Five Basic Drills for Beginners to Improve Fast

Christian Alshon PPA 2024 (Picture Kerry Pittenger)

Hey everyone, it’s Kyle Koszuta from ThatPickleballShool. Here’s one big problem I see: a lot of players say they want to improve and get from a 3.5 to a 4.0 or a 4.0 to a 4.5, but the challenge is they only play recreational games and never drill. The hack, or the secret, to improving faster and accelerating your growth is to drill. It’s not always the most fun thing in the world, I get that, but like Kobe Bryant once said— Actually I’ll just tell you the story.

Kobe Bryant was in a gym one time, and another guy came in to watch him train. The guy’s famous for training in these crazy ways with unbelievable workouts. The guy sat down and watched Kobe train, and Kobe did the exact same fundamental move for two hours. The guy was sitting there thinking, “This is so boring. Why is he doing this?” When Kobe finished, he came over, and the player said,

“Hey, Kobe, you’re the best player in the world. Why are you working on that one simple move over and over for two hours?”

Kobe looked at him and said,

“It’s why I’m the best player in the world.”

So, if you want to improve fast, you have to do what my friend Sam Allen always says: Master the boring and start doing things that will help you improve your game faster, a.k.a. drilling. Here we go.

Drill #1: Cross Court Dinking

The first drill you can do is a simple cross-court dink. You go with a partner and work on cross-court dinking with them. No pressure on it right now; you just want to get the ball down in the kitchen. If you can take one out of the air, do it.

The most important thing in any of the five drills I’m going to give you is that you have a focus area and an intention for what you’re trying to work on. For this drill, you might work on balance while you dink. A lot of times, people get off balance, and when you get off balance, it causes you to pop the ball up in the air. So, stay balanced and low in a stance.

After you’ve done this for three to five minutes, turn it into a game. A very basic one that I see pros do all the time is to play a game to five or a game to seven.

Drill #2: Backhand Dinking

What we do on one side, we also do on the other side. So, the second drill is backhand dinking. It’s the same thing: go back and forth, maybe put a five-minute timer on. Choose an intention; for example, focus on taking balls out of the air to give less time to the opponent.

Turn it into a game by playing to five or seven points, and put into practice what you just focused on during your drilling.

Drill #3: Third Shot Drop

A third shot drop in pickleball is a strategic shot typically executed by the serving team after the serve and the return of serve. The goal of this shot is to gently hit the ball so it lands in the opponent’s non-volley zone (also known as the kitchen).

For this drill, one player is at the kitchen line, and the other is back at the baseline. Try to use half of the court (highlighted in green).

Practice on both sides, and turn it into a game called 7-Eleven. The person at the kitchen tries to score 11 points, while the person at the baseline aims for seven points. This drill helps both players work on their shots and reaction times.

Drill #4: Blocking

At beginner levels, you don’t always dink a ton because people don’t get to the kitchen. One of the most important skills to learn is the ability to block a ball. Everyone loves to hit the ball hard, so you have to be ready to block.

One player rips balls while the other focuses on blocking them back. The key is to be in a ready stance, keep the paddle up, and use tight, compact punches. This drill will help you handle fast-paced shots and improve your blocking skills.

Drill #5: Skinny Singles

The final drill is putting it all together in a game of skinny singles. This one-on-one game is played on a smaller portion of the court, incorporating forehand and backhand dinking, third-shot drops, and blocking.

Serve cross-court, and if you win the point, move to the other side and serve down the line. Keep playing and rotating sides based on the score. This game tests your skills and lets you practice everything you’ve worked on. The main thing to remember is to keep the ball within the green highlighted area while you drill. So if you’re serving cross court, aim for the green highlighted area in figure one. If you’re serving down the line, target the green highlighted area in figure two.

Figure 1

Figure 2

Conclusion

Next time you go out to play, try incorporating these drills into your routine. Even just a few minutes of drilling before playing can make a significant difference in your game. Remember, you’re not just practicing for who you are now, but for who you want to become.

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!