PICKLEBALL INSTRUCTION WITH PPR
Game-Based Drills
W
By Sarah Ansboury with Lee Whitwell
hether you’re a
social player going
to open play or one
who competes in a
few tournaments a month, we all want
our game to improve, right? Typically,
do we drill? No. Drilling isn’t fun
or challenging and sometimes the
repetition can develop bad habits.
One of the biggest complaints is
from players who want to get better
but don’t have anyone willing to drill
with them. This is where creating
game-based drills can be fun and
good for you!
For example, if you want to work
on dinking skills, you could dink
back and forth, trying to get 100
in a row without missing. But, is
this what you would do in a regular
game of pickleball? Nope. Instead
create a game where you dink, but
if you think you can attack a ball,
then go for it. Also try to be creative
with the scoring—if you successfully
block and reset the ball, you get 1
point; if you hit a clean winner, you
get 2 points—you see where I am
going. Award points for “winning”
pickleball shots.
Next, add more realistic scenarios.
How do you transition to the non-
volley zone line? Well then, let’s jump
right to that and take out the serve
and return. One person stands at
the NVZ line and feeds a ball and
you have to work your way in—you
get 2 points for a clean winner drive,
and if your opponent successfully
keeps you away from the line for 3
consecutive shots, you lose the point.
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WHAT TO DO WHEN YOU HAVE
THREE PEOPLE?
Two players against one player
In this game, Players 2 and 3
are competing against Player 1.
This game is played in the NVZ
and points are scored when a
point is won.
The game ends when one side
reaches a predetermined score
(example, first to 7).
At the end of the game, players
rotate positions:
• Player 1 moves to Player
3’s spot
• Player 3 to Player 2’s spot
• Player 2 to Player 1’s spot
...and the game starts again.
Once all players have been on a
side by themselves:
• Player 1 moves to the left
side of the NVZ and the game
starts again.
In another game, use tape to
create specific areas within the NVZ
to force the side with two players to
really hit consistent dinks. Player 1
will learn to either attack or reset
the ball.
The goal of this game is to work
on the soft game and recognize an
opportunity to attack. It’s great for
doubles partnerships because it
teaches how to effectively work the
point against one player.
Be creative and use alternative
scoring to reward the shots that need
work in your game. Changing the
rules of the game makes you think
about shot selection and will replicate
actual pickleball game play.
Sneaking the dreaded drilling into
fun games is like sneaking beets into
brownies. It’s GOOD for you! •
TO SUBSCRIBE CALL 888.308.3720 OR GO TO THEPICKLEBALLMAG.COM
Sarah Ansboury is
PPR’s education
consultant and lead
clinician, and she is a
Head pro player.
Lee Whitwell is a PPR
clinician and Director
of pickleball for Widgi
Creek in Bend, OR.
Among numerous
medals, a 2019 USA
Pickleball Nationals
Silver Medalist.