Want to Win More Games? Try This Simple Tip
A subtle shift that instantly sharpens your strategy and your scorecard
Joyce and I rarely give each other advice when we play pickleball. But the other day she was having a bad couple of games and actually asked me what to do. My advice, just hit every ball to the middle of the court. In pickleball, flashy shots and big winners might get the applause—but it's minimizing unforced errors that wins the game.
Unforced errors are the mistakes you make when you're not under serious pressure: a missed serve, a ball into the net, or an easy shot sailed wide. These are the points you hand to your opponent for free. And the truth is, you don't need to hit more winners to win more games—you just need to give away fewer points.
At the rec level, most rallies don’t end with a dazzling put-away—they end with someone making a mistake. If you can simply be the person who makes fewer of those mistakes, you’ll come out ahead far more often. Think of it like this: every time your opponent has to play one more ball, there's a chance they mess it up. And if you’re not the one missing, your odds of winning the rally go way up.
This doesn’t mean you have to play scared or be overly cautious. It means choosing high-percentage shots, especially when under pressure. Instead of going for the sideline winner, maybe you hit a safe drop. Instead of speeding up a ball from below the net, you reset it and live to fight another shot. It’s smart, controlled play—and it works.
Fewer unforced errors also disrupt your opponent's rhythm. If you're consistently getting the ball back, they get frustrated. They start pressing, trying to hit bigger shots, and suddenly they're making the mistakes. It's a sneaky kind of pressure—one that doesn't come from aggression, but from consistency.
Players who focus on reducing errors also tend to have better court awareness and shot selection. They’re more patient, more strategic, and more in control of the tempo. Over time, that mindset pays off in close games and tough matchups, especially when nerves creep in.
For us, we turned the game around and went from down 8-3 to winning 9-11. Sometimes that’s all it takes. Less errors equals more wins.
So if you want to win more matches without overhauling your game, start by trimming the mistakes. Hit your serves in. Clear the net. Keep your drops soft. Play the smart shot instead of the hero shot. It might not be as exciting as a perfect passing drive down the line, but you’ll like the result when the score says 11-7 in your favor.
