In the world of Pickleball, an increasingly controversial play is the “Banger” style, the players who like to put strong balls. Their goal is not only to win points, but also to make the opponent hit the ball into the body, creating an uncomfortable feeling, if not unfair.
According to the definition in the Pickleball dictionary, “Banger” is a player who likes to polish strongly, rarely softening and mainly driving. Meanwhile, many coaches and players consider the straight Drive to be accurate, just the ball on the opponent's yard is to score points, no need to be “beautiful” style.
However, with a strong ball towards the body, especially the chest or face, this style becomes controversial. There are groups of people who think that this is a “physical disadvantage” for players, easily causing injury.
On the forums, many female players reflect that they are often more vulnerable to the ball to attack people, feeling more threatened and less safe. Although there is no official statistics, the number of response to the body injury and shoulders in women playing pickleball with Banger style is increasing significantly.
A girl participating in Pickleball shared that she felt always defending by deeply backing down, not daring to go to face to face because she was afraid of being attacked by strong balls. At that time, she felt disadvantaged both physically and tactical, unable to perform flexible attacks like male colleagues or players who were not in Banger style.
Some recommendations from the Pickleball practice community emphasized: It is necessary to teach more skills to deal with Banger Player such as increasing reflexes, fast moving, and especially avoiding the ball “sprung straight into people”. At the same time, the design of rackets and glossy materials should also focus on reducing the risk of injury from strong shots.
The strong Banger style, especially targeting the body, is causing great concerns in pickleball, especially for female players. Without measures to minimize risks and enhance defensive skills, women will increasingly feel disadvantaged about safety and ability to play in this playground.