Improve Your Play

Ball Machine

A ball machine can be a very effective training tool however effective training only comes from effective, purposeful use of the ball machine.  The ball machine can feed you all types of shots. The feeding shot selection is accomplished by changing 3 primary variables:

  • the position of the machine on the court
  • the elevation of the ball as it leaves the machine, and 
  • the speed of the ball.

You can also adjust items such as spin, but keeping is simple is a good way to start.

The ball machine can feed you serves, serve returns, drop shots, dink shots, lobs, all with various speeds and frequencies.

You can also be creative with your drills to include more than one player. It is often very effective to use the ball machine with a practice partner.

A Ball Machine is available for rent by Members and Non Members and can be reserved and paid for by booking the Ball M. & P2 (Practice Court 2). You can book the machine just like you would book any of the 12 full size courts. See the Membership page for Costs and the How to Tutorials page for Booking Instructions

Below are links to more information and some creative drills

Pickleball Drive Machine Drills

Pickleball Tutor creative ways to use a Pickleball Machine

Pickleball Tutor Video Playlist

 

Pre-Game On-Court Warm-Up Routine

A series of five to ten successful shots at each position will help ensure you play your best game while advancing your skill set over time.

  • Non-volley line dinks
  • Non-volley line-controlled volleys
  • One side backs up to baseline for third shot drops
  • Alternate
  • Baseline to baseline ground strokes
  • Practice serves

Beginner Drills

  • Forehand and backhand ground strokes
  • Alternating forehand and backhand ground strokes
  • Serves
  • Forehand and backhand volley shots
  • Alternating forehand and backhand volley shots, increasing speed and distance as your skill improves

Intermediate Drills

  • Alternating forehand and backhand ground strokes imparting spin.
  • Short hop shots to the feet.
  • Forehand and backhand drop shots
  • Forehand only dink shots steering the ball left and right
  • Backhand only dink shots steering the ball left and right
  • Alternating forehand and backhand dink shots steering the ball left and right
  • Forehand only volley shots steering the ball left and right
  • Backhand only volley shots steering the ball left and right
  • Alternating forehand and backhand volley shots steering the ball left and right
  • Forehand and backhand lob shots

Advanced Drills

  • Forehand and backhand and alternating forehand and backhand machine gun speed volley shots
  • Backhand backspin volleys
  • Backhand topspin volleys
  • Backhand left and right sidespin volleys (sawing motion)
  • Alternating forehand and backhand side spin shots (paintbrush motion)
  • Taking speed off the ball
  • Volley to surprise lob
  • Third shot drop shots into the kitchen
  • Disguised lobs when dinking
  • Disguised body shots when dinking
  • Sharp angle shots when dinking
  • Fake overhead smash shots

Learn to Play Pickleball Videos

2021 Rule Changes

From the Pickleball Channel

 

Pickleball Serving

From the Pickleball Channel

 

The Third Shot Drop

from the Pickleball Channel

 

The Dink

From the Pickleball Channel

 

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