INTERMEDIATE by KYLE McMAKIN
A STEP-BY-STEP GUIDE TO
ELEVATE YOUR PICKLEBALL GAME
Improving your pickleball game requires more than just playing matches— it’ s about dedicating time to structured, purposeful training. By focusing on consistent practice and targeted drills, you can refine your skills, build confidence and become a more formidable player on the court. In this article, we’ ll outline a series of drills and training methods that will help you systematically improve key aspects of your game.
The Importance of Consistency in Pickleball
Consistency is the foundation upon which all other skills are built. While flashy shots and aggressive play can win points, it’ s consistent performance that wins matches. Consistent play reduces unforced errors and forces your opponents to earn every point. Before you can confidently incorporate aggressive tactics into your game, you need a solid foundation of consistency. Once you’ ve established that, you can begin to layer in more aggressive shots that are both reflexive and reliable.
STEP 1: DRILLING FOR CONSISTENCY
As you’ re warming up and when you drill, work on consistency— the cornerstone of any strong pickleball game. The following drills are designed to help you develop consistency in your shots and footwork.
Crosscourt Dinking Drill Objective: Improve control and accuracy in your dinks while keeping the ball unattackable. Setup: Stand at the kitchen line opposite your partner, aiming for crosscourt dinks.
Instructions: Engage in a controlled dinking rally, focusing on keeping your shots low and landing them in your opponent’ s kitchen. The goal is to maintain a steady rally without giving your opponent an easy attack opportunity.
Key Tips: Keep your paddle out in front, use soft hands, and aim for a consistent arc over the net.
Drill Variation: Use a target, like flat court markers, and keep track of how many times you and your partner can rally the ball back and forth, aiming for the target.
Game Variation: Play a dinking-only game where points are scored when the opponent misses. This emphasizes the importance of consistency.
Third Shot Drop Drill Objective: Develop a reliable third shot drop, essential for getting up to the kitchen. Setup: One player stays at the kitchen while the other works on hitting drop shots from halfway back, eventually moving to the baseline.
Instructions: Practice dropping the ball into the opponent’ s kitchen with a soft, controlled shot. Work on hitting shots that are unattackable.
Key Tips: Use a smooth, upward motion to lift the ball over the net. Take quick little steps as needed to keep the ball in front of you and maintain a balanced position all the way through the shot.
Drill Variation: As you gain consistency, the player at the kitchen can increase the pressure by hitting harder shots, forcing the other player to refine their drop under more challenging conditions. When a fast ball is hit at you, keep your paddle in front and be soft, smooth and compact with your shot to maintain control.
STEP 2: TRAINING TO ADD AGGRESSION
Once you’ ve established a solid foundation of consistency in your dinks and drops, you can begin training to incorporate more aggressive shots into your game. The key is to make sure these aggressive shots are controlled and consistent, so they enhance your game rather than lead to errors.
Controlled Attacking and Defending Drill Objective: Practice attacking from the kitchen line while maintaining control.
Setup: Engage in a dinking rally straight ahead with your partner. When the opportunity arises, practice attacking the ball out of the air or off the bounce. Instructions: Focus on executing controlled, aggressive shots without sacrificing consistency. The
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