Have You Hit the Wall in Your Pickleball Skills?

Recreational players typically don’t have hours to practice and drill skills that they need to take their game to the next level. They set up a group to play or join open play, dink a few times and start playing games.

If you want to move up the skill ladder, you need to commit to practicing those aspects of your game that give you the most trouble. Highly advanced players drill at least as many hours as they play. Pros often drill more.

So where are you in this discussion? Are you satisfied missing the shots you know you can make? Or would you like to eliminate those unforced errors that are holding you back?

Once you begin keeping score, you’ll be so focused on the outcome of the game that you won’t correct the issues you’re having the most consistent trouble with. If you’re playing with the same players regularly, they will know your weaknesses and will attack that part of your game.

Personally, I’m always trying to improve my game. I ask people to drill all the time, and I watch YouTube videos that address my weaknesses and try to practice the corrections I see in the video. Attending a lesson really helps, but remember, one hour of instruction is useless unless you find the time to drill that skill.

Sometimes it’s difficult to execute the skill that the video is demonstrating because I’m not physically capable, but I give it a try and see if it works for me. The most important aspect is to develop muscle memory and break the old bad habit.

Dinking is one of the most common aspects of the game that recreational players need to become more consistent on. Firm wrist and loose grip are the two most important aspects of a consistent effective dink. Remember, the dink is used to make your opponent move left or right, by pushing the ball in between them or the end lines as low to the net as possible. This forces them to hit the ball by moving, or best case, they need to reach for it.

Many players hit dead or ineffective dinks because they don’t practice. A dead dink is one that bounces high after landing in the kitchen and allows your opponent to attack it. You don’t need another player to practice dinking if you can find a wall to hit the ball against. I place a piece of tape horizontally on the wall at 36 inches. I then place a few taped X’s just above the tape. One to the left, one in the middle and one to the right. Work on hitting the ball with your forehand and backhand, contacting the ball in front of you and in between the frame of your body. Spin is not necessary, and most good players avoid it because it causes inconsistent height, and many times it doesn’t make it over the net. If you pop up a dink it’s going to come back at you with a lot of velocity.

Your game will improve when you begin to reset balls that bounce below knee level. If you have a partner who will allow you to work on resetting and dropping the ball in your opponent’s kitchen it will elevate your game significantly. I like the slide-across-the-court drill, which is a great warmup and forces you to shuffle without crossing your feet. This is a cooperative drill. You’re trying to hit a shot your partner can return easily.

The drill begins with both players facing each other on the end line. One player dinks the ball, forcing the other player to shuffle and return the dink to the other player, forcing each to move laterally. When you reach the opposite end line, reverse direction. Done correctly, it’s a great drill to loosen up your legs and get the blood circulating. You can add a no-bounce volley to this drill. It’s tougher but an excellent way to concentrate on placing the ball accurately.

Another great drill is the kitchen-is-the-court game. You can play with two or four players. One team dinks the ball over into the opponent’s kitchen, every shot afterward is a dink that must land in the kitchen. A player may take the ball out of the air, but if it bounces past the kitchen line on a fly it’s out. Rally scoring keeps the level of concentration high and you should play at least two games so you get to play both sides of the court. This really develops muscle memory and forces you to think about where you’re placing your dinks. As you improve at the kitchen game then you expand the drill by making the first four shots dinks, then play the rest of the point as a normal point. If you hit a dead dink you’re going to get smashed.

Another great dinking/reset drill is the ladder or slinky drill. One player stands and remains at the kitchen line feeding the other player who is executing the drill. The drill begins with both players at the kitchen, the feeder keeps the ball low at the driller’s feet, the player needs to execute three perfect dinks. The player drilling then moves back two steps and the feeder once again places the ball at the player’s feet and they must hit the perfect longer dinks or it resets. The driller moves back two more steps and repeats the three perfect resets. Finally, the driller moves behind the baseline and hits three perfect third shot drops. Sometimes players move back toward the net getting an additional nine perfect shots. The two exchange roles and the other player gets to climb up and down the ladder.

Recently, I’ve added my dead dink attack drill, which allows me to practice hitting a high bouncing dink by my opponent with some pace. Many pros use top spin when attacking this shot. Forehand is easier than backhand so many players, both recreationally and professionally, use a two-handed backhand to get more top spin.

Another good one is the drive and drop drill. The feeder hits a ball to the driller, who is behind the baseline. The driller hits a drive directly at the feeder, who returns it at the feet of the driller. The driller then attempts to hit a fifth shot drop and play out the point.

These are the drills I use when instructing and drilling myself for control and a softer game. If you can control the pace of the rally you have a better chance of winning it. Whatever you decide to do this is such an important part of improving your pickleball game; you need to find time to practice it and gain the muscle memory necessary to improve your game. My next article will focus on drills that improve your ability to attack your opponent.