Skinny Singles Explained: The Pro-Level Drill for All Players

Photo by Bruce Yeung; IG:@yeungphotography

Hey guys, it’s Kyle from ThatPickleballGuy. This one drill will help you improve over six parts of your game: serves, returns, third-shot drop, third-shot drive, hands, decision-making, and more. Many of you probably know this drill, but my guess is you don’t do it the same way the pros do. The drill is called Skinny Singles.

So, how do you get faster and better? You drill, and Skinny Singles is one of the best drills—especially if you have limited time, say five minutes or maybe 30 minutes.

What Is Skinny Singles?

Stay with me here, because I’m guessing the way I’m going to teach it is a bit different than how you typically play. We’re playing Skinny Singles to train for doubles, not singles. While it can train some singles skills, this is primarily a doubles drill.

Why is it for doubles? Because you’re only going to play on the “skinny” part of the court, meaning just the cross-court section on your side and on your opponent’s side (Figure 1). You’ll practice both cross-court and down-the-line shots, which helps for doubles positioning and accuracy.

Figure 1

The Rules of Skinny Singles

The main rule is that you always serve cross-court, regardless of whether you’re on the right or left side. Where you serve from is determined by the server’s score. If the score is even—like 0, 2, 4, 6, 8, or 10—you serve from the right side. If the score is odd—like 1, 3, 5, 7, or 9—you serve from the left side. This alternation adds variety and keeps you practicing both cross-court and down-the-line returns based on the score.

Odd and Even Scoring for Returns

Here’s where the unique part comes in: if one player has an odd score and the other has an even score, you’ll still serve cross-court, but the return must go down the line where you will stay as you play out the rest of the point (Figure 2).

Figure 2

This setup lets you practice both cross-court and down-the-line shots, which simulates a real doubles game and challenges both players to be precise.

If both players have even scores, you’ll play cross-court. For example, at 2-0, both scores are even, so the point is played cross-court. But if you have an odd score, like 3, and your opponent has an even score, like 2, then they must return down the line. The same rule applies in reverse if the server has an even score and the returner has an odd score. This variation helps you practice different shot directions and keeps you alert.

Focusing Your Gameplay

Now, let’s talk about gameplay focus. Skinny Singles isn’t just about scoring points. It’s about training specific aspects of your game. To maximize improvement, add constraints to your practice. For example, focus on serving by being the only server for an entire game to 11. You’ll play rally scoring, where every point counts, and focus only on improving your serves, whether they’re ripped or high-lob serves.

Key Focus Areas

Other focal points include returns—if one person serves continuously, the other practices returning each time. You could also focus on third-shot drops by deciding to drop every third shot in the game, regardless of the setup. Or, if you want to practice drives, aim to hit third-shot drives or fifth-shot drops.

Topspin drops are another useful skill to work on during Skinny Singles. By focusing on topspin drops, you can develop a more aggressive drop shot. The key to accelerated improvement is setting constraints; instead of aiming to win the drill, focus on specific skills you want to improve.

Wrap-Up: Why Skinny Singles?

So, that’s Skinny Singles. You can adjust the drill by setting specific goals—maybe you want to focus on one or two areas, like serves and returns, or practice hitting in specific directions. Use one of the variations, and it will help your game immensely. Skinny Singles is one of the best drills I love to use for improving doubles play.

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