Pickleball Tips for Beginners

Drills, etiquette, safety and terms · Updated 9 October 2026

Ten tips for your first weeks

1. Serve and return deep. A deep serve or return keeps the other side back and gives you time.
2. Move up after your return. The returning team should walk in to the kitchen line straight away; most points are won from there.
3. Stay out of the kitchen when volleying. Step in only to play a ball that has bounced, then step back out.
4. Keep your paddle up in front of your chest between shots, so you are ready for quick volleys.
5. Soft beats hard. A low ball that lands in the kitchen (a dink) is hard to attack. Hard shots that sit up get hit back at your feet.
6. Learn the third-shot drop. As the serving team, a soft third shot into the kitchen lets you move up to the net safely.
7. Let balls go. If a hard shot is rising past your shoulders, it is often going out.
8. Move with your partner, as if tied by a rope: forward, back and sideways together.
9. Talk. Say "mine", "yours" or "out" early, especially for balls down the middle.
10. Play people a little better than you, and ask what they would change in your game.

Four simple drills

1. Cross-court dinking

Stand at the kitchen line diagonally from a partner and dink back and forth into the kitchen. Aim to keep 20 in a row low over the net, then try moving each other side to side.

2. Third-shot drops

One player at the kitchen line feeds balls deep; the other plays soft drops from the baseline that land in the kitchen. Take a step forward after each good drop.

3. Volley exchanges

Both players stand just behind the kitchen line and volley back and forth at medium pace, keeping the paddle up and using short, compact swings.

4. Serve and return depth

Put a towel or cones near the baseline and see how many serves and returns you can land in the back third of the court out of ten.

Court and open play etiquette

• Call the score before every serve so everyone agrees.
• Make line calls on your side only, and give the other team the benefit of the doubt: if you're not sure it was out, it's in.
• Wait for a rally to finish before walking behind or across a court, and return stray balls when play stops.
• At open play, follow the venue's queue. Many sessions use a paddle rack or a list: put your paddle or name in line and play when it's your turn.
• Mix in. Open play is social; play with new partners and levels the session is meant for.
• Tap paddles or say "good game" at the net after a game.

Staying safe on court

• Warm up for a few minutes with easy dinks and gentle movement before playing points.
• Wear court shoes with lateral support, not running shoes. See the shoe guide.
• Don't backpedal for lobs. Turn and run back, or let your partner take it.
• Drink water and take breaks, especially outdoors in the heat; indoor courts are an option on very hot or rainy days.
• Consider eye protection, since rallies at the net are fast and close.

Words you will hear

• Kitchen / non-volley zone (NVZ): the 7 ft (2.13 m) area on each side of the net where you can't volley.
• Dink: a soft shot that lands in the opponents' kitchen.
• Volley: hitting the ball before it bounces.
• Third-shot drop: a soft shot by the serving team, usually the third shot of the rally, that lands in the kitchen.
• Drive: a hard, flat shot.
• Lob: a high shot over the opponents' heads.
• Reset: a soft shot that slows a fast rally back down.
• Side out: when the serving side loses the serve to the other team.
• Transition zone: the middle of the court between the baseline and the kitchen.
• Stacking: doubles partners lining up on the same side so each stays on their preferred side.
• Erne: a volley hit from outside the court beside the kitchen, after jumping or stepping around it.
• ATP (around the post): a shot hit around the net post instead of over the net.

Put it into practice

The fastest way to improve is to play often. Find a court or an open play near you, and read the beginner's introduction and the rules.

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Frequently asked questions