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Targeting Opponent Weakness

Strategy & TacticsLevel 3 — Advanced

Prerequisites

Grip Types & Dead ZonesBody Targeting & Dead Zones

Unlocks

Point Construction & Sequencing

What It Is

The strategic discipline of prioritizing attacks on an opponent's weakness over playing to your own strengths. When you can't do both — play to your strengths AND their weaknesses — choose their weakness. This is the single most important strategic principle in competitive doubles.

Correct Execution

Identify weaknesses early: grip type (dead zones), height (lob vulnerability vs reach), soft game comfort, movement speed, preferred pace. Then be as specific as possible in exploiting: if they like it slow, play hard. If they like to bang, block and dink. If they only play to your partner, keep your partner moving. If they're short, lob. If they're tall, attack the body. Strategy comes first — your comfort is a distant second.

Progression Levels

Diagnostic Tree

Coaching Cues

  • "Play to their weakness — be as specific as possible and give them their most uncomfortable type of game." — core principle, Morgan Evans (2020)
  • "If they like it slow, play hard. If they like to bang, block and dink softly." — adaptation rules, Morgan Evans (2020)
  • "The strategy comes first. Your comfort is a distant second." — priority, Morgan Evans (2020)

Common Errors

  1. Playing your game regardless: Ignoring opponent weaknesses → Identify and exploit from point 1
  2. Comfort over strategy: Choosing what feels good over what works → Strategy first, comfort second
  3. Static game plan: Same approach all match → Adapt when opponents adjust

Edges

⚡ Conventional Wisdom Is Wrong

Your Comfort Is a Distant Second

strategyopponent-weakness-targeting →

Common advice says "play to your strengths." Morgan Evans says when you can't do both — play your strengths AND their weakness — choose their weakness. Your comfort doesn't matter if you're giving them a comfortable game. Strategy comes first; your comfort is a distant second.

What most people do
Default to their favorite game style — dinking if they're good dinkers, driving if they have power — regardless of whether it exploits the opponent.
What the best do
Identify the opponent's most uncomfortable game and force it, even if it means playing outside their own comfort zone. If the opponent hates dinking, they dink. If the opponent hates pace, they drive.
Why it's an edge: Most recreational players never leave their comfort zone tactically. Simply being willing to play YOUR second-best style because it's THEIR worst style is a massive competitive advantage.
How to exploit: Before each match, identify one weakness per opponent. Write it down. Commit to exploiting it for at least the first game regardless of how uncomfortable it feels for you. Evaluate after the game: did it work?
Cross-domain parallel
In business, competing on your competitor's weakest dimension (even if it's not your strongest) is often more profitable than competing on your strongest dimension where they're also strong.
Morgan Evans, "Morgan's two-pronged approach to Pickleball strategy" (2020-09-18)
⚡ Conventional Wisdom Is Wrong

Best Defender ≠ Best Attacker

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Colin Johns: most players treat "the better player" as a single entity — avoid them for everything. But defensive ability and offensive ability may be split across the team differently. The player with the nastiest speed-up might have the weakest reset. The consistent dinker might be hopeless on counter-punches. You need TWO targeting plans, not one.

What most people do
Identify "the weaker player" and hit everything to them.
What the best do
Identify the weaker DEFENDER separately from the weaker ATTACKER. Dink to the worse defender (even if higher rated). Speed up to the worse counter-attacker.
Why it's an edge: Creates a dual-targeting system that exploits BOTH opponents' weaknesses simultaneously instead of just targeting one player for everything.
How to exploit: In warm-up, watch each opponent separately: who defends dinks better? Who counters speed-ups better? These may be different people. Build a 2×2 matrix: dink target vs. speed-up target.
Colin Johns, "Pickleball Tip #14" (2023-02-20)
⚡ Conventional Wisdom Is Wrong

Return to the Aggressive Player

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Colin Johns / Ben Johns: return to the MORE aggressive player, not the consistent one. Most players think "return to the safe player so they can't hurt me." But the aggressive player makes MORE mistakes AND keeping them at the baseline neutralizes their primary weapon (power from close range). The consistent player gets to the kitchen safely either way — returning to them accomplishes nothing. You're choosing which player you'd rather face at the kitchen line, and the answer is: the one who can't resist overplaying from the baseline.

What most people do
Return to the consistent player, thinking they'll get an easier third shot to deal with.
What the best do
Return to the aggressive player to (a) generate more return errors, (b) keep the dangerous player back, and (c) force them into drops instead of their preferred drives.
Why it's an edge: Counterintuitive targeting that exploits a permanent behavioral trait — aggressive players can't help being aggressive, even from the baseline where aggression hurts them.
How to exploit: Identify which opponent drives more. Return to THAT player for the first 5 points. Count: how many drive errors vs. how many quality third shots? Compare to what happens when you return to the dropper.
Ben Johns, "5 Step Strategy" (2025-11-03); Colin Johns, "Tip #11" (2023-01-11)

Sources

  • Morgan Evans, "Morgan's two-pronged approach" (2020-09-18) — complete opponent-weakness framework, specific adaptations for height/pace/style
  • Ben Johns, "5 Step Strategy" (2025-11-03) — return to aggressive player, five questions framework
  • Colin Johns, "Pickleball Tip #14" (2023-02-20) — best defender ≠ best attacker, identify separately
  • Colin Johns, "Pickleball Tip #11" (2023-01-11) — who to drop to, anomalies and exceptions