Pickleball Strategy Guide

How to Gain Time (and Stop Losing It) in Pickleball

A big part of pickleball strategy is really a battle over time. Some shots give you time to recover and reset. Others take time away from your opponent. Learning the difference can change how calm and controlled you feel during a rally.

Updated September 2026

Pickleball players competing during a rally in Hawaii — Good strategy is not only about where the ball goes. It is also about how much time each shot gives you and your opponent.

Pickleball is more than hitting the ball over the net. Every rally includes a constant trade: do you give yourself enough time to recover, or do you rush into the next shot? Do you speed the game up when your opponent is vulnerable, or when they are already waiting for it?

At every level, learning to manage time helps you make better decisions. You can use a soft shot to buy time, a deep return to keep an opponent back, or a well-timed speed-up to take reaction time away.

What Does It Mean to Gain or Lose Time?

Gaining Time

A shot gives you enough margin to recover your position, regain balance, move forward, or prepare for the next ball.

A soft reset into the kitchen is a good example. Instead of matching your opponent’s pace, you slow the ball down and create time to recover.

Losing Time

A shot puts you in a position where the next ball arrives before you are balanced or ready.

A poorly timed speed-up can do this. If the opponent is prepared to counter, the ball may come back faster than you can recover.

The basic idea: good players know when to slow the point down and when to accelerate it.

Think about driving in traffic. If you leave space, you have room to react. If you crowd the car in front of you, every change forces a rushed reaction. Pickleball works the same way.

How to Gain Time in Pickleball

1. Hit Deep Serves & ReturnsDepth keeps opponents farther from the kitchen and gives you more time to establish position.

2. Use Resets & DinksSoft shots slow the pace and can turn a defensive situation into a neutral one.

3. Use the Lob SelectivelyA well-placed deep lob can force opponents backward and give you time to recover.

4. Control Your PaceNot every shot needs maximum speed. Repeatable pace often creates more control and fewer rushed recoveries.

Deep Serves and Returns

A deep return keeps the serving team farther from the non-volley zone and gives the returning team more time to move forward. Cross-court returns often travel farther, but placement to the weaker player may be more important than simply maximizing distance.

Soft Game: Dinks and Resets

When you are under pressure, a soft reset can buy back the time you lost. Instead of hitting hard against hard, use a stable paddle face and place the ball into the kitchen so the opponent has to play another controlled ball.

At the kitchen, you can also gain strategic time by moving opponents. A cross-court dink travels farther and can force the opponent to move, which may give you more room to recover or prepare.

Pickleball players using positioning and resets during a point — A reset is often more useful than trying to attack from an off-balance position.

Controlled Pace

The right amount of power is the amount you can control. If increasing speed makes you lose balance, miss your target, or become late for the next shot, you may be giving away more time than you gain.

How Players Lose Time

Short, attackable returnsThey allow the serving team to move forward more easily.

Rushing the swingHitting before you are balanced reduces control and makes recovery harder.

Poorly timed drivesA hard shot into a prepared opponent may come back even faster.

Pop-upsA high ball gives opponents an attacking opportunity and forces you into defense.

Not every short ball is bad. A low, intentional short return can sometimes create difficulty. The problem is a short ball that sits up and makes the opponent’s next shot easier.

Likewise, drives and speed-ups are not mistakes. They become mistakes when you use them from a poor position or without thinking about the reply.

Pickleball player controlling pace during a rally — Controlled pace can create better positioning for your next shot than trying to finish the point immediately.

When You Want to Take Time Away From Your Opponent

Once you are balanced and in control, the goal can flip. Instead of buying time for yourself, you can make the opponent react faster.

Speed up at the right momentAttack when the opponent is stretched, late, or has a paddle position you can exploit.

Drive through the bodyA shorter ball path can reduce reaction time and jam a player who is prepared for an angle.

Take balls out of the airVolleying an attackable dink early can remove time without requiring a huge swing.

Move players side to sideChanging placement can force opponents to hit while moving rather than from a comfortable position.

Fast Hands Battles

When you speed the ball up, think about where the opponent is strongest and where their paddle is positioned. Body targets can be useful because they reduce the space available for a full swing.

But attacking is not only about the first shot. Ask yourself what happens if the ball comes back. Your partner needs to be ready too.

Transition Play

When you are moving through the transition zone, your first priority is often surviving the next ball with enough control to continue moving forward. A soft cross-court reset can create more time than forcing a low-percentage attack.

Kitchen Play

At the kitchen, changing direction and taking the ball early can make opponents feel rushed. You do not need to speed every ball up. Sometimes moving the opponent one step farther is enough to create the next attacking opportunity.

Practical Drills to Train Time Awareness

Deep Return ChallengeHit 20 returns and score one point for every ball that lands in the back third of the court.

Reset DrillStand in the transition zone while a partner drives balls at you. Your goal is to place the ball softly into the kitchen.

Fast Hands ProgressionStart with controlled volleys at the kitchen, then gradually increase pace while keeping the ball under control.

The Mental Side of Time Management

Managing time is not only physical. You have to notice when the rally is speeding up and decide whether that pace is helping you or hurting you.

Did that shot give me time, or take time away?

Am I rushing, or setting up the next ball?

Do I need to slow down, or is this the right moment to attack?

Those questions can make you more aware of why a point felt comfortable or rushed. Over time, the decision becomes faster and more automatic.

Final Thoughts: Time Is a Hidden Part of Pickleball Strategy

Pickleball is not simply about who hits hardest. It is about who can create enough time to stay balanced and then remove time when the opponent is vulnerable.

When you are under pressure, buy time. When you are in control, look for ways to take it away.

For another way to control time and space, read our guide on how to build a point in pickleball.

Want to Work on Rally Control?

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How to Gain Time (and Stop Losing It) in Pickleball