9 Pickleball Drills for Beginners & Advance Players

In every field and walk of life, no doubt, everyone starts from zero. At the beginning of every work, field, game, sport, etc. we all are counted as a beginner and need the practice to improve ourselves to achieve defined goals.

Similarly, we want to learn some drills in pickleball, when we vow to play the game. Our first priority is to start from some basic skills to easily get ourselves in the game.

This article will help you in achieving your defined purposes and guide about several pickleball drills for beginners. These skills will increase your level of the game and pull you out from all fears of quitting the game. 

9 Essential Pickleball Skills Drills for Beginners

Keep in mind that without practicing, you cannot achieve any goal. To become a good player, following pickleball drills will not only help you to improve your stroke but also teach you how to carry your body and feet movement while playing these stroke/shots:

1. Dinking the Ball Cross to Each Other

To achieve this drill, you will stand cross to your partner at the non-volley line and dink the ball to your partner.

Keep in mind that the ball should land into the kitchen / non-volley zone and your opponent should have feet movement. You may start with a backhand shot, later use a forehand shot.

After that, you should use both (backhand and forehand) shots to dink the ball and shift yourself in right and left service courts right at non-volley line.

Keep your body a little bend and move your feet accordingly.

2. Hit the Ball Without Bounce

In this drill, you and your opponent will stand at the kitchen line and pass the ball to each other without having to bounce into the non-volley zone (ground).

You will hit the ball lower to high and high to lower to engage your opponent through different angles (for backhand and forehand shots).

3. Stop the Ball and Volley it Back

Here, both the players will position at the kitchen line.

In this skill, a player passes the ball to its opponent without having to bounce into the kitchen (ground), and the second player will stop the ball right before itself to bounce it at a height between belly to head.

Later, hit it back to the first player. The practice will remain to continue similarly. It will enhance your control of the ball (for backhand and forehand shots).

Your body will remain a little straight to stop the ball and bend, when you hit the ball including feet movement.

4. Baseline to Kitchen Line Shot Drill

A player will stand at baseline, and the other will position at the kitchen line.

The ball will serve by the baseline player to the kitchen line player. The kitchen line player will hit a volley shot, and the baseline player will hit the ball after a bounce.

This practice can carry out through forehand and backhand shots. Through this drill, you can improve your volley and groundstrokes.

5. Drive and Block the Ball

In this session, a player will position at mid-court whereas, your partner will stand at the non-volley line.

Mid-court player will slightly bounce the ball into the court first and then smash it towards its opponent.

The player standing at the kitchen line will block the ball slightly by playing a volley shot aiming to land the ball into the service courts of its opponent (wondering what the “Kitchen Line” is? Find out more here).

This shot will help you to adequately respond to fast shots.

6. Dinking the Ball Into Kitchen

To learn this skill, you and your partner will position like drive and block the ball drill.

The baseline player will hit the dink shot to drop the ball in the kitchen line, keeping in mind that the ball should land in the kitchen. If you fail to land the ball in the kitchen, you may face another power smash by your opponent.

7. Service and Third Shot Drop

Both the players will position at baselines.

The service player after serving the first shot will have to defend the second shot of his partner to hit the third shot drop.

In the third shot drop, the service player should hit the shot, which lands the ball into the kitchen. It will increase the efforts of the opponent to hit the ball back.

8. Skinny Pickle

In this drill, you and your partner have to restrict yourselves to right service and left service courts respectively.

Both will serve the ball to each other in an unrestricted area. This skill will enhance your capability to hit the ball in a specific zone.

Moreover, it will also improve shot speed and develop faster reflexes.

9. Maintain Rally in Pickleball

This drill can perform either by an individual or two players.

For individually practicing, you need a wall and mark a line at a distance of 07 feet from the wall (to establish a non-volley zone).

Further, sketch a line on the wall at a height of 36 inches. Now, you will maintain a rally between paddle and ball by hitting the ball onto the wall through a volley shot.

Whereas, for two players, you and your partner will stand opposite to each other, on or near the non-volley line.

One player will play the volley shot, and the second player will also hit a volley shot in return to maintain a rally.

Through this practice, you will develop a chain of hits with your opponent.

Final Thoughts on Pickleball Drills for Beginners

To improve the game and polish your skills, you need to practice as much as you can. Through practice, you and your partner definitely will get better results. For this purpose, you need to learn some techniques for a specific game practice like pickleball.

Each drill will improve your basic, intermediate, and professional shots. Furthermore, if you start your practice according to the above-mentioned skills, you will easily overcome your fear of quitting the game. With the help of continuous practice, you will not only bring novelty to your play but also make your shots precise with every passing hour.