Pickleball Drills for Advanced Players

In any sport, practice is crucial to success. This article will discuss the tools you’ll need to become a successful pickleball player and how you can practice those skills efficiently. There will be plenty of inspiration for you to implement into your training. The Advanced Pickleball Drills included below are perfect for players of any level, as they focus on the game’s most essential elements.

Drills for Advanced Players

After mastering the basics, players can progress to more advanced pickleball drills and skills involving spin, speed, and placement accuracy. The PrimeTime Pickleball YouTube channel provides quality pickle ball drills for advanced players. In particular, these drills focus on developing high control and reaction time levels.

In particular, the 2-touch drill on this channel develops advanced players’ ball control skills. Drills for pickleball experienced players should focus on consistency and control when practicing exercises. It is essential to place the ball exactly where you intend to win points and make a hard time for your opponent.

It can be helpful to use the drill for pickleball, When players practice one pattern over and over and then switch it up, they will become more proficient at hitting the ball exactly where they intend. Players can also practice drills independently without a partner or access to a hitting partner. Below are a couple of pickle ball drills to get you started.

You now have no excuse for not practicing. You are the first step. Drills for pickleball can improve your health (by burning calories and getting in shape) and your game. Find a pickleball court near you and give it a try.

Advanced Pickleball Drills

When practicing your game, take time to learn new techniques, improve your serves and develop a deeper understanding of the game. Here are some of the advanced pickleball drills for an advanced player:

The Side Burns

This drill allows one player to practice hitting the ball on the move while letting the other player practice his ball direction-changing pickleball skills while standing still. Remember that returning the ball from a stationary position is more challenging than it may seem and requires powerful shoulders and an exceptional swing.

A trainer stands on one side of the court and alternately serves the ball down the line, cross-court, and in various directions as another player, using only his lateral movements tries to hit every ball back. After a given period, the trainer transfers to the court’s opposite side and does the drill all over again, familiarizing his trainee with the side length of the pickleball court.

The Vicious Hooks

This drill does not involve much movement of the players but would require a heavily-fortified arm and a wicked swing. It works best when performed by a crew of 3 to 4 players of any skill level.

Players volley back and forth at a pace where they can keep a long rally going. The trick is to return the ball in a direction different from the way it was sent, in such a manner that if a player was given a down-the-line hit, he should return with a cross-court or any other stroke other than a down-the-line. Participants must stay on their spots, moving only their legs for balance and hit accuracy.

The Side Swipe

It is probably the exercise that would work you out the most; this drill requires quick sideways movements to improve your game, particularly in defense. It will enhance a player’s capability to cover the side length of the court, making it extremely difficult to drop the ball on them.

Since this is only practice, balls should be hit at a moderate speed to give the running player enough time to get to the ball. Otherwise, the drill will be such a bore. Moving side to side is a wee bit slower than running forward, so players are asked to show some kindness. The player on the move should hit the ball down the line while the other two go cross-court every time.

Advanced Player Backboard Wall Drills

It is excellent for improving reaction times as well as basic techniques to perform wall drills. All these actions result in better depth perception and, ultimately, better play when you keep the pickleball up, hit it more complicated and faster, stand closer to the wall, and then move away from it.

Highspeed Volleys

It would help if you had stable footing, but the ball doesn’t need to bounce. That is accurate because the ball will never hit the ground. To “push” the ball over the net, hit the paddle in a blocking motion with the face square (vertical). The key is to switch away from your opponent so they cannot reach you. By opening the paddle face slightly, you can give the volley a bit more loft.

Forehand & Backhand Topspin Dink + Volley

Using a slight outside-to-inside motion, dink the ball off the wall, then volley it off the wall while imparting sidespin. Be aware that the sidespin will cause the ball to bounce slightly to one side after impact with the wall, so adjust the location of the hit on the wall so that it returns to you.

Speed Control

Most. If you’re not a master of ball control yet, don’t worry. It’s a skill that will take time to master. If it’s crossed toward the paddle, the paddle will be a staking cross point. If it’s down the line, the paddle will be facing that direction, which is down the line.

Make it hard for your opponents to speed up the pickleball if you’re trying to slow the game down. You can achieve this by keeping your shots low and down toward your opponents’ feet (which is easier said than done).

Fake Out Attack

Try hitting a high ball and pretend to attack with a volley, but instead, gently dink the ball over the line when your paddle speed is reduced. If you practice this skill, you’ll be able to surprise your opponents with a drop shot for a winning basket when they’re expecting a hard drive. It is beneficial against players who defend well from the baseline.

Advanced Pickleball Drills With a Partner

These advanced pickleball drills for two promise excellent results as they focus on additional skills such as speed, placement accuracy, and court awareness. Not only that, but it also burns tons of calories that whip you and your game in shape.

Terminator

One player will start at the non-volley zone, and the other will begin around the baseline. The net player will feed a highly attackable ball to simulate a weak return. The player at the baseline will step in and drive the ball as he would if he were hitting an offensive third-shot drive. They should do their best to keep the ball low to the net and stay aggressive to win the point. The player at the net should do their best to neutralize the initial attack and try to volley the ball down toward the feet of the opponent.

After the feed from the net player, it is a live ball, and the point will be continued to be played out on one half of the court. You can do this drill using half the court or cross-court from even side to side or from odd side to odd side.

Terminator is an excellent pickle ball drills that can work on your attacking pickleball skills and being a more offensive player on the court. As for the net player, remember that you purposely set up a weak attackable ball for your opponent. There will be many times in pickleball when you or your partner will hit a soft or short return, and this is just a great drill to practice neutralizing your opponent’s attacks with your volleys.

Survivor

One player will be at the baseline and one at the non-volley zone. The player at the baseline will feed a shallow lob right to the player in the non-volley area. As the other player receive the lob, they will do their best to try and put the ball away with an overhead smash. The goal of the player at the baseline is to try to survive and stay at the point. Whether the player hits a drop, drives, lobs, or blocks the ball back, they should do whatever can be done to play good defense and stay on the point.

After the feed, it is a live ball, and both players will play the remainder of the point using only one half of the court. You can play this game straight on or cross-court from even side to even side or odd side to odd side.

The survivor drill takes advantage of a weak lob and hits vital overheads, and it also tremendously works on the player’s defense at the baseline. You can play this drill to 11 points using rally scoring, then switch roles so the other player can also work on overhead smashes or defense.

How Can Pickleball Drills Help Me Improve?

You can fine-tune and hone your technique by drilling various shots regularly as a player. Eventually, they can rely on a particular image to pay off during a match.

They gain confidence in their technique through repeated practice under strictly controlled conditions. A drill removes the extraneous and focuses on what is necessary to perform a method accurately and controllably.

To be successful, players must master the basics before they can improve their core skills. Practicing basic pickleball techniques is the first step toward learning more advanced techniques. If you skip over the fundamentals, you will only end up disappointed and frustrated.

Practicing different pickleball skills and drills repeatedly will help you develop a sense of when to use them. By practicing advanced pickleball drills, you will teach your body how to position itself for maximum effectiveness, and with enough repetition, it will become automatic.

FAQs

Conclusion

A player’s ability to practice and improve the critical areas of a player’s game by using the proper drills makes all the difference between mediocrity and greatness. You will benefit from the exercises described here if you use them consistently as a pickleball player.