How to Play Pickleball in the Wind

We’ve all been there, you're at rec play or a tournament on a slightly windy day, and suddenly nothing feels right. Drops are flying long or falling short, balls are popping up, and frustration starts to creep in.

Wind can come from different directions, but in my experience, the most challenging situations are when the wind is at your back or directly in your face.

Wind affects two main things when you’re playing:

1. How far the ball travels – how far the ball travels compared to calm conditions.

2. Spin and trajectory – how much spin changes the way the ball moves through the air.

With the wind behind you, a drop hit with your normal swing can easily travel too far and sit up high. Add spin, and the wind can exaggerate that movement even more.

Let’s break down how to play pickleball in the wind.

Playing With the Wind at Your Back

In my opinion, this is the tougher side in doubles.

The key to playing well with the wind behind you is patience.

• Take pace off your serve.

• On third-shot drops, add a little more height and slow the ball down, let the wind carry it over the net.

• When dinking, aim closer to the net so the wind doesn’t push the ball into an attackable position for your opponents.

Attacking off the bounce or from below the net can be very challenging in this situation. The wind forces you to swing slower if you want to keep the ball in, which limits how aggressive you can be.

On almost every shot with the wind at your back, think: less pace, more arc. Trust the wind to do the work.

Playing With the Wind in Your Face

This is actually one of my favorite situations to be in.

At times, it feels like you can’t miss a speed-up and your drops are dipping at your opponents’ feet every time. Still, smart shot selection is critical.

• Add extra pace and spin to your serve and aim higher—the wind will exaggerate the topspin.

• Drops can be more aggressive. Topspin or roll drops work especially well because the wind keeps the ball lower and closer to the net.

• Speed-ups can be used more frequently since the wind helps keep the ball in the court.

If you’re able to attack down on the ball, don’t force the combo. Let your opponents counter, the wind will often help their ball sail long.

I like to call this strategy “speed up and duck.”