On & Off Court Pickleball Drills

Plus: Anna Leigh Waters Autographed Paddle Giveaway & Leigh Waters Podcast!

Nov 08, 2023

Hi Pickleballers -

Do you aspire to get better at pickleball? Is a strong backhand or better net play on your do-to list? Do you envision going pro or at least playing in your first tournament?

But you have a problem. You live in a place with limited court time. When you play, you only have time to hit enough warm-up shots to find the sweet spot and get the ball over the net. And then you get right into your match.

After a few months, you realize you’re not getting better. Your drop shots keep going into the net, you’re losing hand battles at the net against stronger players, and you always seem out of position.

I have good news for you. If you want to get better, you can - no more excuses. I will preface this by saying that the best option is to get professional help. There are amazing pickleball camps, like LevelUp, and local coaches and pros that can help you.

If pickleball camp or coaches are out of your budget, there are ways to get better on your own. There are ample options for those of you who have unlimited court time. And also some creative options for those who need to practice away from the court. Here are recommended drills for both on and off the pickleball court.

Pickleball Court Drills

Dinks: This one is obvious and part of everyone’s warm-up sessions. However, what if you wanted to dedicate an hour to practicing only dinking? This is a good drill if there are two of you. Practice forehand dinks with topspin, backspin, lobs, and speed-ups. You can also mix up shots between your opponent’s forehand and backhand. Then, switch to backhand dinks using the same variety of shots.

Volley Battle: This is my favorite drill. Like dinks, this drill is best done with two players. Both of you should stand and face each other right behind your respective kitchen lines. Start volleying the ball and keep it in the air as long as possible. This drill usually starts off with a slow pace until you both get comfortable. At this point, you can start working the ball left/right, high low, and incorporate speed-ups. This drill has made me a lot better in firefights up at the net. It’s also a great drill if you have trouble keeping your hands up.

Walk it Back: Another staple of most warm-up sessions to work on third shot drops (thirds). In this drill (again, two people), one person stays at the kitchen line while the opposing player moves back after hitting a drop shot perfectly into the kitchen. The player hitting the drop shot should go from the kitchen line, back behind the baseline, and back up to the kitchen line. When they’re finished, the other player can do the same. Do this enough times, and you’ll hit third shot drops in your sleep.

Dead Cat Bounce: While you’re standing at the kitchen line, have your partner hit hard shots at you from different areas of the court. With a very light grip and angling the paddle down, try to absorb as much power from the ball as possible. The idea is to deaden the ball so it doesn’t bounce far off the paddle. This is a great shot to have against bangers when you’re trying to slow the game down and reset the ball.

Off-court pickleball Drills

Pickleball Wall Drills: Wall drills are an incredible tool to help with hand-eye coordination and reflexes. They are also a great training aid when you have no one to practice or play with. Enhance Pickleball makes the best tools for these. For less than $50, you can get their dink pad and hang it on the wall. The trick is having the right wall to simulate a pickleball paddle.

The other option is The Dink Master (use code SIMPLYPB for a discount). It is a stand-alone pickleball backboard. I’ve used it a few times, and it’s pretty awesome. You can hit thousands of shots in a short amount of time. Use it for 2-3 hours instead of getting lessons, and it pays for itself!

The bottom line is that if you want to get better at pickleball, you can - either on the court or at home. Just make it a priority and put a training plan together. Good luck!

The Simply Pickleball Podcast with Leigh Waters, professional pickleball player, MLP coach, and mother to Anna Leigh Waters. Leigh tells the story of how pickleball phenom Anna Leigh overcame adversity multiple times and rose to become the top women’s player in the world. She also lets us in on a few tips for staying competitive in tournament pickleball. This is an episode you don’t want to miss!

Listen on Apple: Click here

Listen on Spotify: Click here

Is Anna Leigh Waters Unstoppable?

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Click here for some ideas to get you started. We’ll be adding additional items to make sure to check back.