12 Pickleball Drills to Get Better Fast

The fastest way to get better at pickleball is to practice the shots that decide most rec points: the serve and return, the dink, the third shot drop, and the soft block (reset) when someone hits hard at you. Below are 12 drills for those shots: 4 you can do alone, 3 dinking drills, 3 third shot drop and reset drills, and 2 more for a partner. Each one has a setup, numbered steps, a goal to count, and a way to make it harder. At the end there is a 60-minute practice plan that uses them.

Before you start

• What to bring: 10 to 20 balls (a bucket or ball tube helps), a few cones or towels for targets, water, and a partner for drills 5 to 12.
• Warm up first: five minutes of easy movement (walking, side steps, arm circles) and a few minutes of short, slow dinks before anything fast.
• Count everything. Every drill below has a number to beat. Write it down. Seeing "12 in a row" turn into "30 in a row" is what keeps practice from feeling like a chore.
• Quality over speed. A drill done slowly and correctly does more than the same drill done fast and sloppy.

Solo drills

1. Wall rally (forehand, backhand, then both)

Works on: clean contact, paddle face control, and the backhand most players avoid.

Setup: a flat wall and a smooth floor. Put a strip of tape on the wall about 34 inches up (net height at the center of a court). Stand about 10 to 15 feet back.

1. Hit forehands at the wall just above the tape, letting the ball bounce once before each hit.
2. Count how many you can hit in a row without missing above the tape.
3. Switch to backhands only and count again.
4. Then alternate: forehand, backhand, forehand.

Goal: 25 in a row each way.

Make it harder: step in to about 7 feet and hit volleys (no bounce), softly, to work on quick hands.

2. Serve to targets

Works on: a serve that goes in every time and lands deep.

Setup: on a court, put a towel or cone in the back third of each service box across the net, near the baseline.

1. Hit 10 serves from the right side, aiming at the target.
2. Count how many land in, and how many land in the back third of the box.
3. Hit 10 from the left side and count again.
4. Move the target to the backhand corner of each box and repeat.

Goal: 10 of 10 in, and 6 of 10 in the back third.

Make it harder: serve to a smaller target, or play "miss and start over": you must land 5 deep serves in a row.

3. Drop-feed third shot drops

Works on: the third shot drop, the soft shot from the back of the court that lands in the other team's kitchen so your team can move up to the net.

Setup: a bucket of balls at the baseline and a towel or cones in the kitchen on the other side.

1. Stand just behind the baseline. Drop a ball, let it bounce, and hit a soft, rising shot that peaks on your side of the net and falls into the kitchen.
2. Use a short, smooth swing from low to high, like a long dink. Do not flick the wrist.
3. Hit 20 balls. Count how many land in the kitchen.
4. Then hit 20 more, aiming at the towel.

Goal: 12 of 20 in the kitchen.

Make it harder: toss the ball to your side so you have to move before you hit, or alternate forehand and backhand.

4. Kitchen line shadow footwork

Works on: getting to the ball with your feet instead of reaching, and the split step (a small hop to land balanced just as the other player hits).

Setup: just you, standing at the kitchen line, no ball.

1. Start in a ready position: knees bent, paddle up in front of you.
2. Shuffle sideways along the kitchen line to the sideline, staying low. Do not cross your feet.
3. At the sideline, do a split step and a shadow dink (swing with no ball).
4. Shuffle back to the centerline and repeat. Then step back to the middle of the court and forward to the kitchen line, split stepping at the end.
5. Go for 30 seconds, rest for 30 seconds, and repeat 5 times.

Goal: 5 rounds with your knees bent and paddle up the whole time.

Make it harder: have a friend point left or right and react to the point.

Dinking drills

A dink is a soft shot hit from near the kitchen line that lands in the other team's kitchen. Players who can dink without missing win a lot of points by waiting for the other side to pop one up. These three drills need a partner across the net.

5. Cross-court dinking

Works on: consistency and patience. Cross-court is the safest dink because the net is lower in the middle and the ball travels farther.

Setup: you and a partner at the kitchen line, diagonal from each other (right side to right side).

1. Dink cross-court to each other. Keep the ball low and in the kitchen.
2. Count out loud. Start over at any miss or any ball that lands outside the kitchen.
3. After a few minutes, move to the left sides and repeat.

Goal: 30 in a row from each side.

Make it harder: play to 11, where any dink that bounces outside the kitchen or goes into the net loses the point.

6. Moving dinks

Works on: moving your feet to dink, so you are not reaching.

Setup: one player (the feeder) at the middle of the kitchen line, the other player (the mover) across the net, also at the middle.

1. The feeder dinks to the mover's left, then the middle, then the right, then back.
2. The mover shuffles to each ball, sets their feet, and dinks back to the feeder.
3. Go for 2 minutes, then switch roles.

Goal: 2 minutes without a miss, with the mover set and balanced on every dink.

Make it harder: the feeder picks the direction at random.

7. Dink and attack the high ball

Works on: knowing when to stay patient and when to attack, and blocking the attack when it comes at you.

Setup: two players at the kitchen line, straight across or cross-court.

1. Dink back and forth. Keep it soft.
2. When either player gets a ball that bounces high (above the net), they speed it up: a firm, quick shot at the other player's paddle side or hip.
3. The other player tries to block it back softly into the kitchen.
4. Play the point out. First to 11 wins.

Goal: fewer speed-ups on low balls. If you attack a ball below net height and lose the point, that is the lesson.

Make it harder: any attack on a ball that was below net height costs the attacker a point, even if they win the rally.

Third shot drop and reset drills

8. Step-back drops

Works on: the third shot drop, built up from close range to the baseline so you learn the feel before the distance.

Setup: a feeder at the kitchen line. The hitter starts on the other side, just behind the kitchen line.

1. The feeder hits an easy ball to the hitter.
2. The hitter drops it softly into the feeder's kitchen, letting the ball bounce before each hit.
3. After 5 good drops in a row, the hitter takes two steps back.
4. Keep stepping back after every 5 good drops until the hitter reaches the baseline.
5. If the hitter misses 3 in a row at a spot, step forward again.

Goal: get all the way to the baseline in one session.

Make it harder: the feeder hits deeper and faster, like a real return of serve.

9. Drop and move up

Works on: moving forward after a drop, which is the reason you hit it.

Setup: the hitter at the baseline, a feeder at the kitchen line across the net.

1. The feeder hits a deep ball. The hitter hits a third shot drop.
2. If the drop is good, the hitter moves forward a few steps and split steps as the feeder hits the next ball.
3. The feeder hits a soft ball at the hitter's feet. The hitter plays it softly into the kitchen and moves forward again.
4. Repeat until the hitter reaches the kitchen line, then play out the point with dinks.
5. Switch roles after 10 tries.

Goal: reach the kitchen line on 5 of 10 tries.

Make it harder: the feeder can hit any shot: a dink, a ball at the feet, or a lob.

10. Reset drill

Works on: the reset, a soft block that takes the pace off a hard shot and drops it into the kitchen. This is the shot that saves points when you get caught in the middle of the court.

Setup: one player at the kitchen line (the attacker), the other in the middle of the court on the other side (the defender), just behind the kitchen.

1. The attacker hits firm, medium-pace balls at the defender's feet and body. Start at medium pace, not full speed.
2. The defender holds the paddle out in front, keeps the face slightly open and soft in the hand, and blocks each ball back into the kitchen. Little or no swing.
3. After a good reset, the attacker dinks once and attacks again.
4. Go for 2 minutes, then switch.

Goal: 7 of 10 resets land in the kitchen.

Make it harder: the attacker adds pace and aims at the defender's backhand side.

Two more partner drills

11. Volley exchange

Works on: quick, compact hands at the net.

Setup: two players, each standing a step behind their kitchen line so their feet stay out of the kitchen.

1. Volley the ball back and forth without letting it bounce, at a controlled pace, aimed at each other's paddles.
2. Keep the paddle up in front of your chest. Use short punches, not swings.
3. Count the volleys in a row.

Goal: 40 in a row.

Make it harder: one player aims backhand only. Then try alternating soft and firm volleys.

12. Skinny singles

Works on: everything at once: serve, return, third shot, getting to the net and dinking, in a real game.

Setup: two players use only one half of the court, from the centerline to one sideline, on both ends. The kitchen and all lines still count.

1. Play a game to 11, win by 2, with singles scoring (one server per side, so the score is two numbers).
2. Serve and return deep, then work to the kitchen line.
3. Play the next game on the other half of the court.

Goal: win more points at the kitchen line than from the baseline. That means you are getting to the net.

Make it harder: only dinks count once both players reach the kitchen line, or play cross-court skinny singles on the diagonal halves.

A 60-minute practice plan

Practicing alone? Do drills 1 to 4 for 10 to 15 minutes each. If you play three or more times a week, swapping one session of open play for this plan once a week is a simple way to make sure practice happens.

Common mistakes in practice

• Only drilling forehands. Many rec players avoid their backhand, and opponents notice. Give it equal time.
• Hitting the third shot drop too hard. It should rise on your side and fall on theirs. If it is still going up when it crosses the net, it is too firm.
• Reaching instead of moving. If you are stretching for dinks, move your feet first (drills 4 and 6).
• Not keeping score. A drill without a number turns into a warm-up.
• Swinging on resets. A reset is a block. Let the ball's speed do the work.

A note from us: we make pickleball gifts, not training gear, but a towel makes a good drill target. Ours are 16 x 28 inches and fit in a court bag, like the 44 x 20 Court Towel ($28). And for the player whose drill is patience at the kitchen line, there is the Seven Feet of Patience Tee ($27).

Frequently asked questions

What are the best pickleball drills for beginners?

Start with the wall rally, serve to targets, cross-court dinking, and step-back drops from close range. They build contact, a reliable serve, and soft shots before you add speed.

How can I practice pickleball by myself?

Use a wall for forehands, backhands and soft volleys, serve to targets on an empty court, drop-feed third shot drops from the baseline, and do footwork at the kitchen line without a ball.

How do you practice the third shot drop?

Start close to the net and move back. Hit drops from just behind the kitchen line until you land 5 in a row, then step back two steps and repeat until you reach the baseline (drill 8).

What is a good dinking drill?

Cross-court dinking with a partner, counting how many you hit in a row without a miss. Once you can get to 30, add movement with the moving dinks drill.

What is skinny singles in pickleball?

A singles game played on half the court, from the centerline to one sideline. It is a popular practice game because it feels like doubles with less running.

How often should I drill?

There is no set number, but one focused session a week on top of your games adds up. Short drills with a number to beat are better than long sessions without a goal.