Pickleball Drills Library
23 expert-designed drills to improve your game. From beginner fundamentals to advanced strategies.
Soft Hands Dink Ladder
Start in the kitchen and alternate forehand/backhand dinks to a ladder of targets. Keep soft hands, stable paddle face, and calm feet.
Serve Toss Builder
Shadow 10 serves with perfect toss height, then hit 20 controlled serves to deep corners. Smooth weight transfer and full follow-through.
NVZ Footwork Shuffle
Shadow step along the kitchen line, then add short dinks while moving. Paddle up, balanced recovery after every contact.
Wall Rally Consistency
Build hand-eye coordination and paddle control by rallying against a wall. Focus on consistent contact point and smooth strokes.
Return of Serve Practice
Master the return of serve with deep, controlled shots. Focus on getting the ball back deep to neutralize the server's advantage.
Kitchen Line Positioning
Learn proper non-volley zone positioning and ready stance. Build muscle memory for the most important position in pickleball.
Paddle Control Drills
Develop fine paddle control with ball taps, bounces, and edge work. Essential foundation for all pickleball shots.
Dink Down-the-Line & Speed Up
Dink straight ahead and speed up on sitters. Play it out to train when to stay soft and when to attack.
Crosscourt Speed-Ups & Middle Cover
Start with a crosscourt dink. After the return, close middle and be ready for a speed-up. Keep paddle high and defend out front.
Transition Zone Resets
Absorb fourth-shot speed-ups from mid-court and reset softly into the kitchen. After three good resets, advance to the NVZ.
Competitive Crosscourt Dinks
Play to 5 with crosscourt-only dinks. No speed-ups. Miss in net = lose all points. Train width coverage with cross steps.
7/11 Third Shot Variations
Third-shot drop or drive, but require a second controlled ball before closing. Attack when it sits up—don't over-reset.
Dead Dink Defense
Feed a soft dead dink and expect an attack. Practice soft blocking and quick reload hands at the kitchen.
Roll & Block Exchanges
Alternate topspin rolls and soft blocks at the NVZ. Change paddle angle without big backswings.
Lob Defense & Recovery
Practice defending against lobs and recovering back to the kitchen line. Essential for maintaining net position.
Volley-to-Volley Battles
Fast-paced volley exchanges at the kitchen line. Build reflexes, hand speed, and net presence under pressure.
ATP (Around The Post) Setup
Learn to recognize and execute the ATP shot. Practice the setup, footwork, and execution of this advanced shot.
Stacking Transitions
Master stacking strategy with smooth transitions and court coverage. Practice switching sides while maintaining offensive position.
Poach Timing & Communication
Develop poaching instincts and partner communication. Learn when to poach and how to signal your partner.
Speed-Up Patterns vs. Counter
Script speed-up patterns (shoulder, hip, chicken-wing) and train immediate counters with compact swings.
Erne Footwork & Timing
Set up crosscourt dinks, jump the corner for Ernes with legal positioning. Reset back to neutral after each rep.
Drive-Then-Drop Mix
Alternate third-shot drives and drops on command. Read opponent position to choose the right ball; track success rate.
Two-Ball Transition Chaos
Coach feeds random deep/short balls in transition. Decide to reset, roll, or lob. Goal: win neutral quickly without errors.
Track Your Drill Progress
Download the DinkAI app to access guided drills with timers, track your progress over time, and get personalized recommendations.