--- title: Counter Attacks by Skill Level description: From learning to survive the firefight to controlling it at the highest level, Sara breaks down the counter-attack game by skill level. image: https://blog.controlthet.com/hs-fs/hubfs/Women%20and%20man%20partner%20(No.%201724071267).jpg?upscale=true&width=1120&upscale=true&name=Women%20and%20man%20partner%20(No.%201724071267).jpg --- [![CTSPORTSLOGOsmall](https://blog.controlthet.com/hs-fs/hubfs/Imported_Blog_Media/CTSPORTSLOGOsmall.png?width=300&height=75&name=CTSPORTSLOGOsmall.png) ![CT\_Logo1](https://blog.controlthet.com/hs-fs/hubfs/CT_Logo1.png?width=450&height=111&name=CT_Logo1.png)](https://blog.controlthet.com/pickleball) [![CT\_Logo1](https://blog.controlthet.com/hs-fs/hubfs/CT_Logo1.png?width=450&height=111&name=CT_Logo1.png)](https://blog.controlthet.com/pickleball) - [Home](https://blog.controlthet.com/pickleball) - [Shop](https://controlthet.com) - [Testimonials](https://controlthet.com/pages/control-the-t-sports-testimonials) - [Contact Us](https://controlthet.com/pages/contact-us) - Blogs - [Pickleball Blog](https://blog.controlthet.com/pickleball) - [Squash Blog](https://blog.controlthet.com/blog) - [Tennis Blog](https://blog.controlthet.com/tennis) - [Home](https://blog.controlthet.com/pickleball) - [Shop](https://controlthet.com) - [Testimonials](https://controlthet.com/pages/control-the-t-sports-testimonials) - [Contact Us](https://controlthet.com/pages/contact-us) - Blogs - [Pickleball Blog](https://blog.controlthet.com/pickleball) - [Squash Blog](https://blog.controlthet.com/blog) - [Tennis Blog](https://blog.controlthet.com/tennis) [The Pickleball Blog | Control the 'T' Sports](https://blog.controlthet.com/pickleball) Categories **Browse All Categories** - [Pickleball](https://blog.controlthet.com/pickleball/tag/pickleball) By [Sara McInnes](https://blog.controlthet.com/pickleball/author/sara-mcinnes) on October 07, 2026 # Counter Attacks by Skill Level Recently, I’ve found myself in a lot of conversations about the rising value of a solid counter-attack game. I’ve always spent time working on countering, but having played through different levels of pickleball, I’ve come to appreciate just how much easier countering is to talk about than it is to execute. The concept sounds simple enough: someone attacks, you defend it, and if the opportunity is there, you counter. In reality, there is a lot happening in that short exchange. You have to recognize where the attack is coming from, get your paddle into position, absorb or redirect the pace, decide where to send the ball, and then be ready for the next shot. As the level of play increases, there is less and less time to make those decisions. A ball that feels manageable when you are first learning the game can suddenly feel very different when your opponent has quicker hands, better placement, and the ability to change direction at the last possible moment. That is why I think it is useful to look at counter attacks as a progression rather than as a skill that you either “have” or “don’t have.” The hand battle develops over time. Early on, players are mostly reacting to whatever comes at them. Eventually, they begin to recognize where the ball is going. Then they learn to protect vulnerable areas, control the pace, redirect the ball, and eventually create exchanges where both players are making decisions at full speed. So, rather than treating these as strict definitions of what a player at each level should be able to do, let’s look at what the counter attack game can start to look like as players develop - and, more importantly, what they can work on to move that game forward.   ## 2.0 - 2.5: The Reaction Game At the beginning, most players aren't really thinking about a “hand battle.” They are simply trying to keep the ball in play. An opponent attacks, the paddle comes up, and the player reacts. Sometimes the ball goes back. Sometimes it doesn't. Sometimes a counter happens almost by accident. At this stage, volley exchanges can feel chaotic. Players may make large swings at balls that don't require them, or they may simply try to hit the ball harder because they feel rushed. A ball that pops up just a little too high can quickly turn into an easy overhead for the other team. There is also a natural tendency to think about being the person who starts the attack rather than the person who creates the opportunity to counter it. That is an important first step in understanding counter attacks: you don't always need to be the person who attacks first. A useful drill at this stage is simply to become comfortable with the ball coming quickly toward the body. Start with controlled volleys and gradually introduce slightly faster balls. The goal isn't to win the exchange. The goal is to keep the paddle prepared, make a compact contact point, and become comfortable returning a ball without taking a giant swing. If you’re a player within this skill level, try to think less about winning the hand battle and more about becoming comfortable being in one. ## 3.0: Starting to See the Attack As players become more comfortable at the net, they begin to notice that not all attacks are created equal. You start to recognize that certain areas of the body are more difficult to defend than others. The dominant hip and dominant shoulder, for example, can create awkward contacts because they can jam the swing or force the paddle into a less comfortable position. The challenge is that recognizing a vulnerable area and consistently hitting that area are two very different skills. At this point, players may know exactly where they want to attack, but still struggle to put the ball there consistently. The same thing happens defensively: you may know that your body is vulnerable, but getting the paddle into the right position quickly enough is another matter. Hand battles are still somewhat disorganized. There can be a lot of pace, but not necessarily a lot of control behind that pace. A ball that sits just a little too high can still turn the entire exchange into a finish for the opponent. One of the best things to work on here is **compactness**. Rather than trying to swing harder at every ball, work on shortening the motion. The paddle doesn't need to travel very far when the ball is already coming with pace. A simple drill is to have a partner feed increasingly firm volleys toward your body while you focus on blocking and redirecting rather than swinging. Begin slowly enough that you can recognize the contact, then gradually increase the speed. The goal is to start teaching your hands that a fast ball does not automatically require a big response.  ![](https://blog.controlthet.com/hs-fs/hubfs/Women%20and%20man%20partner%20(No.%201724071267).jpg?upscale=true&width=1120&upscale=true&name=Women%20and%20man%20partner%20(No.%201724071267).jpg)  ## 3.5: The Beginning of the Hand Battle This is where the exchange starts to become more intentional. You have a better understanding of direction and placement. You can begin to recognize the difference between attacking a comfortable ball and attacking a ball that actually creates a problem for your opponent. You are also learning the other side of that equation: how to defend those same areas when someone attacks you. The pace increases, and because the ball is arriving faster, the amount of time available for a full swing disappears. This is where the compact paddle movement becomes increasingly important. Short hand battles begin to happen. Instead of one player attacking and the other player simply trying to survive, you may see a sequence like: Attack → counter → counter → counter → reset or attack again (and with a reset, it’s likely that the rally continues) That sequence is worth studying because it changes the objective. You are no longer simply trying to hit the ball back. You are trying to make the next ball more difficult for your opponent while keeping your own position stable. Patience becomes a major part of the skill. You don't have to force the fifth ball of a hand exchange simply because you have been involved in the exchange for several shots. Sometimes the best decision is to keep the ball in front of you, maintain your position, and wait for the next opportunity. Drill Recommendation: Controlled Hands You and your drilling partner start at the kitchen line and begin with cooperative volleying. After several balls, one player introduces a controlled attack. The other player counters, and the two continue the exchange. Start at about 60% pace. Then increase the pace without increasing the size of the swing. The progression should be: Control → recognition → speed → placement. Not: Control → hit as hard as possible. Keep in mind that this drill can be adapted to include dinks (i.e., at the start of the rally or within the rally). ## 4.0: Building the Exchange At this stage, the hand battle becomes much more of an actual battle. An attack can be countered, and that counter can itself be countered. Players begin to understand that the first counter isn't necessarily the end of the exchange - it may simply be the next decision. This is where the speed of the hands becomes much more noticeable. Players are working with smaller movements, quicker preparation, and better anticipation. They are also beginning to recognize that an attack doesn't have to be spectacular to be effective. Sometimes the best attack is simply one that creates an uncomfortable contact and gives you another opportunity on the next ball. There are still plenty of ways for the exchange to fall apart. A player may overhit because they feel they have to do something with the ball. A large, sweeping swing can take too long. An ambitious angle can create an error when a simpler direction would have kept the pressure on. The developing skill here is creating the opportunity rather than forcing it. Instead of asking, “How can I win this hand battle right now?” the better question becomes, “How can I make the next ball harder?” Adopting that mindset often changes everything. Drill Recommendation: Attack, Counter, Continue Set up a cooperative hand battle with you or your drill partner designated as the “attacker.” The attacker initiates with a controlled attack. The defender counters. From there, both players continue live until someone creates a genuinely difficult ball. Don't stop the drill simply because someone gets a counter. The purpose is to teach players that the exchange doesn't necessarily end when the first attack is defended. It continues until someone creates a ball that the other player cannot comfortably handle. *Pro Tip: Keep the paddle UP!*  *![](https://blog.controlthet.com/hs-fs/hubfs/Selkirk%20Pickleball%20Pro%20(No.%202317455407).jpg?upscale=true&width=1120&upscale=true&name=Selkirk%20Pickleball%20Pro%20(No.%202317455407).jpg)*  ## 4.5: Creating the Firefight Now the hand battle becomes something you can intentionally create. Instead of simply accepting that a firefight has started, you can begin to understand why you want one - and when you don't. You are looking for the right opportunity to attack. You are becoming more comfortable attacking specific areas. You are learning to maintain your position while the ball is moving quickly and to make adjustments without letting the paddle swing become too large. Consistency becomes a huge part of the equation. It is one thing to produce a spectacular counter once. It is another thing entirely to produce the same compact, controlled response over and over while the pace keeps increasing. This is also where more advanced hand skills start to appear. Flicks become useful. Grip changes become more subtle. Paddle preparation becomes faster. Players begin to manipulate the ball rather than simply block it. And the best hand battles aren't necessarily the ones where someone hits the hardest. They are the ones where both players are making good decisions at speed. Take a look at an advanced-level hand battle **[here.](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zP3tW0UlvII&utm_campaign=Pickleball%20Newsletter&utm_source=hs_email&utm_medium=email&_hsenc=p2ANqtz-8X2b1bOL_XSmurpwGHOx27TT6E5dqKSG8Oyd9WYfQeg13R5VWv8B_bgNPLCuayM-2BRjrH)** Be sure to look past the speed of the exchange. Watch the video a few times so that you can start to focus on the players (one at a time) versus the ball. What happens between shots? Take a look at how little the paddles move, how quickly the players reset their hands, and how each player seems ready for the next ball before the opponent has even made contact. That is the part of an advanced firefight that is easy to miss when you only watch the ball. ## 5.0+: The Game Within the Game At the highest levels, the hand battle can look almost effortless from the outside. It isn't. The movements are smaller. The decisions are faster. The ball can change direction multiple times in just a few seconds, and both players are constantly adjusting their paddle position, body position, and intention. An attack might be designed to create a counter. A counter might be designed to create another counter. A player may deliberately take pace off the ball because they know their opponent is expecting speed. Or they may speed the ball up because they recognize a tiny opening. The exchange becomes less about simply having fast hands and more about having fast hands while making good decisions. That distinction matters. You can have extremely quick hands and still lose the exchange if your contact is poor, your paddle is out of position, or your ball selection gives your opponent an easy next shot. At this level, speed, placement, anticipation, paddle preparation, grip changes, and patience all start working together. Have fun watching this **[video](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XVxLKvM7X-8&utm_campaign=Pickleball%20Newsletter&utm_source=hs_email&utm_medium=email&_hsenc=p2ANqtz-8X2b1bOL_XSmurpwGHOx27TT6E5dqKSG8Oyd9WYfQeg13R5VWv8B_bgNPLCuayM-2BRjrH)** of amazing hand battles at the highest level! Watch how often the players make tiny adjustments instead of taking full swings. Watch how quickly they recover after each contact. And, most importantly, watch how rarely they look rushed - even when the ball is moving extremely fast - until one person starts to gain the upper hand. ## The Counter Attack Is More Than a Single Shot One of the things I appreciate most about watching high-level pickleball is that the hand battle rarely looks like a single moment. It is a conversation. One player asks a question with an attack. The other player answers with a counter. That answer creates another question, and suddenly both players are making decisions at a speed that can be difficult to appreciate until you have tried to do it yourself. I think that is also why counter attacks can be frustrating when you're first working on them. You see a professional player counter a ball that looks impossible, and it is tempting to think the difference is simply faster hands. It isn't. The speed comes from preparation, compact movement, recognition, positioning, and thousands of repetitions that have made those decisions feel almost automatic. For the developing player, the goal isn't to immediately recreate a five-second professional firefight. Start much smaller. Get comfortable with the ball coming quickly at you. Learn to keep the paddle quiet. Make the swing shorter. Learn which parts of your body are difficult to defend and which areas of your opponent's body create problems. Then start adding direction, pace, and eventually more sophisticated counters. Over time, the hand battle starts to slow down - not because the ball is actually moving slower, but because you are getting better at seeing it. And that, to me, is the real progression of the counter attack game. --- *This article was taken from our 'Control the Kitchen' Newsletter, if you're interested in receiving more content like this, please feel free to sign up using the subscribe section located at the bottom left of this page (or underneath the article if you're on mobile), thanks!* Share [![Share on Facebook](https://www.lean-labs.com/hs-fs/hubfs/LLv2/images/icon-blog-facebook.png?noresize&width=24&name=icon-blog-facebook.png)](http://www.facebook.com/share.php?u=https%3A%2F%2Fblog.controlthet.com%2Fpickleball%2Fcounter-attacks-by-skill-level%3Futm_medium%3Dsocial%26utm_source%3Dfacebook) [![Share on LinkedIn](https://www.lean-labs.com/hs-fs/hubfs/LLv2/images/icon-blog-linkedin.png?noresize&width=24&name=icon-blog-linkedin.png)](http://www.linkedin.com/shareArticle?mini=true&url=https%3A%2F%2Fblog.controlthet.com%2Fpickleball%2Fcounter-attacks-by-skill-level%3Futm_medium%3Dsocial%26utm_source%3Dlinkedin) [![Share on Twitter](https://www.lean-labs.com/hs-fs/hubfs/LLv2/images/icon-blog-twitter.png?noresize&width=24&name=icon-blog-twitter.png)](https://twitter.com/intent/tweet?original_referer=https%3A%2F%2Fblog.controlthet.com%2Fpickleball%2Fcounter-attacks-by-skill-level%3Futm_medium%3Dsocial%26utm_source%3Dtwitter&url=https%3A%2F%2Fblog.controlthet.com%2Fpickleball%2Fcounter-attacks-by-skill-level%3Futm_medium%3Dsocial%26utm_source%3Dtwitter&source=tweetbutton&text=Counter%20Attacks%20by%20Skill%20Level) Published by [Sara McInnes](https://blog.controlthet.com/pickleball/author/sara-mcinnes) October 7, 2026 Comments ![CT\_Logo1](https://blog.controlthet.com/hs-fs/hubfs/CT_Logo1.png?width=450&height=111&name=CT_Logo1.png) ## **JOIN OUR PICKLEBALL COMMUNITY** ©2026 Control the 'T' Sports [Privacy Policy](https://controlthet.com/policies/privacy-policy)  [Terms & Conditions](https://controlthet.com/policies/terms-of-service) - - - ```json { "@context" : "https://schema.org", "@type" : "BlogPosting", "author" : { "@type" : "Person", "name" : "Sara McInnes", "url" : "https://blog.controlthet.com/pickleball/author/sara-mcinnes" }, "dateModified" : "2026-10-07T15:30:17.065Z", "datePublished" : "2026-10-07T15:30:17.000Z", "headline" : "Counter Attacks by Skill Level", "image" : [ "https://blog.controlthet.com/hs-fs/hubfs/Women%20and%20man%20partner%20(No.%201724071267).jpg?upscale=true&width=1120&upscale=true&name=Women%20and%20man%20partner%20(No.%201724071267).jpg" ], "mainEntityOfPage" : { "@id" : "https://blog.controlthet.com/pickleball/counter-attacks-by-skill-level", "@type" : "WebPage" }, "publisher" : { "@type" : "Organization", "logo" : { "@type" : "ImageObject", "url" : "https://blog.controlthet.com/hubfs/CT_with_name.png" }, "name" : "Control the 'T' Sports" } } ```