10 Pickleball Drills To Level Up Your Game (2024)

Upgrade your performance, fill the gaps, and learn and practice the pickleball drills to be successful in pickleball.

Drills have become extensive in sports, considering the increasing participation of professionals and players in certain training programs, and pickleball is no exception. The pickleball drills let you fill the gap, work on your demerits, and improve your performance on the court without any dependencies. There are many paid courses and training sessions by coaches, institutes, and agencies offering pickleball drills, but I’ll guide you to similar drills for free.

Pickleball Drills

Pickleball is a paddle sport that can be played on indoor and outdoor courts. It can be played by two players as well as four players. Pickleball is played with a paddle, a racket-like compact and perforated hollow handheld product used to hit the ball. The basic theme is to hit the ball to the opponent’s side (either side of the net in the middle of the court).

Pickleball might seem easy, but it needs a lot of practice to become a professional player in pickleball. This is because there are plenty of hidden tricks and serves that a player can perform with the perforated paddle. Therefore, you must practice to fill the gaps and improve your gaming performance. The practice and exercising of certain pickleball training that aims to improve a set of skills is what we call drills.

Pickleball Drills For Beginners

You must have heard the famous saying—Practice makes a man perfect! This is true, but the definition of practice is not to show up on the court and meaninglessly hit the ground, slapping shots. There must be a symmetry, a goal, or a drill to which you must stick.

As a beginner, the first thing you need to do is to find out your strengths and the gap. Strength doesn’t mean something you’re professional at because, as an entry-level player, it wouldn’t be possible. But strength refers to a key style, position, or stroke you’re good at or will learn easily. After addressing both, you can opt for a perfect drill that nourishes your merits and fills the gaps to boost your overall game performance.

Nevertheless, if you’re playing pickleball for entertainment or fun only or are truly dedicated to it, every player wants to perform better on the court and win the game. In this sequence, these are the best pickleball drills for beginners:

1. Know Your Pickleball Paddle

The first thing a beginner needs to do is to learn the equipment in his hands, i.e., pickleball paddle. That’s crucial because a lack of knowledge and understanding about the paddle is one of the common reasons behind the errors made by newbies.

When I started playing pickleball, I found the first drill very easy. Still, with time, I understood that there were multiple errors in my gameplay, mainly because I was not aware of the different components of the pickleball paddle.

The pickleball paddle is like a compact, solid racket that is easy to hold and play with, but its different components offer different shot styles and power. This is because it is important to study the paddle.

First, hold the paddle in your hand and start hitting the ball. What’s your goal here? The aim is not to let the ball hit the ground. Please practice pickleball in a wide space with no breakable or sensitive objects nearby. When you get used to it, move on to a harder step: hitting the ball using different paddle parts.

The pickleball paddle mainly has a head and tail; the head is the area from where you will hit the ball, while the tail is the grippy surface from where the player will hold the paddle. The head of the pickleball paddle has further divisions like sides, top, bottom, and more. After practicing basic hitting, you must practice hitting the ball with different paddle sides.

2. Set The Target

In the next drill, you need to find a wall near you. Please search for a location that is not too compact or has a wall that is not prone to damage. With the help of tape, marker, or anything similar, mark a square box on the ball. When I did this drill, I marked a square box 36 inches above the ground, which worked perfectly. You can adjust the width of the box as per your suitability.

Once you have set up the space or so-called playing area, it’s time to begin the drill. In the first step, you need to set the posture. I stood seven steps from the wall, but you can change that at the start and middle of the practice.

You need to hit the ball with the pickleball paddle to the square you created, and whenever the ball comes back to you, wait for a while so that it bounces once. The goal is to hit the ball as often as possible without a break.

3. Pickleball Dinking Drills

To practice the dink shot, you must first understand what that is. For your information, the dink shot is played near the non-volley area line. It’s the area between the net and the non-volley zone line. The dink shot is, without any doubt, a soft shot, but it is difficult for the player on the opposite side to get this shot. This way, the dink shot helps to increase your score. I always called it a shield shot as it saved my score and performance from worsening.

To practice the dink shots, you need to get your partner along with you to the court. Well, some ways, like bucket balls and other tools, help you practice the dink shots without any partner, but I always find it more fun and interesting with a partner.

Once the setup is ready, you and your pickleball partner must stand on the opposing kitchen lines. To practice the dink shot, you aim to hit the ball to the kitchen area of your opponent without getting any slam shot. Therefore, please try to build the full focus on each serve. Well, that doesn’t mean restricting a single posture; you can try different positions, angles, and distances per your feasibility.

4. Pickleball Volley Drills

You and your partner need to stand on opposing kitchen lines. To practice volleying, you aim not to let the ball hit the ground without getting a slam shot. Therefore, please try to build the maximum focus on each serve. Well, that doesn’t mean restricting a single posture; you can try different positions, angles, and distances per your feasibility. You can play the volleying by both single hand or dual.

5. Grab The Ball

You must practice catching the ball with your paddle in this pickleball drill. It makes no sense to you now, but it is a thing. Well, pickleball is not like baseball or something in which you are grabbing the ball, but you need to deaden the ball being served to you by the opponent. This can be done by allowing the pickleball paddle to hit the ball or serve a shot without demanding force from your side.

6. Pickleball Forehand Drills

The forehand groundstroke is a basic shot a pickleball player can make by directly hitting the ball from the dominant side. If you are a right-handed pickleball player, the forehand shot is the stroke you play when the ball comes to your right side, while it will be shifted to the opposite side for left-handed players. For the forehand groundstroke, I go ahead with the palm of my right hand, as this is preferable.

You need to stand at least 10 feet from the wall and hit the ball so it bounces at a half distance, i.e., 5 feet. You can mark 5 feet on the ground for practice. Simply put, the ball must hit the ground at 5 feet distance after hitting the wall. After practice, I noticed the ball bounced at a good height after hitting high enough. When hitting the ball, please ensure your knees are stepped in with your left foot—if you are a right-handed player and vice versa.

Once you get into the position, start hitting the ball from the height of your chest. Well, I believe in changing the height as this way, I learn better, and it helps me find the perfect posture to improve the game score. In a nutshell, positioning and hitting focus is very important here.

7. Pickleball Backhand Drills

The backhand groundstroke is like the forehand shots, but the only difference is the hitting side. You need to hit the ball from the left side by leading the pickleball paddle with the back of your hand instead of the palm of your hand. Again, when hitting the ball, please ensure that your knees are stepped in with your left foot—if you are a right-handed player. In contrast, if you’re a left-handed player, keep your knees and step in with your right foot.

Pickleball Wall Drills

Practice is the key, and you should not take it for granted; otherwise, your performance will be negatively affected. In these pickleball drills for intermediate players, I highly suggest you not rely on any factors, not even a partner, for solo pickleball drills. Get up for yourself and practice pickleball without any dependent or independent impact factors. In case there are any limitations, fill those in for yourself.

In this section, I’ll explain the pickleball drills to do alone; you can practice anytime without any partner. That might need extra effort and time to set up the space and everything, but that’s for one time only. Once you have set out everything, you can use the pickleball practice board forever for pickleball practice drills. Also, the DIY pickleball setups help people enjoy their me time, reduce weight, and try this energetic and healthy activity without any partner.

To practice the wall drill, you need to find a wall near you, of course. The perfect space for the wall drill has a fine and robust wall that is not prone to damage and has a wide surface area. To be honest, pickleball is not a game you play in compact or limited space. There are no restrictions related to the closed or open areas, as you can play pickleball on outdoor and indoor courts.

I found the indoor courts more feasible because there are no bricks in your pathway, like wind pressure, weather changes, etc. You can play freely in your style and focus on the shots rather than the environment. After searching for a location that is not too compact or has a wall that is not prone to damage, you need to mark the field. You can use tape, marker, or anything similar to mark a square box on the ball.

When I did these beginner pickleball drills, I marked a square box with adhesive tape as it is the most convenient of all the available options and is visible clearly. I marked the square box 36 inches above the ground and kept its overall area similar to the area of the net in the typical pickleball or tennis courts. You can adjust the width of the box as per your feasibility.

Once you have set up the space or so-called playing area, it’s time to begin the drill. In the first step, you need to set the posture. I stood seven steps from the wall, but you can change that at the start and middle of the practice.

You need to hit the ball with the pickleball paddle to the square you created, and whenever the ball comes back to you, wait for a while so that it bounces once. The goal is to hit the ball as often as possible without a break.

Pickleball Drills For Two

You can indeed practice drills alone, but sometimes it gets boring, right? Everyone needs company to do fun activities like pickleball. If you already have a partner, that’s great. Here are some drills for two players.

1. Triangle Dink Drill

The triangle dink drill is best for ball placement and shot practice. In these pickleball dinking drills, both players must stand at the NVZ or non-volley zone area. The non-volley zone area is on both sides of the pickleball net, so the players must stand in the opposing position. The theme is to keep the opponent mobile around the premises of the non-volley zone.

In the triangle dink drill, you need to hit the ball in three different spots in a way that they form a triangle together. When you dink at different locations, the opponent will keep moving here and there, and your winning chances will increase as it will be difficult for your opponent to serve the ball.

Well, that’s not as smooth and easy as it sounds. You need to keep an eye on different locations at the same time. But, once you get strong on the triangle dink drill, it will greatly help your pickleball career.

2. Volleying The Ball

In the pickleball court, there are kitchen lines on both sides. You and your partner need to stand on opposing kitchen lines. The main idea of volleying is not letting the ball hit the ground without getting a slam shot. Therefore, please try to build the maximum focus on each pickleball serve. Well, that doesn’t mean restricting a single posture; you can try different positions, angles, and distances per your feasibility.

People Also Ask

What Are Drills In Pickleball?

Pickleball drills refer to certain practices that aim to improve a skill or demerit of a player on the court. Pickleball drills can be performed alongside as well as with an opponent. Volleying, dinking, triangular dinking, and many others are examples.

What 3 Skills Do You Need To Be Successful In Pickleball?

It’s hard to name three skills. Most importantly, dinking, volleying, attaching from the NVZ, and blocking the NVZ can increase your chances of winning pickleball.

What Is The #1 Mistake Beginner Pickleball Players Make?

The number one mistake beginners make is to start playing pickleball without a basic understanding of the game, the components of the paddle, and positioning. I have also tried to cover these aspects in this blog, so don’t forget to read.

How To Build A Pickleball Backboard?

First, choose two plywood sheets 10 feet wide and 6 feet high. Now join the sheet together and screw them so that they should attach by both sides of the joints. Make sure that plywood sheets engage each other at equal lengths. Use Wood Putty to fill the joints of the wall. Your wall is ready to use for practicing pickleball when the wood putty is dry.

How To Practice Pickleball Alone?

To practice pickleball alone, start with wall drills to enhance your shot precision and reflexes. Next, focus on shadow playing, which helps improve your court movement and positioning without using a ball. Finally, spend time on targeted serving practice, aiming for different areas of the service court to develop consistency and accuracy in your serves.

Conclusion

That’s all for the pickleball drills! Most importantly, you need to work on your posture and improve your focus in the game. The lateral movements, response time, concentration, pickleball ball placement, control, and handling are the factors that improve with practice, so the drills for pickleball were introduced. There is no need to enroll in paid programs and practices; I have explained the best pickleball drills above that you can try easily.

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