As you grow your pickleball playing skills, you will start to learn pickleball strategy and not know where to start. We've enlisted the help of Team ONIX professional pickleball player Jaci West Reynolds who shares her tips on best practice for pickleball playing strategy.

PICKLEBALL STRATEGY:

Stay tethered to your partner. Always move with your partner — whether that’s moving laterally, back, or forward. The only time you should be away from your partner is when one is returning and the other is at the kitchen.

Mirror the ball. Whenever the ball lands on the opposite side of the court, be sure that you and your partner and moving accordingly. Example: If your partner hits crosscourt, move laterally to be in front of the ball while your partner covers the middle.

Forehand takes the middle. It can get confusing on who hits the ball when it’s down the middle. When in doubt, let the person with the forehand take the shot.

Communicate with your partner. Playing with a lefty? Or maybe you hit a ball too high and need to retreat. Communicate to your partner with short words like, “me, yours, mine, back, attack” during the point when necessary.

Look for weaknesses and patterns. The longer the points go, the more you can spot your opponent’s weakness and tendencies. If there’s a player that lobs a lot, anticipate moving back before they hit so you can be in better position.

Hit serves and returns deep. The deeper and more aggressive your serve, the higher the possibility of getting an easier ball to hit a third shot drive or drop. Alternatively, if you hit the serve deep and to your opponent’s backhand, it’s harder for them to hit a tough third shot.

Written by Team ONIX pro pickleball player Jaci West Reynolds. You can read more from Jaci at her website or find her on Instagram here