PickleFitter

When and how to speed up in pickleball, with drills

When to speed up a ball from a dink rally, where to aim it, and three speed-up drills, for 3.5 to 4.0+ players.

For players rated 3.5+

When to use it

A speed-up is a fast, flat shot hit from the kitchen line, usually out of a dink rally, to catch the other team before their paddles are ready. Done well, it wins the point outright or forces a pop-up you can put away.

Speed up a ball you can contact at or above net height, while you're balanced and your opponent's paddle is low. A ball you speed up from below the net has to rise, and a rising ball is easy to counter.

Drills

Your level
Practising

Not sure of your level? What the ratings mean

  1. 1.Above-the-net trigger

    With a partner3.5

    Trains recognising which dinks are high enough to speed up.

    FROM ABOVEKITCHENKITCHENABFROM THE SIDEKITCHENKITCHENnet height34 inAB
    Dink until a ball sits up.
    1. Dink with your partner, who now and then lets one sit up a little higher.
    2. Speed up only a ball you can contact at or above net height; dink everything else.
    3. After each speed-up your partner calls 'good' or 'too low'.

    Reps: 3 rounds of 5 minutes

  2. 2.Target the shoulder

    With a partner3.5

    Builds an accurate speed-up at the hardest place to defend: the shoulder or hip on the paddle side.

    FROM ABOVEKITCHENKITCHENABFROM THE SIDEKITCHENKITCHENnet height34 inAB
    B dinks; A speeds up at B's paddle-side shoulder or hip.
    1. Your partner stands at the kitchen line with their paddle up, ready to block.
    2. From a dink, speed up at their paddle-side shoulder or hip. They block it back without countering.
    3. Count speed-ups that reach the target; anything above their shoulder or wide of their body doesn't count.

    Reps: 3 sets of 10

  3. 3.Speed-up, counter, reset

    Four players4.0

    Trains what happens after the speed-up: the counter and the reset.

    FROM ABOVEKITCHENKITCHENABCDFROM THE SIDEKITCHENKITCHENnet height34 inADBC
    Cross-court dinks…
    1. Play cross-court dinks with all four players at the kitchen line.
    2. Anyone may speed up. The team being attacked counters a high ball and resets a low one.
    3. Play out every exchange; score only the points that started with a speed-up.

    Reps: Games to 11

Common mistakes

  • Speeding up from below the net. The ball has to rise, and a rising ball is easy to counter.
  • Speeding up while moving or off balance. Set your feet first.
  • Swinging big. The speed comes from a short, fast push with a firm wrist, not a long backswing.
  • Aiming wide of your opponent. A ball at the body is harder to block than one they can reach out for.

What to work on at your level

2.5–3.0Not yet: get comfortable with volleys & hand battles and dink first.
3.5Speed up only balls at net height or above, and aim at the paddle-side shoulder or hip.
4.0Hide the speed-up inside your dink motion, and be ready for the counter before it comes.
4.5+Hide the speed-up inside your dink motion, and be ready for the counter before it comes.

Paddles that help

A lower swing weight gets the paddle through a short, fast speed-up and back up in time for the counter.

Lowest Swing Weight Pickleball Paddles

Common questions

What is a speed-up in pickleball?
A fast, flat attack from the kitchen line, usually out of a dink rally, that catches the opponent before their paddle is ready.
Where should you aim a speed-up?
At the opponent's paddle-side shoulder or hip, or straight at the body. Those are the hardest places to block cleanly.
When shouldn't you speed up?
When the ball is below the net, when you're off balance, or when your opponent's paddle is already up and ready.

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