A speed-up is how you turn a patient dinking rally into an attack. Hit it at the right moment and you put your opponents on the back foot. Hit it at the wrong moment and you hand them an easy counter. This guide covers what a speed-up is, when to use it, where to aim it and how to hide it.
What is a speed-up?
USA Pickleball describes a speed-up as choosing to hit the ball hard at your opponents from the kitchen line instead of dinking it back. You can speed up a ball off the bounce or out of the air. In short, you take a ball that was hit softly to you and send it back fast.
It is one of the main ways to create offense in a dinking rally. If nobody ever sped up, rallies would be very hard to win.
When to speed up
USA Pickleball's guidance comes down to three checks:
- Ball height. The higher the ball, the easier it is to speed up. The best chances come when the ball rises above net height. Avoid speeding up balls that peak around halfway up the net or lower.
- Your position. Only speed up when you are at the kitchen line with your feet set. If you attack while you are still moving, the shot is harder to hit and you are out of position for the counter.
- Open court. Gaps down the line or through the middle are good targets.
One rule to keep in mind if you take the ball out of the air: every volley must be started outside the non-volley zone, and it is a fault if your momentum then carries you into it (Rules 11.A and 11.A.2). Our kitchen rules guide covers this in more detail.
Where to aim it
Where you send a speed-up matters as much as when. USA Pickleball's target guide suggests:
- Aim for the wide backhand. A ball to your opponent's backhand side, away from the body, makes them reach. It is hard to generate power from there, so you are more likely to get a weak reply.
- Avoid the extended forehand. A ball to the forehand away from the body is most players' favorite counter.
- Avoid the body backhand. A ball straight at the chest is an easy backhand punch volley for most players.
Everyone is different, so test your opponents early and note which side gives them trouble.
How to disguise it
The less warning your opponents get, the better. USA Pickleball calls one technique holding your dinks:
- Point your paddle tip toward the ground. This position works for both a dink and a speed-up.
- Prepare the paddle early with a short, compact backswing, then wait until the last moment to swing.
- Keep the paddle out in front. A big backswing tells your opponents what is coming.
USA Pickleball says this works especially well on the forehand side.
Be ready for the counter
A good speed-up does not always win the point on its own. USA Pickleball describes a "triangle pattern": a speed-up is often countered to the opposite side you hit from. If you speed up from your forehand to their forehand, expect the ball to come back to your backhand side, and the other way round. Let your follow-through carry the paddle toward that side so you are ready early.
USA Pickleball's goal is for your speed-ups to be net positive, meaning you win more of them than you lose. You will not win every one.
Does your paddle matter?
Hand speed matters in these exchanges, and swing weight is one spec that affects how quickly a paddle moves. Our GhostX listing describes it as the fastest paddle in the Unleash Series, with the lowest swing weight in the range. For comparison, the Sigma Super is listed at a swing weight of 115.8 and the Sender Pro X at 124.31, the highest in the range. Our Fast Flow Pro vs GhostX comparison and our swing weight explainer go deeper.
No paddle replaces good timing, though. Pick the right ball to speed up first.
Key takeaways
- A speed-up is a hard shot from the kitchen line in place of a dink.
- Speed up balls that rise near or above net height, with your feet set at the line.
- Aim at the wide backhand. Avoid the extended forehand and the body backhand.
- Hold your dinks with a compact backswing so the speed-up comes as a surprise.
- Expect the counter to come back to the opposite side, and be ready for it.
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