HOW TO BEAT YOUNGER PICKLEBALL PLAYERS WITHOUT HITTING HARDER

💫 Get my FREE match planning worksheet here! 👉🏼https://athenapickleball.kit.com/matc... Wisdom is a weapon and you don’t need to always hit harder to beat younger, faster pickleball players. In this video, I break down 3 smart pickleball strategies that help experienced players win with placement, patience, pressure, and court IQ. As a 48-year-old open-level pickleball player and coach, I’m constantly competing against players half my age, and these are the exact patterns and concepts I rely on to stay competitive. We’ll cover how to create attackable balls, use volley dinks to take time away, spread opponents out to create openings, and why middle dinking is one of the most underrated strategies in doubles pickleball. If you feel like younger players are overpowering you, this video will help you slow the game down, control points, and start winning with smarter tactics instead of trying to out-athlete everyone. In this video, you’ll learn: Why "making them hit up" is the foundation of a winning game. How to use the volley dink to steal time and keep your opponents on the ropes. The "Middle Solves the Riddle" strategy for forcing communication breakdowns and awkward shots. Stop running more and start playing smarter. If you're ready to embrace the chess match of pickleball, hit that subscribe button for more strategic insights! 👇 Let me know in the comments: Which strategy do you use most often — moving players wide, volley dinking, or controlling the middle? #pickleball #pickleballstrategy #pickleballtips #doublespickleball #pickleballcoach #pickleballiq #athenapickleball #pickleballtraining #pickleballlife #pickleballvideo Chapters: 00:00 Why Older Players Still Win 00:44 Placement Over Power 01:01 Strategy #1 — Make Them Hit Up 02:30 The “No Speedups” Pressure Drill 03:32 Strategy #2 — Take Time Away 05:27 Create Space & Attack Openings 06:08 Volley Dinks & Pressure Patterns 07:05 Strategy #3 — Control the Middle 08:10 Why Middle Balls Cause Confusion 09:16 Middle Dinking Live Points 10:37 Recap — 3 Smart Winning Strategies 11:15 Outthinking Younger Players 🎯 Subscribe to this channel - videos posted (mostly) weekly :) 👉🏼 Follow me on Instagram @athenajess 💰 Get 10% off at CRBN Pickleball using code COACHJESS https://www.crbnpickleball.com #Pickleball #PickleballTips #PickleballLessons #PickleballForWomen #PickleballCoaching #AthenaPickleball