Pickleball Drills

Nine pickleball drills that make you better faster than another round of open play, from your first dink to the transition zone. Most need a partner and a bucket of balls; serve targets and wall drills you can do alone. Pick three to five, spend five to ten minutes on each, and keep score so you know you're improving.

Beginner Drills

1. Straight-Ahead Dinks

Stand at the kitchen line across from your partner and dink straight ahead, landing every ball in the kitchen. Count how many you hit in a row and try to beat it.

2. Cross-Court Dinks

Same drill, but diagonally, from your right-side court to your partner's right-side court. Cross-court is the longer, safer dink because the ball crosses the lowest part of the net. Switch sides after every round.

3. Serve Targets

Put a towel or cone deep in the service court, a few feet from the baseline, and serve 10 balls at it. Count how many land deep and in. A deep serve keeps the returning team back.

4. Return and Run

Your partner serves. Return it deep, then walk all the way up to the kitchen line before the next ball. The goal is a deep return and getting to the line, not hitting a winner.

Intermediate Drills

5. Third Shot Drops

One player stands at the kitchen line and feeds balls deep. The other starts at the baseline and hits soft drops that land in the kitchen. After a good drop, take a few steps forward and hit the next one from there, working your way up to the line.

6. Transition Resets

The feeder at the kitchen line hits medium-hard balls at the feet of a player standing in the middle of the court. That player blocks each ball softly back into the kitchen, then moves forward. This is the shot that saves points when you get caught between the baseline and the line.

7. Volley Battles

Both players at the kitchen line hit volleys back and forth without letting the ball bounce. Start slow and keep it under control, then speed up. Keep your paddle up and use short, compact swings.

8. Skinny Singles

Play to 11 using only half the court, from one sideline to the center line, starting each point with a drop. Dinks, drops and resets only, no hard drives. It is the closest drill to a real point.

Solo Drills

9. Wall Drills

Find a flat wall and tape a line about 34 inches up, the height of the net at its center. Volley against the wall without letting the ball bounce, then switch to soft shots that land just above the line. Count your longest streak.

A 30-Minute Practice Plan

Five minutes of straight-ahead dinks to warm up. Five minutes of cross-court dinks. Ten minutes of third shot drops, taking turns. Five minutes of volley battles. Finish with five minutes of skinny singles.