How to Defend a Smash in Pickleball: The DIGS System
You pop up a dink, see the opponent raise the paddle, and know the overhead is coming. The point is not over, but your priorities have changed. Create space, read the attack, and give yourself a ball you can control. Then watch what your return allows you to do next.
The first clean smash dig I remember changed the way I looked at this situation. I had popped up the ball and expected the overhead to end the rally. Instead of swinging back at it, I got my paddle behind the ball, took off some pace, and dropped the return into the kitchen. My opponent had prepared to finish the point. Instead, they had to hit a soft next ball, and suddenly we were still in it.
That does not mean every overhead can be saved. A good smash is supposed to put you in trouble. But you can make better decisions while you are in trouble. I teach those decisions with DIGS.
How Do You Defend a Smash in Pickleball?
Coach Sid’s DIGS system starts with recognizing the popup and creating space before the overhead is struck. Leave a ball that is clearly going out, block one that reaches you before the bounce, or play it after the bounce when you have room. Aim for a return the attacker cannot easily smash again. Move forward with your partner only when that return takes away the clean overhead.
The DIGS System for Pickleball Smash Defense
- D — Drop back into a survival position. Create room to react while keeping the attacker and your partner in view.
- I — Identify the ball. Decide whether it is traveling out, must be blocked in the air, or gives you room to play it after the bounce.
- G — Give your return room to land. Control the paddle face and choose a target you can reach without handing over an easier overhead.
- S — Step forward when you earn it. Watch the attacker’s next contact and recover with your partner, not on a fixed number of steps.
DIGS starts when your team has already given the opponent an attackable ball. If that keeps happening, work on what causes your popups. For the broader choices you make under pressure, see my pickleball defense guide. Once your popup gives them an overhead, deal with that ball first.
Sometimes your best read and best movement still will not be enough. DIGS gives you a plan for the balls you can reach; it does not turn a well-placed winner into an easy reset.
D — Drop Back Into a Survival Position
Your popup is the warning. If you wait to see where the smash is going before you create space, you have already spent much of your reaction time. When the opponent can contact your ball high and in front, start moving while keeping the ball and attacker in view.
There is no magic number of steps. You want enough room to react, perhaps even enough to let the ball bounce, without retreating so far or so fast that you cannot get balanced for contact.
- Turn to move. A drop step or crossover gives you a safer route than shuffling straight backward with your feet tangled.
- Get balanced. Lower your base so you can respond to a ball at your feet, hip, or body.
- Keep the paddle compact. Protect the center of your body while staying ready to lower the face for a ball at your feet.
- Set your feet when you can. A small split step near the attacker’s contact helps you react in either direction. If you are still moving, focus on making the most controlled contact available.
Coach Sid’s note: Retreating is not surrendering. You are trading court position for reaction time. The mistake is giving up the kitchen and then acting as though you are still attacking from it.
I — Identify the Ball Before Choosing the Shot
Before you decide to reset, see whether you need to touch the ball at all. Then decide whether your better contact is in the air or after the bounce.
1. Could the Smash Travel Out?
Do not rely on a chest-high rule. An overhead can pass you at that height and still land in, especially when struck close to the net. Read its path, speed, and where you are on the court. Leave it when you can clearly see it carrying beyond the line.
The partner with the better view can call “out” or “bounce” early. “Bounce” means let the court help make the decision; it is not a promise that the ball will land out.
2. Will It Reach You Before the Bounce?
If the ball reaches you before it can bounce, get the paddle behind its path and use a short, protective block. Keep the face steady rather than taking a full swing at the attacker’s pace.
A smash aimed at your torso can jam the paddle. Make a small adjustment when there is time to give yourself room to contact the ball. Do not blindly duck and assume it will miss you or land out.
3. Can You Let It Bounce?
When you have room, letting the ball bounce can make the next contact easier to control. It is not automatically the better choice: you still need to reach the rebound while balanced enough to send it back. Use a compact lift or dig, keep the contact in front when possible, and avoid scooping while falling away.
| Ball You Receive | Usually Try | Main Mistake |
|---|---|---|
| Clearly traveling long | Call it and let it go | Reflex-volleying a ball that would miss |
| Hard at the body before the bounce | Compact protective block | Taking a full swing at incoming pace |
| Low at the feet | Lift with enough height to clear the net | Trying to drive a ball from below the net |
| Playable after the bounce | Controlled dig toward a target you can reach | Letting it bounce without room to play the rebound |
| Slower or poorly placed overhead | Reset or counter if your balance and contact allow it | Attacking just because you returned the first ball |
G — Give Your Return Room to Land
You do not need a perfect reset on the first dig. First, keep the ball in play. Then ask whether your return makes the next overhead harder. A ball that clears the net but floats up for another easy smash has saved one contact without changing much about the rally.
Keep the paddle face steady without squeezing so hard that every block springs back up. An airborne block and a dig after the bounce need different touch. If you are stretched, give the ball more room. Save the tiny target for a ball you can reach cleanly.
Choose the Target That Makes the Attacker Hit Up
- Kitchen middle: A useful target when you can soften the ball and make the attackers reach down for it.
- Attacker’s feet: Worth aiming for when you are balanced enough to control the ball, particularly if the attacker is moving forward or landing after the overhead.
- Deep middle: An option when you are stretched and cannot produce a soft return. Give it enough depth to buy time; a high ball that sits up can become the next overhead.
- Defensive lob: An emergency choice when you can send it deep enough to recover. I used to count on a lob to buy my trip back to the kitchen, but it could also give the other team an overhead. A short one makes their next attack easier.
If the attacker has to reach down for your return, you have made their next overhead much harder. For more on taking pace off the ball, use the pickleball reset guide. A block is the compact volley contact you may need when the smash reaches you before the bounce; a reset describes the softer result you are trying to produce. The pickleball blocking guide goes deeper into that contact.
When Should You Counterattack a Smash?
Counter when the overhead gives you a playable attacking ball and you are balanced behind it. That might be a slower smash, a late contact from the attacker, or a ball left near your strike zone above net height.
Surviving several smashes does not mean the next one is yours to attack. If you are reaching, falling away, or contacting below the net, keep working to neutralize the ball.
Do not counter because you are tired of defending. Counter because the ball finally allows it.
S — Step Forward Only When the Return Earns It
A dig that comes back over the net is not permission to sprint to the kitchen. Read what the attackers are about to do with your return.
- If your return stays high: Hold your ground, get balanced, and prepare for another overhead.
- If it is forcing a low contact: Start gaining ground with your partner while the attackers have to play up.
- If it is dropping into the kitchen: Take the space it gives you, then get set before the opponent’s next shot.
- If your partner is still deep: Stay connected rather than charging ahead alone and opening a large gap.
AJ taught me this with a drill he called Red Light Green Light. We returned controlled attacks as a team: a low return into the kitchen was our green light to advance; a high return meant stay back and prepare for the next attack. That lesson has stuck with me more than any rule about taking two steps forward. For the larger system of partner coverage and team recovery, see pickleball doubles defense.
What Should Your Partner Do During Smash Defense?
Only one player may dig the smash, but both have to deal with what happens next. If one defender moves back while the other stays at the kitchen, the attacker can use the gap or hit toward the player left alone.
- React to the popup together. You do not need to stand at identical depths, but both players need time to defend the overhead.
- Watch the space between you. Do not let the retreat turn the middle into an easy target.
- Help with an obvious out ball. The partner with the clearer view can make the early call.
- Read the return together. A low dig can give you a chance to move up; a floating one means another attack may be coming.
Common Smash-Defense Mistakes
| Mistake | Why It Fails | Better Cue |
|---|---|---|
| Waiting at the kitchen after a high popup | Leaves little reaction time | Read the popup and create space before the overhead |
| Swinging hard at every smash | Makes a rushed contact harder to control | Use a compact block or dig |
| Holding the paddle low for every ball | Leaves the body unprepared for a higher attack | Protect your center, then adjust to the ball |
| Lobbing every defensive return | A short lob sets up another overhead | Choose the target you can control from your position |
| Charging forward after any return | Can leave you moving into the next smash | Advance when your return forces a lower contact |
| Trying to cover every angle | Leads to late movement and poor balance | Stay connected and protect the space between partners |
Four Drills for Better Smash Defense
Start with controlled feeds. The first goal is a good read, then a controlled return, then a recovery decision. Do not turn the opening round into target practice against a partner who cannot defend themselves.
1. Read and Retreat
Put two defenders at the kitchen on one side and a feeder across the net. One defender sends the feeder either a normal dink or a deliberately high ball. The feeder dinks the normal ball back and hits a controlled overhead off the high ball. On the high ball, both defenders call it, create space, and get balanced. Stop before the return for the first round. Success means both defenders recognized the attackable ball and moved in time. Once they can do that consistently, play out the overhead and judge their return.
2. Block-or-Bounce
The attacker sends controlled overheads at different depths. The defender calls “block” when the ball must be taken in the air and “bounce” when there is room to play the rebound. Score the choice first: did the defender choose a contact they could actually reach and control? Then judge the return. Increase the pace only after the decisions hold up.
3. Keep the Next Overhead Away
From the baseline or deep transition zone, defend manageable overheads. Give the defenders a point when their return lands low enough to make the attackers reach down or play up. Give the attackers a point when the return floats into another easy overhead. Success is changing the next contact, not merely getting the ball across the net.
4. DIGS Recovery
Play two-on-two, starting each rally with a controlled popup and overhead. The defenders create space, read the ball, and try to return it with margin. They move forward together when the return is forcing the attackers to contact low. If it stays high, they hold their ground and prepare to defend again. Play out the point. Score the team’s recovery decision separately from the first dig.
If the defenders are missing the first read, slow the feed down. Faster overheads will not fix a decision they have not learned to make yet.
Smash Defense FAQ
There is no fixed number of steps. Start moving when you recognize an attackable popup and create enough room to react without losing your balance or sight of the attacker. If the overhead still reaches you before the bounce, be ready to block it.
Be ready for a ball at your feet, but do not park the paddle so low that your body is unprotected. Keep it in a compact position near your center and adjust to the height and path of the smash.
A defensive lob can buy time if you have room and can send it deep. A short lob gives the attacker another overhead. When you can control a lower return into the kitchen or toward the attacker’s feet, that usually makes the next attack less comfortable.
Make the Attacker Hit One More Ball
One dig does not win the point. Sometimes it only makes the opponent hit the overhead they thought they would never need to hit. If your return makes that next shot lower or less comfortable, you have given yourself and your partner a way back into the rally.
