Pickleball Strategy for Beginners

Pickleball is a game that has quickly become popular among beginners. Its informal structure and easy-to-understand rules make pickleball feel novel and refreshing. The game is a combination of tennis, badminton, and table tennis, making it accessible to a large number of people. Many find it easy to get into pickleball, but understanding pickleball strategy is a must for beginners who wish to get to the next level.

Court positioning is among the most important strategies for beginners and should be emphasized in the beginning stages. Beginners generally have a poor grasp on where they need to be positioned relative to both their partner and the opposing team. Consolidating the court saves you energy (since you are not running all over the place to hit the shots) and opens up the possibility of executing higher-percentage shots. Run some footwork drills to quickly improve your court movement; not only will they help you build speed and agility, but you will also become much more efficient in your movement patterns.

Improving shot selection is one of the biggest challenges that beginners face. Dinks, volleys, and smashes are standard shots to master in pickleball. However, if you want to get to the next level, you need to consistently execute advanced versions of these shots. Practice over-spinning your dinks; having an aggressive arch to the ball allows you to keep the dink low, forcing the opposing players on the other side of the net to move slightly in a side-to-side motion. This kind of distraction/nuisance could potentially open up a hole for you somewhere deep on the court. The deep strike should also be a hard shot; it could take a while to get right, but once you learn the mechanics, it should come pretty easily.

Communication (or lack thereof) in doubles is a common problem among beginners. To say pickleball is a team-oriented sport is an understatement! During doubles matches, you need to work with your partner as closely as possible. Repetitive, stroke-by-stroke communication should get you to the point where your partner knows exactly what you’re about to do and how to respond. Before matches, communication about overall strategy and game plan is just as important. Encourage your partner at all costs; give each other high fives for winning points, and recognize each other for hitting good shots. Practice communication patterns and avoid games until you are comfortable with strategic movements.

Mental preparation is one of the more “hidden” advanced aspects of pickleball. Work on your mindset. “What are the strengths of my opponents? What are their weaknesses?” Strategy visualization and “game pace” estimation, especially at the beginning stages of a match, are crucial. Staying calm under pressure is another important skill pickleball beginners need to develop; stay clear, collected, and understand what your objective is.

Understanding the Basics of Pickleball

In order to properly play the game of pickleball, you must have a court of proper dimensions. A pickleball court uses baseline dimensions of 20 feet by 44 feet, similar to a doubles badminton court. This is about one-fourth of the size of a tennis court. The court should be divided into the following zones:

• Two even areas (your court vs. the opponent’s court) separated by a net.
• A “kitchen” (minimum play area) 7 feet from the net on both sides.

The kitchen area adds a tactical part to the game where opponents must consciously make an effort to avoid the spot until the correct opportunity, causing more structured and fun team play.

Before first starting to play, new players should know the following rules:

• The play must be continuous once the ball is served. You cannot bounce the ball off the side of the court.
• When the game starts, one player from either team starts the game off with a serve.
• You can only score points if your team serves the ball.
• The player’s feet must be behind or on the back line of the court.
• The serving team does not have to alternate players, but you cannot hit the ball two times in a row.

Remember to always have fun when playing pickleball and avoid getting too caught up in the rules of the game at first. You will naturally pick up the rules as you play more games.

To a newcomer, the game of pickleball may be difficult at first because of basic coordination. After a few days of constant practice, you will get the hang of the swings down and will be able to instinctively play the ball. These are the most common mistakes people make when starting to play:

• Forgetting to play in a kitchen area: This area is very difficult for a beginner to play in and will result in lots of fouls.
• Bad positioning/shot choice: This mistake comes from simply playing the ball in the easiest position.
• Running up to hit the ball (bad positioning).

In order to improve in this game, you must make it a priority to constantly practice the first two mistakes I mentioned. They are the most basic methods to playing the game, and once you get in the rhythm of it you will get much better. Also, with newer courts being built all the time, more people are becoming aware of the game. A ton of new, younger players are hopping on the boat to kick some butt on the court!

Key Pickleball Strategies for Beginners

In doubles play, court positioning is king. Where you are on the court relative to your partner and opponents can have a big impact on the efficiency and effectiveness of your movement and shots. Good positioning should offer the maximum court coverage making it hard for your opponents to find gaps. The goal is to have both players at the net to pressure the opponents to their baseline. This gives your team a greater area to attack and more angles to hit, making it harder for your opponents to create pressure.

Court positioning is crucial to allowing your side to get to the kitchen and start dictating play, rather than resetting the opponent’s shots and being in the back of the court.

In doubles play, you will most likely be defending when your opponent is hitting a groundstroke. When you and your partner is at the net and the opponent is near the baseline hitting a groundstroke, aim to keep the opponents back with a punch volley or roll. If your opponent hits the ball high and above the net, you would use a punch volley. If the ball is at or lower than the net, you would use a roll. If you’re at the net and your partner is still transitioning to the net, you can poach the ball if you’re in an active defensive position. This will allow your partner to come to the net while still providing a strong attacking shot.

If your opponent is at the net and attacking, you’ll need to develop these type of poaches: Space Poaching and Classic Poaching.

In the classic poach, where you see the groundstroke being hit, you actively move or leap for the ball while in the power position. When your partner hits a strong groundstroke with lots of pace to your opponent’s feet or when your opponent is back and wide in the alley, you can slide over and move low into the court. Think of taking into account the pace of your opponent’s shot. If it is high, hard, and well placed, then setting up in a more classic style to maintain and set up the offense is probably better.

For a space poach you will stay in your spot in the power position. Don’t move! Space poaching is a less risky, you have 1 or 2 spots to master and have time to practice over and over, so I think it will be a clear winner for many players. With the space poach and more doubles creativity, you have another reason to keep the art of the net game in doubles: the positive impact on the game of tennis and the pursuit of innovation and continuous learning on the court!

In the power position, have another look at your own court and the receiver on the other side. You have more time to hang in there because you are in a great defensive position. You can poach more balls when you develop confidence and communication with your partner. Form a quick defensive “doubles wall” to get more easy poaches! Learn to cover the basics and get poaching! Poaching is a key weapon in the doubles player’s toolbox!

Practical Pickleball Drills for Beginners

The only way to get better is to focus on doing the right drills and practice.

• Serving – If you are looking to improve your serve, you should practice your toss and swing over and over again. Try serving to a spot continuously, getting familiar with the feel of the serve. Do you want to serve to someone’s backhand or forehand? Make sure to switch up your speed, placement, and spin on how you hit the ball. It will better prepare you for different situations in games.
• Volleying – Again, practicing hitting the ball as best as you can is important. Try a “volley to volley” drill with a friend and you can work on your “touch” for the ball. You could also do a “reaction volley”, where your partner places balls randomly to react.
• Positioning – As the ball moves, you need to adjust your position to get a better chance at hitting the ball accurately. This is where line fundamentals come in. This is why it is important to find good sources for coaching and tips to be aware of the details.

With these drills, you can better prepare for opportunities in a game and help build a solid foundation for years of playing. After all that practice, when you see the right opportunity, you should have better confidence when you want to play aggressively. Be careful not to strain yourself and make sure to add in rest days.

What better time to get started than now

I can’t think of a competitive sport that doesn’t have a well-defined strategy at its core. A player or team’s game plan serves as a roadmap. It’s something each player can grasp onto and follow while navigating the chaos of the competition. It allows a team to strategize plays that maximize their strengths (naturally, some team members will bring specific skills over and above the others) while minimizing their weaknesses.

Also, something I like to call “Rule Knowledge” is always helpful. It’s about making sure that players have a good fundamental understanding of critical areas of pickleball so that each player can make informed decisions in specific moments. This understanding might allow them to favor a certain rule. It may give them the confidence to focus on the execution of the game plan, rather than focus on rule infractions.

Finally, the need for drills needs little explanation. Drills are all about the execution along the lines of a team strategy. The strategy is the what of the game (e.g., sport’s situations, player positions) and the drills are the how and where of each player role in the execution of the game strategy. Experiment with different strategies and have fun doing playing pickleball.