Why do most players get stuck at the 3.5 rating plateau?

At 3.5, players win points by driving hard at opponents' bodies and capitalizing on weak pop-ups. Against 4.0+ players, high-pace drives are easily blocked into the kitchen. Crossing the 3.5 threshold requires developing elite transition zone resets, patient 15-shot dink rallies, and learning never to attack a ball below the net tape.