Pickleball: Learn and Improve
Learn and Improve at Pickleball
Pickleball has become one of the fastest-growing sports in the world, thanks to its accessibility, fast-paced action, and social appeal. Whether you’re a complete beginner or an experienced player looking to refine your skills, there are plenty of ways to improve your pickleball game. Here’s a guide to help you learn, practice, and elevate your play.
Master the Basics
Before you hit the court, it’s essential to familiarize yourself with the basic rules and setup of pickleball. Here’s a quick overview:
Court Size: The court is smaller than a tennis court, measuring 20×44 feet, with a non-volley zone (“kitchen”) near the net.
Equipment: You’ll need a paddle and a perforated plastic ball.
Scoring: Games are typically played to 11 points, with players needing to win by 2 points.
Spend time watching instructional videos or observing games to understand the flow and strategies.
Start with the Right Equipment
Having the correct gear can make a significant difference in your comfort and performance:
Paddle: Beginners might prefer a lightweight paddle for better control, while advanced players often choose heavier paddles for added power. Click here to see our Paddle recomendations.
Shoes: Wear non-marking court shoes with good grip and lateral support to avoid injuries. Click here to see out Pickleball shoe recommendation.
Investing in quality equipment early on can enhance your learning experience.
Learn the Fundamental Skills
Focus on mastering the basic skills before advancing to more complex techniques:
Serve: Start with a simple underhand serve, aiming for consistency over power.
Dinking: Practice soft shots near the net to keep your opponents off balance.
Volleys: Work on quick reflexes and controlled volleys for net play.
Groundstrokes: Develop consistent forehand and backhand strokes for baseline rallies.
Drill these skills regularly to build a strong foundation.
The Serve
There are a couple rules to follow to have a valid Pickleball serve:
- Must use an underhand motion
- Must hit the ball below your waist
- Must have the Paddle face below your wrist
There are 4 serves you can use in Pickleball:
- Just get-it-in serve
- Lob serve
- Power serve
- Angle serve
Dinking
To ensure you are consistent at dinking
- Make sire you have a fairly soft grip.
- Make sure your body is parallel to the ball.
- Start with the Paddle in front and accelerate into the ball
The Volly
Several key factors that make a good volly in Pickleball
- Start with a continental/neutral grip
- Legs shoulder width apart
- Lean foreward
- Turn your body
- “Punch the ball”
- Return back to your natural stance
Drills and Exercises
Practice Consistently
Regular practice is key to improving in pickleball. Dedicate time each week to:
Drills: Focus on specific areas like serving, dinking, or volleying.
Games: Play matches to apply your skills in real-game scenarios.
Footwork: Practice moving efficiently on the court to maintain good positioning.
Consider joining a local pickleball club or finding a practice partner to keep sessions engaging.
Drill 1: Comfort and consistency
Requirements for the drill:
- A wall
- A Paddle
- A pickleball ball
Step 1: Stand about 2 meters (6 feet) from the wall
Step 2: Serve the ball softly against the wall
Step 3: On the balls return to you, you it back softly against the wall
Step 4: Do this as many times as you can, trying new shots and different techniques
The goal for this drill is to make you comfortable with how the ball feels on your racket and to help you get used to the different shot types in padel. Try to do soft forehand and backhands so that your confidence with the shots grow.
Drill 2: Hand eye coordination
Requirements for the drill:
- A Paddle
- A pickleball ball
Step 1: Start with your paddle in your hand and hold the flat side facing up
Step 2: Put the fall on the flat side and balance it on the face
Step 3: Start bouncing the ball on the face of the racket. Do this as many times as you can
Step 4: Once you are comfortable with step 3 try and bounce the ball 10 times on your forehand and then 10 times on your backhand
Step 5: Once you are comfortable with that, try and do tricks with the ball like bouncing it on the side of the racket.
The goal of this drill is to develop and improve your hand-eye coordination. With better hand-eye coordination, shots become easier to perform.
Movement Exercises
Movement exercises are important in pickleball because they will allow you to get to the ball a lot quicker and help you move around the court a lot easier.
Exercise 1: Agility
Requirements for the exercise:
- 5 Markers (Cones, cups, etc)
- A space of about 3 meters by 3 meters (9 feet by 9 feet)
Step 1: Put a marker on the ground
Step 2: Take 2 steps from the first marker and place a marker on the ground. Do this for the other 3 markers.
Step 3: Stand at the first marker and make sure you have a marker in front of you, to your left, to your right, and behind you
Step 4: Now run forward, touch the marker, run back to the middle marker. Repeat this until you have touched all 4 markers and returned to the middle marker.
Step 5: Time yourself doing this exercise and try and beat your time.
The goal is for you to build short bursts of speed but also have the ability to stop quick, turn, and run again. This exercise will improve your balance and agility.
Exercise 2: Endurance
Requirements for the exercise:
- Atleast 4 Markers (Cones, cups, etc)
- A space that is about 1 meter (3 feet) wide and 12 meters (36 feet) long
Step 1: Place a marker down
Step 2: Every 4 meters (12 feet) place a marker. They must be in a line
Step 3: Start at the first marker, sprint to the second marker, touch it, sprint back to the first marker, touch it, then sprint to the third marker, touch it and sprint back to the first marker. Do this for all the markers you put down.
Step 4: Once you have done all that it counts as a set, do 3 sets of this exercise. Time yourself and try to beat your time.
The goal is to improve your endurance because during long pickleball games you will get lazy and tired close to the end of the game. Improved endurance will allow you to have energy in the later parts of the game.
In Conclusion
Learning and improving at pickleball is a rewarding journey that combines skill development, strategy, and fitness. By focusing on the basics, practicing consistently, and engaging with the community, you can elevate your game and enjoy everything this dynamic sport has to offer. Whether you’re aiming for casual fun or competitive success, pickleball offers something for everyone—so grab your paddle and hit the court!
