According to professional pickleball player Ashley Greffrath, three skills separate many 5.0 players from 4.0 players: handling pressure, controlling depth, and making better shot selections.

These skills may not be flashy, but they can be trained.

Absorb pace instead of forcing offense

Many 4.0 players panic in the transition zone. They try to hit winners from difficult positions, overhit resets, or speed up balls that should stay soft.

Higher-level players respond differently.

They absorb pace, reset the ball, and work their way back into a neutral position.

Instead of forcing offense, focus on creating good shape over the net and giving yourself enough margin to keep the rally alive. The reset does not need to be perfect. It simply needs to give you time to recover.

The goal is to make your opponent hit one more shot.

The more consistently you handle pressure, the harder you become to beat.

Use depth to create difficult contact points

Power may be the most obvious way to pressure an opponent, but depth can be even more effective.

When your returns, drives, or third shots land short, your opponent can move forward and attack. When those shots land deep, you keep them back and make the court feel smaller.

Ashley recommends focusing on deep returns, deep third shots, and safe targets. She also suggests using height and depth to force uncomfortable contact points.

You can practice this in almost every session. Instead of trying to hit harder, aim deeper and give yourself enough margin to stay in the point.

Do not attack every ball

Higher-level pickleball does not mean speeding up every shot.

Smart players wait for the right opportunity.

They recognize dead balls, attack from balanced positions, and stay patient when the ball is not there. Their aggression is controlled, not forced.

Do not attempt a low-percentage speed-up simply because you want to end the rally.

Stay patient. Use placement to create pressure. Let the right ball give you the opportunity to attack.

As your shot selection improves, the game may begin to feel slower because you are no longer reacting to every ball in the same way.

Focus on the fundamentals

Moving from 4.0 to 5.0 is not about learning more difficult shots.

It is about performing the fundamentals under pressure.

Become difficult to attack. Control the depth of your shots. Know when to apply pressure and when to remain patient.

These three skills can make your game more consistent, disciplined, and difficult to break down.

Ready to test them in competitive play? Find a DUPR-rated event near you and see how well you handle pressure, depth, and shot selection during a match.

Want to learn more from Ashley? Watch her full YouTube video for examples of each skill and how to train them.