If you want to actually get better at pickleball, stop picking on the weaker player in practice — hit to the stronger one. It sounds backwards, but it’s one of the most useful mindset shifts a developing player can make, and pro Zane Navratil summed it up perfectly in a recent clip: challenge yourself, and you’ll improve far faster than the player who only ever plays it safe.
The pet peeve: “I beat him in practice”
Navratil’s line is worth repeating because it stings in the best way: nobody cares that you beat a much stronger player in practice if you hit every single ball to their grandmother. His example — beating Ben Johns by never once making Ben hit a real shot — is funny because it’s exactly what a lot of us do without noticing. We find the soft spot, we exploit it, we win, and we tell everyone about it. And we learned nothing.
That’s the trap. In practice, winning the point and improving your game are two different goals, and they often pull in opposite directions.
Why targeting the weak player stalls you
When you aim everything at the 2.5 on the other side of the net instead of the 4.5, you get to rehearse your comfort zone. Easy returns. Slow hands. Balls that sit up. You win, and it feels great — but your ceiling doesn’t move, because nothing on the court demanded more of you than you already had.
Improvement comes from stress, then adaptation. If practice never stresses the weak parts of your game, those parts stay weak. You walk off the court with a win and the exact same skill set you walked on with.
What “challenge yourself” actually looks like
Hitting to the stronger player is the shorthand, but here’s what it means in practice:
- Feed the tough matchup on purpose. Given the choice, put the ball on the better player’s paddle. You’ll get harder returns and faster hands, and you’ll be forced to reset and stay patient instead of ending points cheaply.
- Play up. Get into games and open play with people better than you. You might lose more, but as Navratil says, you’ll learn something every time — and losing to a 4.5 teaches more than beating a 2.5.
- Drill the shot you avoid. Everyone has a shot they hide from in matches. Practice is where you drag it into the daylight, not where you protect your win-loss record.
The important caveat: practice vs. playing to win
Here’s the nuance Navratil is careful about, and we’ll be too: this is practice advice, not match advice. When the score counts — a league night, a tournament — you absolutely should play the percentages and target the weaker opponent. That’s smart competition. The mistake is dragging your tournament habits into every rec session and calling it practice. Winning-mode and learning-mode need different plans. And in both, one rule never changes: keep the ball high-percentage — challenging yourself is not the same as playing low-odds hero-ball.
How to put it to work
If you’re a 3.0 to 4.0 player trying to break through, here’s the playbook: understand where you actually sit with our guide to pickleball ratings, then deliberately spend practice time above your level. A structured plan helps more than random open play — our skill ladder lays out exactly what to work on next, and a few coaching sessions will catch the habits you can’t see in yourself. Then go find the games that stretch you.
Find your stretch games in New England
The catch is you need better players to hit to — and New England is full of them. Drop into open play at a local court, where the mixed levels are a feature, not a bug: it’s the easiest place to get paired with someone a notch above you. Ask the strong players if you can play up. Most will say yes, because every good player was once the one asking. Lose a few, learn a lot, and stop beating grandma Gertrude. (Hat tip to Zane Navratil for the tip that sparked this one.)
Frequently asked questions
Should you hit to the weaker or stronger player in pickleball?
It depends on your goal. In a real match you usually attack the weaker player and play the percentages to win. In practice, do the opposite — hit to the stronger player so you face harder returns and actually develop your game.
Why does hitting to the better player make you improve?
Because it puts you under real pressure. A stronger opponent gives you tougher returns, faster hands, and better resets, which forces you to raise your level. You may lose the point, but you learn something you can use — which is the whole point of practice.
Does beating someone in practice mean you got better?
Not necessarily. As Zane Navratil puts it, nobody cares that you beat a strong player in practice if you avoided their strengths the whole time. If you won by hitting every ball away from what they do well, you rehearsed your comfort zone instead of growing.
What is the fastest way to get better at pickleball?
Challenge yourself deliberately: play up with stronger players, drill the shots you avoid, keep the ball high-percentage, and get feedback from a coach. Technique and shot selection move your game far more than new gear.