What Is Helping My Game Right Now as a 4.0 Pickleball Player

What Is Helping My Game Right Now as a 4.0 Pickleball Player

For those of you who do not know me, my name is Tanner. I am the founder of Brioti, and I am roughly a 4.0 player myself.

These are a few things that are currently helping my game, along with a couple things I am actively struggling with.

One of the tough realities of pickleball, and sports in general, is that as you improve, so do the people you play with. Because of that, progress does not always feel like progress. But when I zoom out, these small adjustments have made a real difference.

1. Anticipate, Get Back, Move Into the Shot

The biggest improvement in my game has come from paying attention to my body’s momentum at contact.

Returning a ball while sitting on your heels is rarely ideal. Instead, I have been focusing on taking a quick step back and then moving forward into the ball, making contact out in front.

This does a few things. It helps produce a cleaner shot with less chance of popping the ball up. It also carries your momentum in the right direction. If you hit a drop or drive, your movement naturally continues toward the kitchen. If you hit a wide crosscourt dink, your momentum helps you recover back into position instead of pulling you further out of the court and opening up space.

That simple shift has been huge for me.

2. Split Step. Every Time.

We have all heard it. We see the pros do it. And yet many of us are still moving forward mid-stride as a third shot drive flies just out of reach.

Recently, I made a point to simply stop. It does not matter where I am on the court. Right before my opponent makes contact with the ball, I split step.

This has drastically improved my ability to handle third shot drives that used to catch me off balance, and it has helped me transition to the net more consistently by the fifth shot.

That moment of stopping gives you the ability to move laterally and react with intention, instead of guessing.

So when do you split step?
Initiate it just before your opponent makes contact with the ball. The goal is to be landed, balanced, and ready to move at the exact moment they hit. That gives you the most time to react in any direction, instead of guessing while still in motion.

3. Hold Your Paddle Higher

Being an F1 driver is not in my future. My reflexes are not elite.

If you are like me, you know the pain of that one friend who always seems to win hands battles at the kitchen, and sometimes it is the person with the least time in the game.

Luckily for us slow pokes, fast hands are not primarily about reaction speed. A lot of it comes down to anticipation and paddle position.

For a while, my paddle was getting lazy at the net. I noticed that many male pros hold their paddle lower, closer to the hip. I thought they were onto something. A 5.0 friend quickly reminded me that their reaction speed is on a different level.

If you watch many female pros, especially Anna Leigh Waters, their paddle position is noticeably higher, closer to chest level. As I brought my paddle up to a higher resting position, my reaction time effectively improved and my accuracy at the net went up with it.

4. 70 to 80 Percent Power. High Probability.

I am finding far more success with restraint than trying to hit every ball as hard as I can.

It is fun to hit that sharp angle winner right on the line. When it lands. More often than not, it is eight inches out and was ALMOST an amazing shot.

What tends to work better is a well-placed shot with margin, hit at a controllable pace, followed by one or two solid follow-ups that lead to an actual winner.

At the 4.0 level, it is still very much a game of one more shot.

5. Change Up Your Lenses

Living in Coeur d’Alene, Idaho, we are currently playing indoors for the season.

One of the biggest lessons I have learned is that visual comfort matters more than most players realize. Brightness, contrast, and glare can vary drastically from facility to facility, and visual preference is very personal.

I have become more intentional about matching my lenses to the environment instead of forcing one setup to work everywhere. When your eyes feel relaxed and comfortable, decision-making improves and fatigue becomes far less of a factor late in games.

My primary indoor lens is the OGMENT™ 4D Boost. For mid to bright facilities, it gives me the best combination of ball visibility, clarity, and glare control. If the lighting is very dim, I swap to the DINKUM (Clear) lens for maximum light transmission.

Lens setup is a lot like paddle setup. Some players prefer a light widebody. Others prefer an elongated paddle with enough added weight to make their forearm question their life choices. Just because something works for someone else does not mean it will be right for you. Do not be afraid to experiment.

What I Am Currently Struggling With

I am pushing myself to play with 4.5 players and above as often as possible.

The biggest challenge right now is that attacks which worked at 3.5 and early 4.0 no longer do. That sneaky kitchen speed-up down the middle that used to split opponents is now coming back fast, often with interest.

Because of that, I have caught myself playing a bit timid at times, second-guessing spots that used to feel automatic.

That is something I am actively working through. Growth is rarely clean or linear.

I would love to hear from you. What adjustments have been the biggest needle movers in your game lately?

Happy Dinking,
Tanner