How to Hit ‘The Kyle’: The Sneaky Pickleball Shot That Makes Opponents Look Silly

It happens in an instant. If you’re expecting it, it can still be difficult to defend. But if you’re caught unaware? Forget about it.

You’ve likely seen it, probably faced it a time or two in rec play. You may have even attempted it yourself. “The Kyle” pickleball shot is one of those sneaky weapons that separates players who know what they’re doing from those who are still figuring things out. It’s the kind of shot that doesn’t announce itself with power or flash, but rather with subtlety and perfect timing. When executed properly, it leaves opponents flat-footed, scrambling to recover from a ball that seemed to come from nowhere.

This technique has been making rounds in the pickleball community for good reason. It’s accessible enough for intermediate players to learn, yet sophisticated enough that even advanced players find it effective in competitive situations. The beauty of The Kyle lies in its deceptive simplicity. You don’t need to completely retool your game or spend months developing new muscle memory. Instead, you’re adding a strategic wrinkle to something you already do dozens of times in every match.

Understanding The Kyle Shot: A Beginner’s Perspective

For those newer to pickleball or unfamiliar with advanced shot techniques, let’s break down what makes The Kyle special and why it matters in the context of modern pickleball strategy.

Picture yourself at the kitchen line, that non-volley zone seven feet from the net where so much of pickleball action takes place. You and your opponent are engaged in what’s called a dinking rally, where you’re hitting soft shots back and forth, each trying to create an opening or force an error. In most exchanges, your opponent can read your body language and paddle position to anticipate where you’re going to hit the ball. They see you setting up for a backhand, and they start moving in that direction even before you make contact.

The Kyle disrupts this predictability entirely. It’s essentially a last-second misdirection play that happens at the moment of contact. You set up as if you’re going to hit a standard backhand dink, but at the very last instant, you flip your wrist and hit with your forehand instead, sending the ball in an unexpected direction. Imagine a magician’s sleight of hand, but with a paddle and ball. Your opponent commits to defending one shot, only to discover the ball is traveling somewhere completely different.

What makes this particularly effective is the positioning in pickleball. Players typically stand fairly close to the kitchen line during dinking exchanges, which means reaction time is measured in fractions of a second. When you disguise your shot until the absolute last moment, you’re not giving your opponent enough time to adjust their positioning or paddle angle. They’re caught in that awkward in-between position where they’ve already started moving one direction but need to reverse course immediately.

The Setup: It Starts Like a Normal Backhand Dink

The Kyle gets its name from Kyle Yates, one of the sport’s earliest and most prolific pros, the guy credited with bringing Ben Johns into pickleball. Yates has been instrumental in developing and popularizing numerous techniques that have become standard in competitive play, and The Kyle is perhaps one of his most clever contributions.

Kyle Yates was a recent guest on The Dink’s PicklePod podcast. He’s a pioneer through and through, and The Kyle isn’t the only shot he’s brought into the mainstream. His influence on the game extends far beyond this single technique, as he’s been part of pickleball’s evolution from recreational pastime to serious competitive sport.

The Kyle begins like you’re setting up for a regular backhand dink. You’re holding your paddle, ready to take the ball, and you’re bringing it back just like you normally would. Nothing fancy here. Your stance is the same, your paddle position looks identical to countless other backhand dinks you’ve hit before. This is crucial because the entire effectiveness of the shot depends on this initial deception. If your opponent sees anything different in your setup, they’ll be alert to the possibility of something unexpected.

Your weight distribution should mirror a standard backhand preparation. Your shoulders are turned slightly, your paddle is back in position, and your eyes are tracking the incoming ball exactly as they would for any normal return. This consistency in your setup is what sells the deception. Your opponent has seen you hit hundreds of backhands before, and their brain is processing this as just another one of those routine exchanges.

The paddle path starts identically to a conventional backhand dink. You’re taking the paddle back to the same position, maintaining the same grip pressure, keeping your elbow in the same relationship to your body. Every element of the shot looks absolutely normal until that critical final moment. This is where years of watching opponents and developing pattern recognition works against them. Their brain has already decided what’s coming based on all the visual cues you’ve provided.

The Execution: Timing Is Everything

At the last possible second, the moment before impact, you flip your wrist fully over and push the ball with the forehand instead. It happens in an instant. If you’re expecting it, it can still be difficult to defend. But if you’re caught unaware? Forget about it.

The key to hitting a successful Kyle is timing. You want to take the ball all the way back, holding that backhand dink position until literally the last second. That’s when things get interesting. At that final moment, you have two options. You can either push the ball forward down the line from your backhand side, or you can switch to your forehand and push from there instead. This dual threat is what makes the shot so problematic for opponents to defend.

The wrist flip needs to be quick and decisive. There’s no room for hesitation or a slow transition. The moment you commit to the flip, your wrist rotates, bringing the forehand face of the paddle into play. The motion isn’t large or exaggerated. In fact, the smaller and tighter you can keep the movement, the less time your opponent has to react. Think of it as a compact, efficient rotation rather than a sweeping motion.

Contact with the ball should happen with a firm wrist, even though you’ve just completed the flip. A floppy or loose wrist at impact will result in inconsistent shots that either go into the net or sail long. Once you’ve made the flip, you need to stabilize and push through the ball with controlled pace. The goal isn’t to blast the ball past your opponent but rather to place it where they aren’t prepared to defend it.

It’s this element of choice that makes The Kyle so effective. Your opponent doesn’t know which direction you’re going until you commit, and by then, it’s too late for them to adjust. They’re frozen in that moment of recognition, realizing what’s happening but unable to respond quickly enough. Their paddle is positioned for one shot, their weight is leaning in one direction, and their footwork has already started moving them to cover the expected angle.

Why This Shot Matters in Modern Pickleball

In pickleball, consistency and predictability are usually your friends. But sometimes you need to throw in something unexpected to keep the other team off balance. The Kyle does exactly that. The sport has evolved to a point where players at intermediate and advanced levels have developed strong pattern recognition. They read body language, anticipate shot selection based on court position, and react to setups before the ball is even struck. This makes creating genuine surprise increasingly difficult.

By disguising your intentions until the last possible moment, you’re forcing your opponent to react rather than anticipate. They can’t start moving toward the sideline or the middle until they see which way you’re actually hitting it. That split-second delay is often enough to create an opening or force an error. In a game where margins are razor-thin and a single point can shift momentum in an entire match, having this weapon in your arsenal provides a tangible competitive advantage.

It’s also a shot that works particularly well in the kitchen, where most of the action happens. You’re already in close, already in that dinking range, so adding this little wrinkle to your backhand game can be the difference between winning and losing a rally. The compressed space and quick exchanges at the net mean that any disruption to your opponent’s timing or positioning gets amplified. A shot that might give you a slight edge from the baseline becomes a potential point-winner when executed seven feet from the net.

The psychological impact of The Kyle shouldn’t be underestimated either. Once you’ve successfully pulled it off a couple of times in a match, your opponent becomes hesitant. They start second-guessing their reads, waiting that extra fraction of a second to confirm which way you’re actually hitting before they commit to their movement. This hesitation is exactly what you want. Even when you’re hitting a standard backhand dink without any deception, they’re now less aggressive in their positioning because they’re worried about being fooled again.

The Learning Curve and Practice Approach

The Kyle is not overly complicated, but it does take practice. You don’t need special equipment or a completely different stance. You’re just adding a timing element and a directional choice to something you already know how to do. It’s more about feel and repetition than anything else. The mechanics themselves are straightforward once you understand the basic concept. The challenge lies in developing the timing and confidence to execute it under pressure.

If you’re looking to add this to your game, the best approach is to practice it during warm-ups or casual play before you try it in a competitive match. Get comfortable with the motion, understand how much power you need, and figure out which direction feels more natural for you. Start slowly, focusing on the wrist flip and contact point rather than trying to execute it at full speed immediately. Many players find that hitting against a wall or backboard is helpful for developing the muscle memory without the pressure of live play.

Work on the setup first. Practice your normal backhand dink form repeatedly until it’s completely automatic. The more consistent your standard setup becomes, the more effective your deception will be when you introduce The Kyle. Film yourself if possible, or have a practice partner watch your form to ensure your setup looks identical whether you’re planning a regular dink or The Kyle. Any telltale differences in your preparation will tip off observant opponents.

Once the setup feels natural, start incorporating the wrist flip in slow motion. Don’t worry about hitting actual balls at first. Just go through the motion repeatedly, feeling how your wrist rotates and how the paddle face changes orientation. This dry practice helps build the neural pathways without the added complexity of timing the flip to meet an incoming ball. Gradually increase the speed of the motion until it becomes fluid and quick.

When you start hitting actual balls, expect some inconsistency initially. The timing window is small, and it takes repetition to dial it in. You’ll hit some into the net, some long, and some that don’t have enough pace to be effective. This is normal. The key is to maintain your form and trust the process. With practice, your brain and body will calibrate the timing naturally, and the shot will become increasingly reliable.

Strategic Applications and When to Use The Kyle

The Kyle might not be the flashiest shot in pickleball, but it’s the kind of subtle weapon that can elevate your game. It’s not about hitting winners every time you employ it; it’s about creating opportunities and keeping your opponent uncomfortable. And in a sport where margins are often razor-thin, that’s exactly what you need.

Consider using The Kyle when you notice your opponent has developed a strong read on your patterns. If they’re consistently getting to your backhand dinks and returning them aggressively, The Kyle can disrupt their rhythm and make them more tentative. It’s particularly effective against players who are very athletic and quick to react, as they tend to rely heavily on their ability to read and respond to visual cues. By breaking their pattern recognition, you neutralize some of their physical advantages.

The shot also works well in situations where you need to change the pace or direction of a rally. If you’ve been engaged in a crosscourt dinking exchange and want to suddenly switch the ball to your opponent’s other side, The Kyle provides a disguised method to do so. Rather than telegraphing the direction change with an obvious setup, you maintain your normal form and deliver the surprise at the last instant.

Think about incorporating The Kyle after you’ve hit several consecutive standard backhand dinks. This sets a pattern in your opponent’s mind, making them increasingly confident in their ability to predict your next shot. Once they’ve settled into this comfort zone, that’s when The Kyle becomes most effective. The contrast between the expected pattern and the actual result maximizes the element of surprise.

Avoid overusing the shot, however. Like any trick play, The Kyle loses effectiveness if it becomes predictable. If you attempt it multiple times in quick succession, your opponent will adjust their positioning and timing to account for it. Use it sparingly and strategically, saving it for moments where it can have maximum impact. Think of it as a spice that enhances your game rather than the main ingredient.

Common Mistakes and How to Avoid Them

One of the most frequent errors players make when learning The Kyle is telegraphing the shot through subtle changes in their setup. Maybe their grip adjusts slightly, or their shoulder drops, or their eyes shift direction a fraction of a second too early. These tiny tells are enough for experienced opponents to anticipate what’s coming. The solution is to practice your standard backhand dink and The Kyle side by side, constantly comparing your setup to ensure they’re identical.

Another common mistake is flipping the wrist too early. If you start the rotation before the ball is close enough to make contact, you lose the element of surprise entirely. Your opponent sees the paddle face change orientation and has time to adjust. The flip needs to happen at the absolute last possible moment, which requires considerable practice to time correctly. It should feel almost uncomfortably late when you’re first learning it.

Some players also struggle with power control on The Kyle. Because the motion is somewhat unusual and the wrist is rotating during contact, there’s a tendency to either hit the ball too softly or too aggressively. The goal is a controlled push that places the ball precisely where you want it. Work on finding that middle ground where the ball has enough pace to be effective but not so much that it flies long or becomes easily attackable.

Finally, many players give away the shot through their follow-through or immediate reaction. If you flip your wrist and then freeze or look surprised yourself, your opponent gets visual feedback about what just happened. Maintain your composure and follow through naturally, as if hitting The Kyle is just another routine shot in your repertoire. This not only helps with consistency but also maintains the psychological edge.

The Bigger Picture: Building a Complete Game

While The Kyle is an excellent addition to your skill set, it’s important to view it as one component of a comprehensive approach to pickleball. The shot works best when integrated into a broader strategic framework that includes solid fundamentals, court positioning, and shot selection. Think about how it fits with the other techniques you’re developing and how it complements your natural playing style.

The Kyle pairs particularly well with other deceptive shots and disguised techniques. If you’re also working on things like the Erne, the around-the-post shot, or various spin variations, you’re building a game that keeps opponents constantly guessing. This unpredictability becomes your signature, making you a difficult player to prepare for or develop a game plan against.

Remember that shot variety is valuable, but only if you can execute each shot reliably under pressure. It’s better to have three or four shots you can hit consistently than ten shots that work only occasionally. Master The Kyle to the point where you can pull it off in tight match situations, not just in practice or recreational play. This means countless repetitions and probably some failures in real games as you build your confidence with the technique.

Consider how The Kyle fits into your overall offensive strategy. Are you using it primarily as a setup shot to create angles for your partner? Is it a finishing shot to win points outright? Or is it mainly a tactical weapon to keep opponents honest and prevent them from cheating toward one side? Understanding the shot’s role in your game helps you deploy it more effectively and measure its success appropriately.

Taking Your Game to the Next Level

The journey from learning The Kyle to mastering it mirrors the broader path of improvement in pickleball. It requires patience, practice, an