Speed-Ups in Pickleball: How and When to Actually Attack
Last updated: July 2026
Why aiming at the hip beats aiming at the chest, and how to disguise it.
Attack the ball out in front of your body at waist to chest height — anything lower than hip level and you're fighting the trajectory, more likely to net it or pop it up. Aim for your opponent's hip or shoulder rather than the middle of their body; a ball straight at the chest is the easiest thing in pickleball to read and block back. The shot works best when it's disguised as a dink right up until the last moment, not telegraphed by a big backswing.
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What a speed-up actually is
A speed-up is taking a ball during a dink rally and suddenly hitting it hard instead of soft — turning a slow exchange into an attack. It's one of the main ways points actually get won at the kitchen line, since most rallies stall out in a dink pattern until someone either makes a mistake or creates an opening like this one.
Height matters more than people think
The best speed-ups happen when you're reaching for the ball out in front of you at waist height or higher. If you try to speed up a ball that's below hip level, you're working against the trajectory — you'll either net it or pop it up on an angle your opponent can attack right back. Waist to chest height, struck out in front of your body, gives you both the control and the disguise the shot depends on.
Where to aim: hip beats chest
A ball fired straight at the middle of your opponent's body, at chest height, is the easiest possible ball to read and block back — there's nothing to think about, they just get their paddle in front of it. The hip is a much better target. A speed-up into the hip jams your opponent's swing, takes away their ability to extend their arm, and tends to produce a weak, short reply instead of a clean block. The shoulder works similarly, for the same reason: both are awkward spots to get a paddle to cleanly.
Disguise is the actual skill here
The technical part of a speed-up isn't that hard once you've got the height and target dialed in. What separates good speed-ups from ones that get eaten alive is disguise — keeping your setup looking identical to a normal dink right up until the very last moment before you accelerate. If your opponent can see a speed-up coming from your backswing or your setup, they've already got their paddle ready and the surprise, which is most of what makes this shot work, is gone.
Frequently Asked Questions
Where should you aim a speed-up in pickleball?
The hip or shoulder, not the chest. A ball at the hip jams your opponent's swing and takes away their ability to extend their arm, which is much harder to block cleanly than a ball straight at their body.
What height should the ball be at to speed up?
Waist to chest height, struck out in front of your body. Anything below hip level works against the shot's trajectory and usually ends up in the net or popped up.
Why do my speed-ups keep getting blocked back?
Usually disguise, not technique. If your setup telegraphs the speed-up before you hit it, your opponent already has their paddle ready. Keep the setup looking like a normal dink until the last possible moment.
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