Maybe you're waiting for that one player who always arrives a little bit late. Or maybe there are three of you in your group of pickleball friends who want to drill more than the rest.
Well, if you find yourself thinking three is an odd number, hang on a sec, there’s still so much you can do as a trio to boost your pickleball game...
1vs2 Reset
Set Up: Start with one person (player A) at the back end of the transition zone (approximately 3ft inside their baseline) and two people (B and C) on the other side of the net at their non-volley line.
This drill is best done with a basket of balls beside the net and it’s best to have a few balls in the pockets of each player to keep the momentum as it might be hard to catch a rhythm at first.
The Drill: Player B or C feeds the ball to player A, who is aiming to reset the ball into the non-volley zone with an arching ball that lands with a low bounce. The lower the bounce, the less attackable the ball will be.
This will give the person time to advance towards their own non-volley line. Players B and C’s goal is to apply pressure to the singular player by pushing the ball in places that make it hard for player A to reset the rally.
Some target areas include player A’s hips, down to their feet, shift them from side to side, or to hit fast-paced balls that are harder to control. When player A advances to the net it is still their goal to reset the ball until the rally finishes.
Players B and C can only hit to the side of the court player A is on. If the ball crosses the centre line to the other side, the ball is dead. Player A can play the entire sides B and C’s court. Keep in mind…. a reset off of a feed doesn’t count!
Progression: Anyone 3.0+ can do this drill! The lower the skill level, the harder it might be at first and the rallies may not last very long; there will likely be a lot of unforced errors (from both sides).
- Aim to reset the ball twice before advancing towards the net;
- Aim to then reset the ball twice in a row before advancing towards the net;
- Aim to hit 3 resets in a row before you can advance to the net
- Rather than player A only resetting (once they are at the non-volley line), you can play it so the rally is “live” and any shot counts
- Another progression is for the person in player A position to drill from the right side (hit your goals) and change the drill so player A drills from the left side
Either time this drill (5 minute rotations) or rotate players once A succeeds in whichever you group is aiming for. Rotating in a clockwise position allows everyone to practice from every possible side.
Pro Tip: Remember you don’t need to advance just because the ball lands in the non-volley zone. Advance when it’s clear you have enough time to move up the court.
1vs2 Offense
Set Up: Start with all three players at the non-volley zone, one person (player A) on one side of the net alone and two people (B and C) on the other side of the net at their non-volley line.
Again, this drill is best done with a basket of balls beside the net and it’s best to have a few balls in the pockets of each player to keep the momentum as it might take a few rallies to catch momentum. Player A to feed the ball in with a dink cross-court.
The Drill: Player A is in the offensive mindset and they are looking to create opportunities to finish the rally. They can do so by utilizing the entire court, by moving around players B and C or by playing until one of the other two forces an error.
Players B and C’s job is to reset the ball until player A forces the error, their role with these resets is to not use the entire court (by lobbing or pushing back player A of the NVL) but to just reset all of A’s attacks.
Progressions: Unlike the other drill, there are somewhat fewer progressions to this one. This is more of a goal-oriented section:
- Keep the unforced errors low
- Move the ball around to create a gap between players B and C for a winner
- Move from safe dinks to offensive dinks
- Set up an erne
- Aim to not use any lobs for this drill
Pro Tip: Player A - just because you’re in the offensive mindset doesn’t mean you need to attack the first ball that comes your way, look for the ball that bounces high or a ball in the air that’s in your yellow or green light zone before speeding up.
Both of these first two drills can really help players better understand how effective it is to remain patient, it will help increase shot selection IQ and will increase awareness as to how you move around the court. It should also help you identify which shot(s) you might need to work on more than others.
King of the Court
Set Up: Player A and Player B stand diagonally across the net from one another, both on the right side of their court. Player C sits off on the sideline.
The Drill: Player A serves to player B (King) and the two will play out the rally, all while remaining cross-court from one another. A ball that carries outside the sideline or crosses over the centre line is considered out.
If player A wins the first rally then both players switch sides to the left and play out the next rally. Player A must win two rallies in a row to knock out the King.
If they succeed in doing so, Player A becomes King, and player C takes their spot, leaving player B on the sideline. Whoever is on the sideline is keeping an eye out for service faults and foot faults.
Progression:
- Count who is able to be King the most often and who sits in that position the longest
- Incorporate offensive or defensive lobs into your rallies
- Count how many shots the rallies are going - see which match-up makes the longest rally of the drill
- Allow for ATP’s - at the higher level, you should be avoiding dinks that set up an ATP opportunity, but in this drill, if someone gives you a shot you can ATP, go for it. If you succeed that’s your point, if you don’t hit it then it’s a point for the other person
- If the person can actually slide over to defend the ATP then the play must resume back to the cross-court position
Pro Tip: As player A, trying to take down player B (King), start with a high level of patience - one rally will go very quickly if you allow it, and you need to win two rallies in a row to take the throne!
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