By Gordon Watson
There’s a special sound in pickleball that instantly changes the mood of a match. It’s not the squeak of shoes or the pop of a clean winner. It’s that unmistakable thud of a ball drilling straight into someone’s chest, shoulder, hip or, if things go particularly wrong, somewhere far more painful.
Welcome to the art of the body bag.
In pickleball terms, a “body bag” is when a player intentionally targets their opponent’s body with a shot, usually at speed, to jam them up, force a weak reply or simply win the point outright. At the pro level, it has become part strategy, part psychological warfare and part crowd entertainment. Fans gasp, players smirk, and social media clips spread faster than a kitchen-line firefight.
And yes, sometimes it gets spicy.
One of the most famous examples came courtesy of Zane Navratil, whose infamous full-send missile at Jack Sock instantly became pickleball internet lore. More recently, Brazilian firecracker Eric Oncins uncorked what many dubbed the “ball bag” on Tama Shimabukuro, a shot that had viewers simultaneously wincing and gasping while every male player instinctively crossed their legs in sympathy.
But here’s the thing: body bagging isn’t automatically dirty play.
In fact, at high levels, it’s often the smartest shot available.
When a player crowds the kitchen line with their paddle too wide, stands flat-footed after a speed-up, or gets caught leaning, the body becomes the biggest target on the court. Pros talk constantly about “attacking the right shoulder” or “jamming the chicken wing.” Why? Because hands are fast, paddles are quick and angles disappear in milliseconds. Hitting directly at the body removes reaction time and creates chaos.
Used correctly, the body bag is legitimate offence.
Used excessively, it turns you into ‘that player’.
Every club has one. The self-appointed head hunter who treats every social game like an MMA title fight. No resets. No finesse. No touch. Just shoulder-high rockets launched at retirees and 3.0 players trying to survive Tuesday night mixed doubles. Often, these players rely on body attacks because they lack variety elsewhere in their game. If the only tool in your toolbox is violence, eventually people stop wanting to play with you.
And pickleball, more than most sports, has a memory.
That’s the fascinating tension around body bagging. In the short term, it can completely change a match. A well-timed attack can intimidate opponents, create hesitation and make players back off the kitchen line. Suddenly hands slow down. Dinks sit up. Momentum swings.
But the long-term consequences can linger too.
Repeatedly targeting heads or blasting opponents unnecessarily can earn reputations that follow players from tournament to tournament. Nobody forgets the serial head hunter. In a sport built heavily on community and sportsmanship, your reputation matters almost as much as your DUPR.
There’s also the small issue of physical consequences. A body bag to the torso might sting. A body bag to the face can start arguments, spark apologies or leave someone checking the mirror for fresh bruises between games. The unwritten rule? If you accidentally smoke someone in the head, you apologise immediately. If you celebrate it, prepare for frosty handshakes and possibly a few return missiles later in the day.
Still, body bagging isn’t going anywhere.
As pickleball gets faster, younger and more aggressive, body attacks are now woven into modern strategy. They create drama. They reward boldness. They add theatre to the sport. And secretly? Even players who complain about them love watching them happen to someone else.
Because deep down, every pickleball fan enjoys a little chaos at the kitchen line.
