5 Pieces of Bad Pickleball Advice a Pro Says to Ignore

Red, yellow, green. Hit it high, you die. Dink crosscourt. A pro coach explains why this classic pickleball advice is outdated and what modern players do instead.

Some of the most repeated pickleball advice at your local open play is quietly costing you points. Not because it was always wrong, but because the game moved and the tips didn't.

Top APP pro and coach Jilly B just called out the five worst tips she hears on court, and she didn't hold back. "Cookie cutter advice is not what you deserve," she says in her latest video.

Here's each piece of bad advice, why it fails in modern pickleball, and exactly what to do instead.

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Why So Much Pickleball Advice Ages Badly

Most classic pickleball advice was built for a slower game, with softer paddles and less aggressive hands at the kitchen.

Today's foam core paddles create more pop with a shorter swing, which changes what counts as an attackable ball. Scan any recent roundup, like Yahoo Sports' guide to the best pickleball paddles, and count how many models are built specifically for power.

We've covered plenty of pickleball myths that are hurting your game, but these five show up on almost every court.

Bad Advice #1: Only Attack Green Balls

The red, yellow, green rule says you only attack balls above net height, and Jilly B calls it "like 2023 advice."

You know the system. Red is below the net, so never attack. Yellow is at net height, so maybe. Green is above the net, so go.

Her fix is to stop judging the ball by height and start judging it by pace. "It's not so much the height of the ball, it's the deadness of the ball," she explains.

With modern paddles, you can attack a red or yellow ball when two things are true:

• The ball is dead. No pace, no dip toward your feet, just sitting there.
• Your weight is stable or moving forward. You have space to step into the ball with good mechanics.

What is a dead ball in pickleball?

A dead ball is a soft shot that sits up with little pace or spin, giving you time to set your feet and swing cleanly. It can be below net height and still be attackable.

That's why Jilly tells her camp students to "hit worse dinks." Aggressive dinks that dip at your opponent's feet are harder to attack than high, shallow, soft dinks that look safe but just float.

If you want the mechanics, start with how to attack a dink out of the air at the kitchen, then study the 3 keys pros use before every speed up.

Bad Advice #2: Hit It High, You Die

Hitting a high ball doesn't mean you lose the point, and Jilly B's answer to "hit it high, you die" is simple: "Take a step back, put your hands up, and counter the living daylights out of the ball."

She admits some of the easiest points she's won at the pro level lately came off her own bad dinks.

Why does it work? "99% of people are just going to hit it at you as hard as they can, which is kind of what you want," she says. Most rec players aim for power, not placement, so the ball goes straight into your paddle.

Why are pro counters harder to handle?

Pros beat a high ball by hitting down, not hard, and Jilly points to Gabe Tardio as the example: "His down the line forehand volley speed up is in slow motion."

Low, controlled counters are brutal to handle. At home, you're mostly facing someone trying to hit through you, and that's a winnable exchange if you're ready for it.

Her recovery formula after a high ball:

1. Back up a step to buy reaction time.
2. Get your paddle up in front of your chest.
3. Keep your weight forward so you can punch the counter, not absorb it.

"You don't have to be young or have amazing reaction times or be a superior athlete," she says. You need posture and readiness. Pair this with our guide to bad dink recovery and the one fix that stops bangers.

The mindset matters as much as the mechanics. Jilly wants her campers walking on court thinking, "Man, I hope this idiot speeds up at me." Once you trust your counter, you can start working on off speed counters that land at your opponent's feet.

Is Crosscourt Really the Safest Dink?

Crosscourt isn't the safe default most players think, because Jilly B says the middle is the lowest part of the net and "the most undervalued and underprotected spot on the entire court."

The usual argument for crosscourt is margin: more court, longer diagonal, more room for error. Her take is that it mostly gives you more room to hit the ball high without cleaning up your own mess.

"If you make the mess, you got to clean it up," she says. The easiest place to clean up a mess is right in front of you. Pop up a crosscourt dink and "you better have some Usain Bolt speed" to cover it.

Here's the rule she teaches: after any crosscourt dink, good or bad, close the middle. A good one means you look to take middle away. A bad one means you close it even harder.

When you're in trouble, go middle or just off middle in front of you, outside of Erne range. "The more panicked I feel, the softer and calmer I have to go," she says. Staying loose under pressure is the same fix coaches prescribe for the yips on your serve.

The panic crosscourt is a shot best left to Anna Leigh Waters. "We do not all have that shot," Jilly jokes. For a deeper look at the target, read our breakdown of targeting the middle in doubles.

Bad Advice #4: Track the Ball With Your Paddle

Track the ball with your lower body, not your paddle: Jilly B says thinking only about moving the paddle is "how I miss a lot of shots."

When players hear "track the ball with your paddle," they move the paddle first and reach. Her version: your knees and legs move first, and the paddle stays neutral, right in front of you.

Watch her footage and you'll see her paddle travel across the court, but only because her body carried it there. Her belly button and paddle stay connected the whole time. If your footwork is the weak link, start with these pickleball footwork fixes.

What is the cone of power?

The cone of power is the zone directly in front of your body where your paddle stays tied to your center line. Jilly's cue: imagine the butt of your paddle is connected to your belly button, or that someone tied your elbows together.

Once the paddle drifts outside your center line, you're "setting yourself up for failure."

There's a second problem with paddle tracking. Players who think they're about to get attacked start guessing early and show where they're sitting. At higher levels, "it becomes one big game of chicken. Who's going to blink first?"

Commit early to one side and your opponent simply attacks the other. Stay centered, stay patient, and you'll have more time than you think.

Bad Advice #5: Aim for the Lines

Aiming for the lines on a putaway is a low percentage choice, because, in Jilly B's words, "middle does truly solve the riddle."

She says roughly 50% of her students' unforced errors come from the net and the other 50% come from overhitting, "often wide. Not even long, but wide." Lines invite exactly that miss.

The corners still matter. They just aren't the target. Use them to stretch your opponents so the middle opens, or as her comedian friend puts it, "Spread them so you can find the hole."

That also reframes the crosscourt dink. It has a single job: open up the middle. If you want more on reading that ball, see how to own the middle dink, and why playing the body, not the lines wins more points.

Which Pickleball Advice Should You Actually Follow?

The better pickleball advice is to judge every ball by pace, position, and the middle, not by old rules of thumb. Here's the swap list:

1. Attack dead balls, not just green ones, whenever your weight can move forward.
2. Hit it high? Back up, paddle up, weight forward, and welcome the attack.
3. Dink middle or just off middle when you're in trouble, and close the middle after every crosscourt dink.
4. Move your lower body first and keep the paddle in your cone of power.
5. Finish through the middle and use the corners to open it.

Take one of these to your next session and drill it until it feels normal. That's how old habits actually break.

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Frequently Asked Questions

What is the worst pickleball advice for beginners?

According to pro coach Jilly B, the worst pickleball advice includes only attacking balls above net height, "hit it high, you die," dinking crosscourt when in doubt, tracking the ball with your paddle, and aiming for the lines. Each one made more sense with older paddles and a slower game.

Is red, yellow, green still good pickleball advice?

Not as a strict rule. Modern paddles let you attack a below net ball if it's dead (no pace or dip) and your weight is stable or moving forward. Judge the ball's pace, not just its height.

Should you dink crosscourt or to the middle?

When you're under pressure, dink to the middle or just off middle in front of you. The middle is the lowest part of the net and the easiest place to clean up a bad dink. Save crosscourt dinks for opening up the middle, and close the middle after you hit one.

How do you defend after hitting a high dink?

Take a step back, get your paddle up in front of your chest, and keep your weight forward. Most rec players attack straight at you with power, which sets up an easy counter if you're ready for it.

Where should you aim a putaway in pickleball?

Aim through the middle rather than at the sidelines. Overhitting wide is one of the most common unforced errors, and the middle gives you the lowest net and the biggest margin.