If you’ve ever felt like target practice on the pickleball court—dodging rapid-fire drives and wondering how to survive another game against a banger—you’re not alone.
Ready to stop guessing and start growing? The Better Pickleball Academy for Players Over 50 gives you coaching that actually fits your game, your body, and your goals—without the overwhelm.
A lot of seasoned players, especially those of us 50 and older, are frustrated by opponents who seem to hit every ball at full throttle. These players rely almost exclusively on speed and power.
A natural reaction is to want to push back with the same force, but that only leads to a quicker pace and less control. From there players often freeze up, or swing too hard in response, or wind up chasing balls that sail past your paddle.
What Is a Banger in Pickleball?
Let’s define the term clearly. A “banger” is a player who consistently hits the ball hard, often without much variation or strategy. These players usually start with strong drives from the baseline and continue to apply power as they move up the court. What they typically lack is a soft game or finesse, which makes them predictable—but only if you know how to respond.
Interestingly, not everyone who hits hard is a banger. It’s the player who relies on power as their only play option who fits the true definition.
Why the Typical Response Fails
Most players handle a banger in pickleball by either trying to bang back or by taking a full swing volley—a punch volley—in response. The result is usually more chaos. A punch volley exaggerates the pace of the shot and often sends the ball deep into the opponent’s court, where a banger is fully prepared for the next hard hit.
Enter the Block Volley
- Paddle position: Paddle remains fairly stable, with minimal forward motion.
- Grip pressure: On a scale from 1 (very light) to 10 (very firm), aim for around a 3.
- Result: The ball softly drops into the non-volley zone, neutralizing your opponent’s speed.
The “Half” Shot: What Comes After the Block?
Quite literally, take a step back or stand still… and let the ball go.
Say to yourself: “The minute I see the banger coming into the pickleball court and getting ready for another hard shot, I’ve already made my decision to let the ball go.”
Avoid Becoming the Banger’s Huckleberry
How to Begin Applying the One-and-a-Half Strategy
Final Thoughts:
CJ Johnson
Hey there — I’m a professional three-sport athlete and coach who has spent my entire adult life earning a living from playing and coaching sports. Since I started coaching more than three decades ago, one thing has remained the same: My commitment to see students not as they are but as what they can become and to move heaven and earth to help them realize their untapped potential. You should know that when it comes to helping pickleball players over 50 live their best lives on and off the courts, I'm an expert. Good pickleball is not just technique; it's the mind and body working holistically. That's why I'm also a personal trainer and weight management specialist. When I’m chillin', you'll find me watching Star Trek with my husband John and our two fur babies, Shirley and Ralph. (Yes, Happy Days)
Really helpful, I’ve a few other soft spots in my game I’ll be asking about.
Glad you found it helpful
Block mostly. Also, when are you coming to Nashville. Big market for PB
Hi Chuck, glad you are blocking. That’s a good start. If you want a guided experience similar to a camp I’d recommend the Pickleball System. It’s the online version of our camp. We use the same curriculum and you get to go back to it time and time again.
Great videos!!
Just played with a banger and was trying g my best to block
Adrea
awesome!
Great strategy. I will be implementing it in my game. Thanks
Block
Block mostly 😁. Great explanation and the visual really cements it. Thanks CJ and Sarah
Glad you liked it!
Great video! My question is under what circumstances would you have to make an adjustment and what type of adjustment? If you’re playing with a typical repetitive banger? Do you have some solutions for this or can you demonstrate this in a follow-up video? Thanks!
Hey Jean, I’m not sure what you mean by make an adjustment. If you mean the banger moves into the court and can keep the ball in more often than they hit it out. Then block the one more and let the following one fly out. One thing about a true banger is they don’t stop hitting it hard.
This is a useful tactic when playing with the majority of older, 50+, players, especially those who DON’T have a strong TENNIS background because they typically do not use enough topspin to keep the 2nd or 3rd drive in(as seen in the video example of the man) . However, when playing younger, 20-40 yo, players who hit much harder drives than your volunteer in this video, it is much more difficult for your target audience, 50+ yo, to neutralize or even survive the initial drive. In other words, this is for people who are playing older, weaker, slower players.
Thanks Aka Dr. Drey. All players no matter the age need to learn to block if they want to reduce pace and the good news is that with a little bit of practice any player can learn to block efficiently. As to the second drive staying in because of the topspin, if you play against someone who keeps it in more consistently than they hit it out, block again (that was the bonus tip). But at some point the court gets so short that a player can’t put enough topsin on the drive to keep it in. 🙂
Great insight! I’ve been drilling blocks but haven’t heard the strategy of the 1/2 shot..
Thank you!
Give it a try. You don’t know if it’s out until you let it go.:)
Very valuable advice, CJ. Probably one of the most difficult habits to develop is letting the ball go. I suffer from it myself. I can’t tell you how many times myself or my playing partner have realized after the fact that we should have let a particular shot go. It happens on both sides of the court in every game. Restraining oneself is not easy.
You are correct Steve, letting it go is tough. A good drill is to ask your favorite banger to hit some shots at you while you are at the NVZ and they are mid-court. then just let them go and see what happens
Block
I pretty much suck at a roll, and my punch is ok. Being 71 and my reaction time a little worse than when in was 50, I use a cut volley which of course has back spin and doesn’t bounce much. My thinking is that of the person gets to it they pop it up. That’s what I want.
Yes. That’s exactly what you want and if your cut volley is consistent keep at it. The down side with a cut is the paddle is traveling high to low across the ball which makes it a less consistent motion than the punch volley for more players. When a cut is missed it’s often into the net or at the least it’s shorter, which brings your opponent closer to the NVZ. Knowing the pluses and minuses gives a player the clarity they need to develop consistency. Thanks Mike
I really like your video. Thankyou! What I’m wondering that I don’t believe you covered is ‘paddle angle’ (i.e. vertical, or slightly offset from vertical) It looks as if your paddle in most of the shots is offset to be open by about 10°. Would you care to amplify upon that?
Hey Ken, I didn’t discuss paddle angles because there are a spectrum of paddle angles. The angle that you see in the video varies depending on the energry of the shot being hit at me, the height of the shot over the net (less open) or if the shot I am blocking is below the net (more open). If you hit a block volley and it too high close the paddle angle slightly. If it hits the net open the paddle angle.