Pickleball Training
Tips, drills, strategies and guides to take your pickleball training to the next level.
At the kitchen line, your position should change with the quality of your dink. After a strong crosscourt dink, shade toward the…
Complimenting opponents in pickleball is good sportsmanship—as long as the timing is right. Wait until the rally ends, keep praise brief, and…
At 3.5, dinking is still important—but automatic dinking can make you too passive. If a ball is high, comfortable, and in front,…
A pickleball lob serve works best as a changeup, not a primary serve. Hit it high and deep to alter timing, push…
Pickleball endurance is less about long-distance running and more about recovering between short bursts while keeping your legs, footwork, and decision-making sharp.…
In pickleball’s transition zone, don’t reset automatically. If the ball is low or you’re off balance, stay soft. If it sits up…
Ben Johns has started using left-handed forehands in singles, giving him extra reach and another attacking option. For rec players, switching hands…
Screaming in pickleball isn’t automatically bad etiquette or a distraction. The key is timing and direction: celebrate toward yourself or your partner,…
A better forehand speed-up starts before contact. A small grip adjustment, contact out in front, forward momentum, and a compact brushing motion…
Cold weather changes both your body and your gear. Below about 50°F (10°C), pickleballs become more brittle, muscles take longer to warm,…
Better pickleball players often use more net clearance than intermediates expect. The goal isn’t to skim the tape—it’s to create a ball…
After 50, back-to-back pickleball is less about age and more about recovery. If soreness improves during a 5–10 minute warm-up and you’re…
On a pickleball serve, shift your weight forward toward the target to add power without overusing the arm. More advanced players with…
4.0+ pickleball players move their body into position instead of reaching for dinks. They read the ball early, use small adjustment steps,…
An inside-foot backhand speed-up works best when the ball sits high enough, you’re balanced, and your opponent is shading or protecting one…
A two-handed backhand putaway is ideal for high balls outside your backhand shoulder. Turn your hips and shoulders, create space, let the…
To reach 4.0 in pickleball, coaches want more than better shots: deep serves and returns, cleaner spacing, earlier contact, smarter shot selection,…
To handle an inside-foot dink, create space with a small drop step instead of reaching. Stabilize before contact, use a compact swing,…
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