4 Essential Pickleball Skill Drills
It’s no secret that it takes consistent practice and skill to become a really great pickler. Of course, there’s nothing wrong with just playing for fun, but if you want to improve your game, there are many ways to do so. Here are a few simple skill drills to start with.
1. Sweet Spot
This is a very basic drill to improve your hand-eye coordination and help you find the “sweet spot” on your paddle. To do this, hold your paddle parallel to the ground and drop the ball onto the top. Keep gently hitting the ball into the air above you; don’t let it fall to the ground. This drill is essentially the refined version of the solo game we all used to play as kids. It’s called the “Sweet Spot” drill because you’ll notice that the ball feels and sounds the best in a certain place on your paddle, typically around the middle. If it moves toward the edges, it will feel off, sound funny and not move as well. Try a few rounds of this to warm up before your next match!
Simone Jardim, one of pickleball’s most elite players, spends time working on cross-court dinks as part of her skill drills. This drill requires two people and is exactly what it sounds like--dinking from one side of the court to the other. The dink is an essential pickleball shot, and this drill will help to refine the footwork and body movement associated with the hit. See how many times you and your partner can go back and forth before the ball goes out and then switch sides.
Done with a partner, the volley battle requires excellent hand-eye coordination and speed. The goal is to hit the ball back and forth across the net without letting it hit the ground. This drill will help you practice using fast hands and resetting your position, as well as the intensity and height with which to hit the ball in order to clear the net. Finally, the volley battle is reminiscent of what some might say is the spirit of pickleball--crazy and frantic.
Simone Jardim again shares her exceptional skills in this transition after serving drill. This drill will help you move quickly from the place of your serve in the back of the court up toward the net in order to receive the return-serve from your opponent. It focuses on two skills in one: serving and moving across the court. You will either need a partner, or as Simone uses, an automatic ball return, to correctly execute this drill. Make sure to try it on both sides. If you practice this enough, you’ll be a serving and transition pro in no time.
These drills vary in levels of difficulty and complexity, but all are helpful in building the skills necessary to be a competitive pickleball player. Depending on your goals and weak spots, implementing one or two drills a week can go a long way in taking your game to the next level.
