Coming soon - Purposeful Pickleball© - The philosophy behind the system

Drills with Purpose

Below you'll find some of my favorite drills, which may or may not appear in PickleballCPR – Coaching Pickleball Readiness. I've used each of these drills at one point or another to help my students work on specific skills or prepare for special conditions. You'll also find a list of PDF files at the bottom of the page if you'd like a printout.

Remember, the only way to get better at anything is to practice the skill sets you actually use on the court. Your game will improve at a much faster rate if you practice with purpose. Alone, with a partner, in a group, with or without a coach — practice is what will make you better.

The Wind and the Lob Serve

Serving in windy outdoor conditions is always a challenge. Mix things up with a high lob serve to get some knuckleball action off the wind. Set up targets — chalk lines, boxes, or hoops — placed about 24" beyond the opposite serving line. Keep your paddle low under the ball on the serve and "lift" it high into the air, aiming for your target. Watch the wind push the ball around as it drifts down.

This tactic tends to frustrate hard hitters, who have to wait for the ball to come down before they can attack. Many of these "bangers," who love to drive every ball, are more prone to hitting it into the net or firing it long past the baseline when forced to change their timing. Try drilling this by placing the ball at various points along the baseline toward your targets. Challenge your opponent — and yourself — with this high lob and placement drill.

Just keep in mind: if the wind is strong, keeping the ball in play gets tricky. Have fun with it, and watch the bangers get a little more frustrated with their returns.

On the Edge
Quick and simple. Using your paddle and ball, tap the ball up and down on the paddle face to begin the drill. Next, as you find your rhythm, turn your paddle so the ball contacts the side, or edge, of the paddle. Can you keep it going for 5, 10, 20, or more taps without a miss? This one's tough.

Keep at it, and your eye-hand coordination will improve over time. Focus on the space around the paddle rather than directly on the ball, or you'll end up with a headache. Mix it up by tapping on all the edges of the paddle, as well as switching between the backhand side (palm down) and the forehand side (palm up).

Impress your friends with your juggling technique. Really get in the groove and try working with two balls. Can you do it? Let me know, and send me a video juggling two or more balls, and I'll post it on the site.

Star Dinking

Objective: To continuously hit dinks in a crisscross pattern as a cooperative four-partner drill.

Goal: Timed drill or a set number of continuous repetitions without a miss.

Action: You'll need 4 players for this one. The objective is to keep the ball moving in the NVZ area only.

Standing in your respective court spaces and starting with just one ball, P1 dinks directly over the net to P2. P2 cross-court dinks to P3. P3 cross-court dinks to P4. P4 cross-court dinks back to P1. Repeat.

If each player has an extra ball in hand, the drill can continue without chasing down errant balls — just start another one.

To make it more interesting, add a second ball to the mix, then a third, and finally a fourth. Can you do four? It's tough, but with practice, it's doable.

If you're using zone markers, it goes like this:

O1 to D3; D3 to O3;
O3 to D1; D1 to O1.

Now reverse it.

Page 41 of Pickleball CPR Drills – Move to Improve!

ALL BY MYSELF – DROP SHOT PRACTICE

No one to play with this cold, dreary month? Pack a bag of balls and head to the nearest court or gym space.

Standing in the back court, Zones A and/or B, with a paddle in one hand and a ball in the other — drop the ball in front of you and hit a drop shot over the net. Be sure to stay low, use your legs, and squeeze the grip through the stroke.

Tips to focus on:

Hit below the equator of the ball, at the 4–5 o'clock position.
Open your stance to the ball and/or your target.
Make sure you can see, or have options to hit, across all portions of the net in Zones 1–3 of the PB9-Grid (or modify for the Advanced PB13-Grid).
Use a firm push/lift, leading with the heel of your hand, with minimal "flick" or follow-through, to loft the ball softly over the net.

If you're looking to be more offensive, push the ball and follow through with your paddle face ending in a more closed position after the push/lift contact. This causes the ball to descend more quickly rather than float in a soft loft.

Continue this drill from all Zones 4–9 in the PB9-Grid in the back court. Stay low, keep the ball in front of you, and drop the paddle down for the drop shot over the net.

Happy drops to you!

ERROR TEAM BALL PLAY

Start the game with:

Teams of 3 on each side.
Two players start on each court, as in a normal game.
The third player stands on the sideline.

Once one of the starters commits an error — such as a net fault or hitting the ball out of bounds — the third player from that team's sideline swaps in for the player who committed the error. Play continues as normal. A substitution takes place on either side whenever an error occurs.

The focus of this game is to reduce unforced errors. The fewer errors you make, the longer you stay in play. You can modify it with more players.

For lower-level players, rotate more often so players move in and out faster. If you have 5 players, the extra player substitutes in for an error on either side, as described above.

NOTE: You can also run this drill as a game situation and play for a "side winner" — whichever side wins buys the after-practice beverage!

HAVE FUN!

BLIND MAN'S BLUFF

You'll need a ball machine or a coach for this one.

Player One stands with their back to the net, along the baseline of the defensive court. On the offensive side, with a bucket of balls on hand, the coach calls out "GO" and hits a consistent drive to Player One at the baseline.

On hearing "GO," Player One turns, spots the ball, and hits to a target designated by the coach. Player One then returns to facing away from the net and repeats.

Coach and player can set targets around the offensive court for various target-practice drills. Player One can also be stationed at any location around the defensive court to receive various shot types from the coach — lobs, drives, volleys, half-volleys.

The closer Player One is to the net, the more difficult the reaction time becomes.

This drill can be seen in action on the CPR Video Clinic page.

Stay active and keep practicing!

DINK 'N LOB
In this drill, you'll get a heart-pounding workout with on-the-move action.

Coach is stationed at Zone o5, just behind the NVZ at the center of the net, with a bucket of balls. If all goes well, only a few balls — or even just one — will be necessary.
Player 1 starts on the even court, Zone d1 (right side), and receives a dink from the coach.
Coach then lobs to the odd court (left side), or deep court, Zone d8/9, close to the baseline.
Player 1 calls out "Switch," "Mine," or "Got it" to communicate their movement behind their partner.
Player 1 sets and drops a return shot to the coach.
Coach then dinks to the odd court, Zone d3.
Player 1 moves forward and returns the dink to the coach.
Coach now lobs to the even court, or deep court, Zone Ad7/8, close to the baseline.
Player 1 calls out "Switch," "Mine," or "Got it" to communicate their movement behind their partner.
Repeating: Player 1 sets and drops a return shot to the coach, then moves to receive the dink at Zone d1…

Repeat the series.

SHORT HOP PEPPER

A two-person drill to work on short-hop (half-volley) returns. Player one, standing 2' from a fence or wall, will be in a ready-position stance with their back to the wall. Player two, standing opposite player one at a distance of 15'–20', will have 2 or more balls ready for this drill.

Player two, in an "X" or "Y" overhead smash attack position, will deliver a hard but controlled shot that short-hops off the ground approximately 1'–3' in front of player one's feet. Player two is working on form and control placement as the drill speeds up.

Player one will drop the paddle head to block the incoming attack, bending their knees accordingly to return the ball to player two's waist or chest. Player one should work to keep the paddle out in front of the feet and angle the paddle face to keep the ball low as it returns to player two.

Player two should start slow and easy, gradually building up speed to help player one develop reflex timing. Player one, when receiving the incoming ball, will bend the knees to simulate a sitting position, keep the head down to stay focused over the paddle face, and firm up the shoulders, arms, and wrist to prepare for the attack.

This drill can be difficult at first, but with practice, you'll be returning those short hops at your feet with far more control.

NOTE: This drill can also be done in open court, from kitchen line to kitchen line. Using the wall simply makes ball collection easier.

VARIATION: Add a target behind player two, no farther than the baseline. Player one will attempt a soft lob return over player two to the target. Not easy, but effective once mastered.

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