What are the best pickleball drills for beginners?

Great beginner drills include crosscourt dinks, straight-ahead dinks, a third shot drop ladder, reset (soft block) practice from the transition zone, and a simple serve plus one pattern. Pick 2 to 3 drills per session and track consistency.

Can I practice pickleball drills alone?

Yes. Wall drills are a strong solo option for building contact consistency, reflexes, and footwork. You can also practice kitchen-line footwork without a ball to improve balance and positioning.

How long should a beginner drill session be?

Twenty to forty minutes is plenty. Use short sets (3 to 5 minutes per drill) and focus on repeatable goals, like 10 clean dinks in a row or a target number of deep serves in-bounds.

What should beginners practice most in pickleball?

Most beginners improve fastest by practicing soft shots at the kitchen (dinks, drops, resets) plus basic consistency (serve and return). Those skills reduce unforced errors and help you reach the net in control.

Pickleball Drills for Beginners: 7 Easy Drills to Improve Fast

Try these 7 beginner-friendly pickleball drills to build consistency, touch, and footwork fast, including a simple 30-minute practice routine.

If you want to get better at pickleball quickly, you do not need a complicated training plan. You need repetition on the skills that decide most recreational points: consistent serves and returns, a reliable third shot, soft resets, and better footwork at the kitchen.

Below are seven beginner-friendly pickleball drills you can do in 20 to 40 minutes. Most can be done with a partner, and several can be done solo with a wall. Pick two or three per session and track your progress week to week.

How to use this drill list (keep it simple)

Choose 2 drills for touch (dinks, drops, resets) and 1 drill for consistency (serve, return, volleys).
Work in short sets: 3 to 5 minutes per drill, then rotate.
Use a score or goal (for example, 10 good reps in a row) so you are not just “hitting around.”

Pickleball players practicing soft shots near the kitchen line — Beginner progress comes from repeating the basics, not from trying harder

Drill 1: 10 in a row (crosscourt dinks)

Goal: build touch, height control, and patience.

Stand at the kitchen line and dink crosscourt. The only rule: the ball must clear the net comfortably and land in the kitchen. Count consecutive “good” dinks (not just in-bounds, but truly playable). If you pop one up, reset to zero.

Beginner target: 10 in a row
Level up: aim to land within 2 feet of the opponent’s kitchen line

Drill 2: Straight-ahead dinks (protect the middle)

Goal: reduce unforced errors in the middle of the court.

Many beginner rallies end because someone misses a straight dink or floats one high. Practice dinking straight ahead, focusing on a clean contact point and a soft finish. This is also a great time to practice calling “mine” or “yours” in doubles, even in a drill.

Drill 3: The third shot drop ladder

Goal: learn to move a ball from the baseline into the kitchen softly.

Start at the baseline. Hit a controlled drop into the kitchen. If it lands in the kitchen and stays low enough to be safe (not attackable), take one step forward. If it is too high or misses, take a step back. The “ladder” teaches you the feel for height and pace that wins real points.

Beginner target: reach the kitchen line in 8 to 12 attempts
Tip: think “up and over,” not “hard and flat”

Drill 4: Reset practice (soft block from the transition zone)

Goal: stop panic-hitting when you get stuck between the baseline and the kitchen.

Stand in the transition zone (about 2 to 4 feet behind the kitchen). Your partner volleys at a medium pace. Your job is to absorb the ball and reset it back into the kitchen. Keep your grip light and your swing short. This drill builds the “soft hands” skill that turns defense into offense.

Pickleball doubles players practicing volleys and transitions — The best beginners learn to reset, then move forward together

Drill 5: Serve plus one (serve, then hit the next ball)

Goal: connect your serve to the start of the rally.

Beginners often treat the serve as separate from the point. Do this instead: hit a deep serve, receive a return, then hit one controlled third shot (drop or drive). Repeat. You will quickly see which part breaks under pressure.

Beginner target: 8 out of 10 serves in, with 6 “playable” third shots

Drill 6: Wall drill (solo forehand and backhand control)

Goal: better contact and footwork without needing a partner.

Find a smooth wall and stand close enough that you can keep a short rally going. Alternate forehand and backhand blocks. Focus on staying balanced and keeping the ball at a comfortable height. This is not about smashing, it is about clean repetition.

Beginner target: 50 total contacts without losing control

Drill 7: Kitchen line footwork (shuffle and stop)

Goal: stop reaching, start moving.

Without a ball, practice shuffling left and right along the kitchen line while keeping your paddle up. Every few steps, stop on balance and imagine volleying. Add a ball later if you have a partner feeding slow volleys.

A 30 minute beginner drill session (copy this)

5 min: crosscourt dinks (Drill 1)
5 min: straight-ahead dinks (Drill 2)
10 min: third shot drop ladder (Drill 3)
10 min: serve plus one (Drill 5)

Do that twice a week for a month and you will feel a real difference in games.

Get reps in consistently

Drills work best when you can repeat them on a schedule. Search PickleballCurator.com to find courts near you, then pick a regular time each week to practice before you play open games.

Related reading: Pair this with how to improve your pickleball serve and pickleball kitchen rules explained.