What is a hand battle in pickleball?

A fast exchange of volleys between players at the kitchen line, usually started when someone speeds up a ball from a dink rally.

Where should I aim a speed-up?

At your opponent's paddle-side hip or shoulder, where it's hardest to get the paddle into position, or at their feet.

A soft volley that takes the pace off the ball and drops it into the kitchen, turning a fast exchange back into a dink rally.

Volleys and Hand Battles: Surviving the Fast Stuff at the Kitchen Line

Every dink rally carries a threat: at some point, someone is going to hit the ball hard at you. The players who look calm in that moment aren’t faster than everyone else. They’re simply ready earlier, with the paddle already where it needs to be.

The ready position

Paddle up, in front of your chest, with the face slightly towards your backhand. Most fast balls at the kitchen line arrive at chest height or above, and the backhand volley covers more of your body than the forehand. Knees bent, weight on the balls of your feet.

Three volleys

The block: paddle firm, almost no swing. Use it to absorb a hard drive and keep it low.
The punch: a short, firm push forward from the elbow, not a swing from the shoulder. It’s the bread-and-butter attacking volley.
The roll volley: a brushing upward motion that adds topspin, so a high ball dips back down into the court. Useful once your punch is reliable.

Where to aim a speed-up

Two classic targets for a speed-up: the opponent's paddle-side hip (shown here for a right-handed player C), where it's hardest to get the paddle into position, and their feet, which force them to hit upwards.

Paddle-side hip or shoulder. It’s hard to get the paddle there in time.
At their feet. Anything they dig out goes up, and up is what you want.
Not wide. Wide speed-ups give away free points and open angles.

Only speed up a ball that’s at or above net height. Attacking from below the net sends the ball upwards, straight into your opponent’s strike zone.

Winning the battle, or getting out of it

In a fast exchange, the winner is usually the player who keeps the ball lowest. Short, compact swings. If the ball keeps coming back faster than you can handle, use a reset: soften your grip, take the pace off, and drop the ball into the kitchen. You’ve turned a battle you were losing into a dink rally you can win.

A drill for quicker hands

Stand at the kitchen line with a partner and volley back and forth without letting the ball bounce, starting slowly and gradually raising the pace. Count your rally. Then do it again with both players aiming at each other’s paddle-side hip. Ten minutes of this is worth an hour of hoping.

Hand battles start from dink rallies, so learn the other half too: dinking. And keep your feet out of the kitchen while you volley: the kitchen rules.