickleball has accelerated this evolution. As more players study the game seriously and learn from top competitors, these advanced concepts filter down to recreational play. The gap between “just having fun” and “playing strategically” continues to narrow as the overall level of play improves across the board.
This creates an interesting dynamic for players at all levels. You can’t just rely on athleticism or power anymore. You need to understand court positioning, shot selection, and game strategy. The mental game has become just as important as the physical game, if not more so. Players who develop this strategic understanding improve faster and more sustainably than those who just try to hit harder.
The beauty of focusing on balance and shot selection is that it’s accessible to everyone. You don’t need to be young or athletic or have perfect technique. You just need to be smart and disciplined. A 65-year-old player with great shot selection will beat a 30-year-old player with better athleticism but poor decision-making. This is what makes pickleball such a compelling sport.
Beyond the Basics: Building a Complete Game
The principle of not hitting stupid shots is foundational, but it’s just one piece of a larger strategic framework. As you internalize this concept, you’ll start seeing how it connects to other aspects of the game. Your serve return becomes more conservative and consistent. Your third shot focuses on getting to the kitchen line rather than trying for winners. Your dinking becomes more patient.
All of these elements work together to create a game built on solid fundamentals rather than spectacular moments. You’re constructing points rather than hoping for lucky breaks. You’re forcing your opponents to beat you with great shots rather than beating yourself with terrible ones. This approach might not generate highlight reels, but it generates wins.
The transition game is where this principle becomes especially important. As you’re moving forward from the baseline to the kitchen line, you’re inherently off balance. This is exactly when players make their worst decisions, trying to attack while still in motion. The smart play is almost always to hit a neutral shot, complete your movement, then look for opportunities once you’re established at the kitchen line.
Similarly, when you’re defending against an aggressive shot, your first priority should be getting the ball back in play, not mounting an immediate counter-attack. Block it, reset it, absorb the pace, and wait for your opponent to make a mistake or give you a better ball to work with. This defensive patience is what allows you to turn defense into offense over the course of a point.
The Long-Term Payoff
Adopting this more strategic, patient approach to pickleball pays dividends that compound over time. In the short term, you’ll notice fewer unforced errors and more consistent performance. You’ll stop having those frustrating games where you know you beat yourself rather than your opponent beating you.
Over the medium term, you’ll find yourself winning more close games. When matches come down to a few points, the player who makes fewer mistakes usually prevails. Your win rate in competitive situations will improve because you’re not giving away easy points at crucial moments.
In the long term, this foundation allows you to add more advanced weapons to your game. Once you’ve mastered the art of playing within yourself and making smart decisions based on position and balance, you can start expanding your offensive capabilities. But you’re adding those aggressive shots on top of a solid foundation rather than using them as a substitute for fundamentals.
The players who reach the highest levels of the game all share this characteristic. They might have different styles, different strengths, and different shot preferences, but they all understand when to be aggressive and when to be patient. They all recognize the difference between a good opportunity and a bad one. They all know how to avoid stupid shots.
This is the path to sustainable improvement in pickleball. Not chasing the latest paddle technology or trying to copy the flashiest shots you see on social media, but building a game based on sound principles, smart decisions, and disciplined execution. It might not be the most exciting path, but it’s the one that actually works.
So next time you find yourself off balance, scrambling, stretched wide, or caught in transition, remember this simple principle. Don’t hit stupid shots. Hit the lob. Hit the reset. Get your feet back under you, reestablish your position, and wait for your moment. That’s when you can be aggressive. That’s when you can attack. That’s when you can win the point on your terms rather than hoping for a miracle.
The game rewards patience, intelligence, and discipline more than it rewards reckless aggression. Learn to recognize the difference between being passive and being strategic. Master the art of playing within yourself. Stop trying to be a hero when you’re off balance, and start being smart instead. Your win-loss record will thank you.
