7 Tennis Mistakes to Avoid in Pickleball

ThatPickleballSchool

Hey guys, it’s Kyle from ThatPickleballSchool.

If you’re a tennis player switching over to pickleball, avoid these seven mistakes for a faster transition. And you might be wondering, what authority do I have to talk about tennis? Well, I did play middle school tennis.

But I also had two former college tennis players come out—Michael, Nico—and Jackson plays some ping pong. They’re going to be a part of the article, and if I say anything incorrect, they’re going to correct me. I’m also just going to turn to them for guidance on certain things ’cause they actually did the thing.

So please, don’t go after me in the comments. Go after them.

Mistake #1: Not Knowing the Rules

There are three specific rules you really need to know when you first switch over to pickleball:

1. Serve rules
2. The two-bounce rule
3. Kitchen rules

In tennis, you serve overhead. But in pickleball, you serve underhand. The second rule is the two-bounce rule. In tennis, you can do what’s called a serve and volley.

But in pickleball, you can’t do that. You have to let the ball bounce back on your own side before you can take it out of the air. So I serve it, they return it, and I have to let it bounce before hitting it.

And then the third rule is the Kitchen Rules. This line here in green is called the kitchen line (figure 1). This whole area is the kitchen, AKA the non-volley zone. You can never hit the ball out of the air while you’re standing inside this area. If you could, the game would look a lot different.

(figure 1)

Now, you can go inside the kitchen, but only if you let the ball bounce. You can anticipate the bounce and be in the kitchen all you want—just don’t volley it in there. A lot of people get that wrong.

You Have to Unlearn Old Tennis Habits

When you start playing pickleball, you have to learn a lot of new skills—but you also have to unlearn a bunch of tennis stuff. That requires some mental agility and patience. Tennis players get frustrated because the things that used to work in tennis don’t quite translate.

Mistake #2: Hanging Back at the Baseline

A lot of tennis players stay back at the baseline for most of the point. But in pickleball, you want to be around the net as much as possible—that’s where you’re the biggest threat.

So I asked the tennis guys: when you first started playing pickleball, why did you (or others) stay back?

Michael: “When you start tennis, the court is so big and you’re small. You learn the game from the baseline.”

Nico: “We’re creatures of habit. You do one thing for years, you bring it into something new.”

Another thing—tennis balls move way faster than wiffle balls. In tennis, if someone feeds you a slow ball, you rip it. But in pickleball, it’s much harder to hit through people. The court’s only 44 by 20 feet—you can cover most of it with good positioning.

Mistake #3: Hitting Every Ball Too Hard

Especially from the baseline or midcourt, tennis players often just go for power. But that doesn’t work as well in pickleball. You’ll either hit into the net or out of bounds, since the court is shorter—only 44 feet long.

A tennis racket has strings and can generate tons more whip and topspin than a pickleball paddle. So if you bring over that same swing, you’re going to struggle.

Why do tennis players hit hard at first?

Nico: “It’s fun.”

Michael: “If you get a juicy high ball in tennis, you can hit through people. You’ve got big swings, Western grips, and more time.”

And that brings us to the soft game.

Mistake #4: Not Learning the Soft Game

Soft shots are weird for tennis players. In tennis, you might hit a drop shot or angle slice—but mostly, you play with pace. In pickleball, you’ve got to learn:

• Third shot drops: hit from the baseline and land softly in the kitchen to get closer to the net
• Resets: subtle shots to slow the game down and get up to the kitchen line
• Dinks: soft shots around the kitchen line—really common and critical

Pickleball moves fast. If you choose to hit a hard ball at the wrong time near the net, it’s coming back at your face or feet almost instantly.

Mistake #5: Giving Up on Points Too Soon

In tennis, if someone’s about to smash an overhead, the point’s pretty much over. You expect the ball to get rocketed three courts away.

But in pickleball? The ball doesn’t bounce as high, and it’s not nearly as fast. Even if the ball goes straight up, don’t give up—you can recover.

And on the flip side, if you smash an overhead and assume the point’s over, you might be surprised when it comes back. That body language slip-up can cost you the rally.

Mistake #6: Using Tennis Topspin Techniques

Generating topspin is totally different. In tennis, you’ve got big swings, Western grips, you brush the outside of the ball. In pickleball, you’ve got to go old-school—Continental grip, short swings, imagine using a wooden racket.

The ball doesn’t stay on the paddle like it does on a string bed—it pops off quickly. That makes a huge difference in feel and control.

Michael: “If you try to swing the same way as in tennis, the ball just dies into the net.”

Mistake #7: Big Swings at the Kitchen Line

This one’s major. In tennis, big windups help generate pace. In pickleball, especially near the kitchen, they get you in trouble.

You have to shorten your swing and be efficient. If you take a big backswing, you don’t have time to reset for a hands battle. Stay compact.

Alright, that’s it for this week!

Think you know pickleball inside and out? Challenge yourself with ThatPickleball IQ Test and see if you can score a perfect 10 out of 10! 

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