Pickleball Attack Timing Strategies: Professional pickleball players Kyle Koszuta and Augie Ge recently ran drills to find out the best time to attack in a game. The test took place on a court where the two players tried three attack strategies to see which one helped win the most points and why.
Testing Attacks After the Ball Bounces
Kyle Koszuta and Augie first tested attacking after the ball bounced. Koszuta fed a shot to Augie, returned a dink, and then attacked off the bounce. They repeated this ten times. Koszuta said, “Let’s just get some data before we start talking about it.” Out of 10 points, Koszuta won 4.
Augie explained the risks: “With off-the-bounce speed-ups, there is a time and place absolutely. But in general, off a neutral dinking rally… the dink is usually so good that it’s quite hard to speed up off of a neutral dink.”
He added, “If you’re playing against weaker players and you know that it’s working… then I think by all means, speed up off the bounce.”
Koszuta agreed and added, “The point of this video is not to say off-the-bounce speed-ups are bad… it’s to talk about the highest probability plays.”
Trying Attacks Out of the Air from Below the Net
Next, the players tested hitting the ball out of the air when it was below net height. Koszuta tried to attack by swinging upward on a low ball in mid-air. Again, they did ten reps, and he won 4 points. Augie said, “There’s more disguise from out of the air… I have less time to react.”
Koszuta pointed out that this move is harder to use against top players. He gave an example of his friend: “Tyler… takes off-the-bounce speed-ups… and it works. But then when Tyler plays in a 5.0 game… it doesn’t work as much.”
He added, “No, you actually played the exact same as you always play. The players on the other side are just a little bit better.” Koszuta also said that when he trained with professionals like Craig Johnson and Pessa, he played it safe.
“I knew if I missed too many balls I wouldn’t get invited back,” he said. “Thus, my attacking game… I just focused on clean, probability-driven decision-making.”
Best Results from Attacking Balls Above the Net
In the last test, Koszuta attacked balls that were above the net and hit them out of the air. This method gave the best outcome, with Koszuta winning 8 out of 10 points. Augie said, “It was obviously way harder to defend and counter… when you’re attacking from balls that are at or above the height of the net.”
Koszuta also said he felt more sure of himself when using this strategy. Augie explained why it worked better: “From a lower ball, you have to hit the ball up… you have to hit it slower… whereas if you’re attacking from… above the net, you can hit the ball… faster.”
Although aggressive shots are common among pros, Koszuta said it’s important to be smart. “I can’t just attack willy-nilly on shots that are low probability,” he said. Koszuta believes that strong play and smart decisions should go together.
“You don’t have to try to create unbelievable shots… I always thought your decision-making was really sound… which made me want to play more with you.” – (Koszuta)
“You are a mixture of reliable plus shot-making… that creates a really beautiful looking game.” – (Koszuta)
Why This Matters for All Pickleball Players
The test by Kyle Koszuta and Augie shows that the best time to attack is when the ball is above the net. While other shots can work, they are riskier. Choosing smart, high-probability attacks can help players at all skill levels win more points.
This lesson is useful for beginners and experienced players. Making better choices during the game, instead of just hitting fast, can lead to more wins. Smart attacks and good timing are key for anyone looking to improve in pickleball.
News in Brief: Pickleball Attack Timing Strategies
Pro pickleball players Kyle Koszuta and Augie Ge tested three attack methods. Their study showed that hitting balls above net height gave the best results. Attacks after the bounce or on low balls worked less often. The experiment highlights the value of smart, well-timed attacks over risky plays.
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