How To Deal With Bangers in Pickleball: 3 Mindset Shifts That Work

Before I show you how to deal the banger, I want to tell you about a player named Pat.

A few summers back, Pat was in one of my clinics. In drills, she had hands like silk. Her block volley was soft, controlled, the kind you’d want to put on a poster. But the moment we dropped her into a real game across the net from the hardest hitter in the group, a different person showed up. Her shoulders crept toward her ears. Her paddle pulled in tight against her chest. And she started drifting back off the kitchen line like the ball might reach out and bite her.

Same hands. Same skills. Completely different result.

I watched it happen three points in a row, then I stopped the game and told her the truth: “Pat, your hands are ready. It’s your head that keeps backing up.”

If you’ve ever stood at the non-volley zone, watched a banger load up, and felt your mind go completely blank — this one’s for you. Because here’s what nobody tells you: you can own the block volley, you can know exactly when to let the out ball go, and still lose to the banger every single time. The skills aren’t the missing piece. The mindset is.

So let’s talk about the three shifts that pull all those skills together.

Shift One: Stop Being Surprised

I want you to picture your weekly game and the one person who always bangs the ball. You know exactly who I mean. Say their name out loud if you have to.

Now here’s my question: when that player hits it hard, why are you still surprised?

A true banger has one gear. The ball is coming hard no matter where they are on the court — baseline, transition zone, right on top of you. So stop waiting to see what kind of ball it’ll be. Decide before they ever make contact that it’s coming hot.

Here’s why this matters so much. If you set up for a hard ball and it happens to float in soft, you’ve got all the time in the world to adjust down. But if you set up for soft and it comes screaming at you? There’s no regrouping. You simply don’t have the time. Preparing for hard costs you nothing and gives you everything.

Shift Two: Give Yourself Permission to Let It Go

Be honest with me. Have you ever let a ball go, felt good about it, then turned around and watched it land an inch inside the line? Of course you have. We all have. And the worst part isn’t the missed call — it’s what that one ball does to your head for the next twenty minutes.

So let me take that weight off you right now. You are allowed to let the ball go.

Two things make this easier. First, distance is information. The farther your opponent is from you when they hit, the more likely that ball is staying in. The closer they get, the more likely it sails out. Let that guide your decision instead of guessing.

Second — and this is the one that changes everything — start thinking in tens, not in single points. Say your banger hits ten balls at you and six of them go out. If you let those go, you just won six points by doing nothing. Yes, four of them landed in and stung a little. But you’re still up. Don’t let the one ball that fooled you rewrite a strategy that’s clearly winning.

One caution: this math belongs to that particular banger, not to everyone. If you notice the numbers flip — suddenly six are landing in — adjust for that player specifically. Stay flexible. Play the odds in front of you.

Shift Three: “Bring It.”

This last shift is two words, and they’ll change your whole body without you even trying.

When that banger winds up, I don’t shrink. I look across the net and I think: Bring it. Is that all you’ve got?

It sounds like attitude, and it is — but it’s also mechanics. When I invite the pace instead of bracing against it, my shoulders settle over the front of my feet, my knees and hips soften, and I’m loaded and ready to absorb whatever comes. That posture is what makes the block volley work.

Now watch what happens when I’m intimidated instead. I stand a little taller. I tuck the paddle in close to my body. I get stiff. And from there, I simply can’t defend the shot the way I want to. Same player, same banger — but my thoughts quietly rearranged my whole position.

That’s the part I want you to sit with. What you think at the kitchen line shows up in your feet, your knees, and your paddle. Choose the thought that puts you in the stronger position.

How to Beat the Banger for Good

None of this replaces the work. You still need a reliable block volley and the judgment to let the out ball go — and if you want help building those pieces, that’s exactly what we do over at Better Pickleball. But once those skills are in your hands, these three shifts are how you beat the banger when the pressure’s on.

Expect it hard. Give yourself permission. And the next time your favorite banger loads up, look them dead in the eye and think: Bring it.

Ready to put these shifts into play? The block volley and the let-it-go judgment are skills you can build, and I’ll walk you through them step by step.

Train smart, live bold, and age well — I’ll see you on the court.