7 Pickleball Drills You Can Do With Just Two People

Quick answer: You do not need four players or a coach to get better. Twenty minutes of cross-court dinking, third-shot drops and reset practice with one partner will improve your game faster than another hour of open-play games.

Playing games is fun. Games are also where you repeat your bad habits at speed. Drills are where you fix them. All seven of these need exactly two people, two paddles and a ball.

1. Cross-court dinking (5 minutes)

Both players at the kitchen line, soft diagonal dinks, aiming to keep the ball below net height on your opponent's side. Count consecutive dinks and try to beat your record. Fixes: touch, patience, and the instinct to attack balls you shouldn't.

2. Third-shot drops (5 minutes)

One player at the kitchen line, one at the baseline. The baseline player feeds themselves and tries to drop the ball softly into the kitchen; the net player returns it. Swap after 20. Fixes: the single hardest and most valuable shot in pickleball.

3. Volley-to-volley (3 minutes)

Both players just behind the kitchen line, hitting controlled volleys straight at each other. No winners — the goal is consistency and quick hands. Fixes: reaction time and paddle-up readiness.

4. The reset drill (5 minutes)

One player at the net hits medium-pace balls at the other, who is mid-court and must absorb them into the kitchen instead of blocking them back hard. Fixes: the ability to survive an attack instead of feeding an easy put-away.

5. Serve targets (5 minutes)

Put a towel or water bottle deep in each service box corner and serve at it. Twenty serves, count hits. Fixes: depth, which is the only serve quality that actually matters at recreational level.

6. Dink-to-attack transition (5 minutes)

Cross-court dinking, but either player may attack any ball that pops above net height. Fixes: recognising the attackable ball — the skill that separates a 3.0 from a 3.5.

7. Wall work (solo, any time)

No partner? A flat wall and a strip of tape at 34 inches gives you unlimited dinks and volleys. Fixes: everything, slowly, for free.

How to structure a session

Twenty minutes of drills, then play games. Not the reverse — you will always skip the drills if you play first. And treat the ten minutes after as part of the session; a drilling hour is more repetitive load on your feet and calves than a game hour, which is exactly the pattern behind the most common pickleball injuries. Our 10-minute recovery routine covers the sequence.

Drilling with a partner needs two paddles you both like — The Court Set ($59) covers both of you, and the paddle guide helps when you are ready to upgrade.

Frequently asked questions

What is the best pickleball drill for beginners?
Cross-court dinking. It builds touch and patience, teaches you which balls not to attack, and needs only one partner and a few feet of court.

Can you practise pickleball alone?
Yes — wall drills with a line of tape at net height let you practise dinks, volleys and resets solo. Serve-target practice also works alone with a bucket of balls.

How long should a pickleball drill session be?
Twenty focused minutes before your games is plenty. Drilling first matters, because most players skip it entirely if they start with games.

Drill with a partner who has their own paddle. Court Set, two paddles, $59. Play hard. Land soft.