Pickleball is built around touch, placement, and patience, but rallies can quickly turn into fierce battles when the stakes rise. One shot has become especially controversial in recent years. Is a body bag simply smart strategy, or does it cross the line into poor sportsmanship?
Key Takeaways
Professional pickleball player Jay Devilliers argues that ‘body bags’ can be considered a legitimate strategy in high-stakes matches, but not in casual play.
- A ‘body bag’ in pickleball involves deliberately hitting the ball at an opponent’s body, a tactic that sparks debate about sportsmanship versus strategy.
- Jay Devilliers believes body bags are unsportsmanlike in friendly games but acceptable when competition intensifies with aggressive play and trash talk.
- Devilliers’ perspective is shaped by personal experience, including both attempting and receiving body bags, viewing them as a response to aggressive play rather than an attempt to injure.
When body bags are fair (and when they aren’t)
A body bag happens when a player deliberately drives the ball into an opponent’s body instead of aiming for open court. While the tactic has produced plenty of viral highlights, it has also divided players over whether it belongs in the game.
Speaking on the Pickleballers Podcast, professional player Jay Devilliers said the answer depends on the situation. In his view, body bags have no place in friendly matches. Once emotions run high, however, and both sides are trading hard shots and trash talk, he believes the tactic becomes a legitimate part of competition.
The experiences behind his stance
That mindset developed through experience. Devilliers recalled one of the first times he deliberately tried a body bag during a Major League Pickleball match against James Ignatowich after repeatedly being targeted alongside teammate Tyler Loong.
His own attempt missed by only a few centimetres, yet he said the objective was never to hurt anyone. What was he trying to do instead? The shot was meant to send a clear message that he had no intention of accepting repeated body shots without responding. Although he rarely relies on the tactic, Devilliers believes it becomes part of the contest when opponents choose to play that way.
One of his most memorable moments came from the receiving end. During another MLP match, Anna Leigh Waters caught him with a body bag that completely caught him off guard. Instead of hitting back, he admitted he became unusually cautious and later called it “probably the best bag I’ve ever gotten”.