Want to be more aggressive? Stop hitting so hard.

A lot of players come out swinging because they learn pretty quickly that hitting harder can mean winning more points.

And sometimes it does.

But if you want to improve past a certain level, you have to learn how to hit hard, when to hit hard... and when NOT to hit hard.

Because aggression isn’t just about power. It’s about wisdom.

Here are 4 ways I think about being aggressively smart:

1. Go for a bigger serve. This is one place where taking a little more risk can immediately put pressure on your opponent and set up the rest of the point.
2. Hit your drives at 70%. Instead of trying to blow a hole through someone, use your drive to create an advantage. Make them volley from an uncomfortable position, get a weaker ball back, and look to do something with the next one.
3. Use speed-ups to create combinations. Your first attack doesn’t have to win the point. It’s a big mindset shift, but often the job of the speed-up is simply to create the next ball, the one you actually want to put away.
4. Counterattack. Aggression doesn’t always mean being the person who starts the attack. Being ready to handle pace and turn your opponent’s offense against them is one of the smartest ways to be dangerous.

The better you get, the less aggression is about hitting every ball hard and the more it’s about knowing how to create pressure, and what to do with the advantage once you have it.

Speaking of healthy aggression...October intensives at SMASH are now open for registration

Smart aggression is what we’ll be working on in both of my October intensives at California Smash. Don't miss it!
​
​4.0+ (3.75-4.5)
Saturday 10/3/26
9-12:30 pm

The 4.0–4.5 group will take it further: creating attackable balls through patterns, placement and pace changes, building combinations, countering, and turning defense back into offense.

3.75 minimum: you should already be comfortably playing at the 4.0 level in tournaments, leagues, or competitive play.

​REGISTER FOR 4.0–4.5​

3.0-3.5
Sunday 10/11/26
9-12:30 pm

The 3.0–3.5 group will work on building the tools: better drives, better attacks and learning how to hit proper speed-ups, handle pace and more, along with the decision-making to know when to use all of them.

​REGISTER FOR 3.0–3.5​

Also...I'm headed to Wyoming & Idaho

If you’re not in LA, I still have some room in my upcoming clinics in Jackson Hole, Wyoming and Coeur d’Alene, Idaho.

MONDAY 9/21
​
​JACKSON HOLE, WY (3.25–3.75) — Win More Matches Without Hitting Harder​

​JACKSON HOLE, WY (3.75–4.5+) — Advanced Match IQ: Patterns That Win Points​

FRIDAY 9/25/26

​COEUR D’ALENE, ID (3.0–4.0) — Sept 25 Intensive​

WHAT DO YOU WANT TO LEARN?

I’m always planning my next YouTube video, and I want to know what YOU actually want help with.

Are there shots you’d love to see me teach completely from scratch? A part of your game you can’t seem to figure out? A strategy or situation that keeps giving you trouble?

Hit reply and tell me and I'll do my best!

xo,

Coach Jess

---

RESOURCES: ​
​Get 10% off CRBN gear with code: COACH JESS at www.crbnpickleball.com​
Pu​sh Dink Cheat Sheet Push Dink Cheat Sheet.pdf​
Split Step Cheat Sheet: ​​Split Step Cheat Sheet.pdf​
​6 Decisions Cheat Sheet: 6 Pickleball Decisions Cheat Sheet.pdf​