Pickleball Tips

Get to the kitchen line after every serve

The team at the non-volley zone controls the rally. Your mission after every serve or return is to advance to the kitchen line as quickly as possible.

Keep the ball in play, consistency beats power

Beginning players who just keep the ball in win more than players who try to hit winners. Your opponent will make mistakes. Let them.

Call the score before every serve

Calling the score prevents disputes and is required by the rules. In doubles, call three numbers: serving score – receiving score – server number.

Learn the two-bounce rule before anything else

The serve must bounce on the receiving side, then the return must bounce on the serving side, before either team can volley. This is the first rule that confuses beginners.

Wear court shoes, not running shoes

Court shoes provide lateral support. Running shoes don't. This is the single equipment change that most reduces ankle injury risk.

Watch the ball, not your opponent

Track the ball from your opponent's paddle to contact. Most beginners look up too early and miss-hit.

Develop a reliable third shot drop

The third shot drop is a soft shot from the baseline that lands in the kitchen. It's the most important shot for transitioning from defense (baseline) to offense (kitchen line).

Learn to dink cross-court

Cross-court dinks have the most margin, lowest net and longest court distance. Practice 100 cross-court dinks from both wings before progressing to down-the-line dinks.

Stop swinging at everything

If the ball is below net height and you're at the kitchen line, dink it back. Only attack balls that rise above net level. Attacking low balls creates pop-ups for your opponent.

Stack with your partner

Stacking keeps both players on their dominant side regardless of serving position. Even a basic half-stack (non-returner moves to their preferred side after serve) improves doubles positioning.

Return deep, then move forward

A deep return (near your opponent's baseline) gives you more time to advance to the kitchen. A short return lets your opponent hit a third shot from a comfortable position.

Reset when you're out of position

If you're off-balance, jammed, or reaching, your first job is to get the ball back in play, not hit a winner. A soft reset shot buys time to recover position.

Use spin to disrupt your opponent's timing

Topspin dinks that dive into the kitchen, sidespin serves that curve wide, and backspin resets that die low, varied spin makes you harder to read and your shots harder to attack.

Target the transition zone

Balls aimed at opponents' feet in the 'transition zone' (mid-court) as they advance to the kitchen are the hardest to play. Force opponents to handle balls at their lowest, least comfortable contact point.

Speed up from an unexpected position

The most effective speed-ups (attacking fast at the opponent) come from low-looking positions, appearing to dink, then snapping the ball hard at the body or shoulder. Disguise is critical.

Manage energy in long tournaments

Tournament pickleball requires conserving energy across multiple matches. Build a sustainable dinking game that doesn't rely on athletic explosiveness alone, it fades before your opponents do.

Study opponent tendencies in warm-up

Watch what your opponents gravitate to in warm-up: do they favor the forehand? Avoid the backhand? Hit cross-court by default? Use the first game to confirm tendencies, then exploit them in game 2 and 3.

Control the pace, don't react to it

Advanced doubles teams dictate rally pace rather than just responding to it. If the tempo is too fast, reset to slow it down. If opponents are resetting comfortably, speed up to force errors.