5 Tips I Wish I Knew as a Beginner

My journey in pickleball started off typical for most players: show up to drop-in and someone shows you how to the basics; you learn about the non-volley zone and the two-bounce rule and give it a go most likely using a wooden paddle.

The best part of this “typical” way of starting is how much fun it was. Despite a wooden paddle (we’ve come so far!) and not really understanding how to play, it was so fun. At least, for me it was. After first trying out pickleball, I bought equipment and started the game at work.

This is how I learned to play, alongside other newbies, learning off of YouTube. Here are my top 5 I wish I had known as I started off on my journey because it would have really allowed me and the players around me to start working on proper growth...

1. Keep your eye on the ball

The thing about this solid piece of advice is that it’s standard across all sports (name one sport that doesn’t apply this concept?) and yet, it is a total game changer once you incorporate it into your pickleball game. Are you miss hitting off the edge of your paddle?

Have you missed a ball all together or find that you can’t keep up with the fast volley exchanges? Learning to watch and focus on the ball can help improve all three of these areas. It’s one of those things that people often assume they’re already doing.

My suggestion is that you set up a camera and record a game or two and watch back specifically how often you watch the ball make contact with your paddle. You might be surprised just how easy it is to hit the ball over the net without looking and not even notice.

2. Get low

Even though I’m already lower to the ground than the average human, this is one of my favourite pieces of advice to impart with. By bending the knees, staying low and maintaining an athletic ready position, a player will keep themselves engaged in the rally.

I remember the good ol’ days where I was playing daily and four hours at a time. It’s easier to recognize now, but at the time I was playing in a slightly robotic state. I didn’t have to think too much about the shots I was executing or why I was choosing those shots.

Having that casual state of mind was probably not a bad thing at the time, because I was having a great time just playing at a very fun, recreational level. But, as I became more serious about pickleball and decided I want to get involved as a competitor, that habit followed me.

It’s something I had to work very hard at changing and honestly, on certain days sometimes I still get caught standing too straight - usually when I’ve hit my limit or I’ve come into the day already tired. Still, it’s not a good habit and takes a lot of self awareness (or a coach) to keep reminding you to correct!

3. Learn how to dink right away

I’ll admit. It wasn’t until after the 2018 US Nationals that I really understood how to backhand dink. Somehow I got away with some pretty janky technique that wouldn’t fly at the 3.5 level these days but I remember the backhand dink being something that I just couldn’t understand.

Again, this coming from a self-taught, mostly self-coached perspective I totally relied on YouTube and studying my peers during rec and tournament play. Someone once said to me “you’ve just got to figure it out and once you do, you’ll be great at it”.

Turns out they weren’t wrong, but at the time I wished that they could just tell me. What I know today is that even if someone breaks down the mechanics of dink - forehand or backhand - it up to the player to practice over and over again until it clicks. And, it will just click. Trust me.

When I was playing soccer I spent hours learning how to stall and juggle but here’s the thing: you don’t ever really stall a soccer ball in the middle of the match but dinking is absolutely necessary in pickleball. Learn it like it’s a basic element of the game!

4. Practice = drilling and it's fun

The first three points really segway me into this third tip: practice games are important and critical but players should also take the time to drill. The reason being is that playing games can only get a player so far. At some point, there will be specific areas to work on more than others.

Pretty self-explanatory but let me walk through this.

Let’s say, after six months of playing about 2-3 times per week, a player cannot serve consistently. Every few serves the ball goes out of bounds or into the net. What is likely happening here is that this player is beginning to worry about their serve well ahead of execution.

They’re allowing the errors of the past to trickle into their present mindset and take over. There is something called the “yips” in pickleball and having the yips during a serve is actually really common.

Imagine this same player who has the yips continues to play rec and eventually enters a tournament, but has not addressed the issue. Topped with the natural pressure of competition, imagine how this player will perform? Do you think they would be capable of playing their best game?

It’s absolutely necessary to understand that over time every player will have areas in which they need to improve on. With enough practice, improvement is possible! Changing your game and evolving with this fast growing sport is a good thing; and even with practice some of these areas might recur over but that’s okay.

A good player can roll with the changes but a great player will embrace change and grow with it. If you’re a player looking to take your skill to the next level, I do recommend working with a coach or a player with more experience/a higher skill level; someone who can help identify areas (if needed), breakdown the “issue” and provide drills to help you learn.

5. Don’t be afraid of the 3rd shot - or any shot!

Most people who coach will wait to introduce the 3rd shot (drive or drop), which makes a lot of sense. First of all, anyone taking lessons from an absolutely clean slate will experience information overload in the first couple of sessions.

I’ve taken my coaching from “let’s wait to cover the 3rd shot” to “let’s understand the importance of this shot”. At the risk of information overload I actually end up explaining the 3rd shot at an early stage so that players begin to comprehend the game that much faster.

Pretty much, I wait for a player to get hooked and then I bring on a bit of the theory. I find that by taking these more intimidating aspects of the game head-on overall reduces the fear for a player.

I’d rather see someone feel empowered than worrying about an “advanced” shot. I would be curious to know from some of today’s beginner players if that approach is a positive approach or too much too soon?

These 5 simple tips are also what I consider to be healthy habits. In fact, the opposite side to these (ie. don’t fear the 3rd shot) is totally a bad habit and will be harder and harder to correct over time. Some of these might also impact the body in a negative way (ie. not getting low by bending the knees can eventually cause or perpetuate back issues) - which we don’t want! Pickleball is a sport that can be played for a lifetime so longevity is key!