Get better every time you play.

Beginner

Focus: rules, a reliable serve and return, and getting to the kitchen line. Don't worry about power yet. Worry about keeping the ball in play.

6 tips

1. Learn the two-bounce rule first. The serve must bounce, and the return must bounce. After that you can volley. Most beginner faults come from volleying too early.
2. Stay out of the kitchen when you volley. You can stand in the kitchen to hit a ball that bounced there, but you can't hit a ball out of the air while touching it, including your follow-through.
3. Serve deep, not hard. A deep, steady serve that lands every time beats a big serve that misses. Aim for the back third of the box.
4. Hit your return deep, then walk in. A deep return gives you time to move up to the kitchen line, which is where most points are won.
5. Paddle up, ready position. Between shots, hold the paddle in front of your chest with the tip up. You'll react faster than with it hanging by your knees.
6. Call the score out loud. Server's score, receiver's score, then 1 or 2 for the server in doubles. Saying it every point is the fastest way to learn it.

Drills to try this week

Serve to the back thirdHit 20 serves. Count how many land deep in the box. Try to beat your number next time.

Kitchen-line catchStand at the kitchen line with a partner and gently hit soft shots back and forth that land in the kitchen. Ten in a row, then try 20.

Watch

How to Play PickleballUSA Pickleball · about 5 min

How to Play Pickleball in 5 MinutesPlayPickleball.com · about 5 min

5 Beginner Mistakes Ruining Your GameThatPickleballGuy · about 14 min

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Intermediate

Focus: the soft game. The third shot drop, patient dinking and working with your partner are what move you from 3.0 to 3.5 and beyond.

6 tips

1. Learn the third shot drop. When you serve, your opponents get to the kitchen first. A soft third shot that lands in their kitchen buys you time to move up and join them.
2. Don't rush the net. Move in a few steps at a time, and split-step (a small hop to stop and balance) as your opponent hits. Getting caught moving is how balls get hit at your feet.
3. Dink cross-court. The ball travels over the lowest part of the net and has the longest distance to land, so it's the safest dink. Go straight ahead only when it opens something up.
4. Keep it low and be patient. In a dink rally, the first person to hit a ball too high usually loses the point. Make them hit up, not you.
5. Move as a pair. Pretend you and your partner are tied together with a 10-foot rope. When one moves left, both move left. That closes the gap down the middle.
6. "Yours" and "mine," every time. Most balls down the middle go to whoever has the forehand. Decide that with your partner before the game.

Drills to try this week

Drop and stepOne player at the kitchen feeds deep. The other hits a drop from the baseline, takes two steps in, and drops again. Work up to the kitchen line in three or four shots.

Cross-court dink gamePlay to 7 using only cross-court dinks into the kitchen. Any ball that lands outside the kitchen loses the point.

Watch

3rd Shot Drop: How to Hit ItPlayPickleball.com · about 10 min

Dinking: The Golden RuleJohn Cincola Pickleball · about 8 min

7 Ways to Keep the Ball LowPrimeTime Pickleball · about 15 min

Doubles Strategy MasterclassEnhance Pickleball · about 12 min

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Advanced

Focus: choosing the right ball to attack, resetting hard shots, and practicing with purpose. At this level, decisions matter as much as technique.

6 tips

1. Attack balls above the net, reset balls below it. If the ball is below net height, speeding it up usually helps your opponent. Be patient until you get one you can hit down or flat.
2. Master the reset. When a hard ball comes at you in the transition zone, take pace off with a soft, short block that lands in the kitchen. A good reset turns defense back into neutral.
3. Mix drives and drops on the third shot. Driving the third and dropping the fifth (or the other way around) keeps returners guessing. Be the team that decides how the point goes.
4. Hands up and compact in fast exchanges. Keep the paddle in front, use short punches instead of big swings, and favor your backhand for balls at your body.
5. Target the right spots. Feet, the middle, and the hip of the player's paddle side are the hardest balls to handle. Pick a target on every attack.
6. Drill more than you play. A 30-minute drill session with a purpose (dinks, resets, fast hands) builds more skill than three games of open play.

Drills to try this week

Reset ladderYour partner drives from the baseline while you stand in the transition zone. Reset each one into the kitchen. Track how many of 20 you keep unattackable.

Dink until it's attackablePlay a dink rally where you may only speed up a ball that sits above the net. Wrong speed-up = lose the point. It trains patience and shot selection.

Watch

Top 5 Shots to Reach 4.0+Pickleball Warehouse, with Tim Buwick · about 12 min

Ben Johns on the 3rd and 5th ShotsJosh J Pickleball · about 11 min

How to Beat Hard HittersEnhance Pickleball · about 14 min

How to Drill Like a ProBen Johns · about 10 min

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Videos are made by their creators and play from YouTube. PickleBoom isn't affiliated with them; we just think they teach it well. Tips are general advice; if you have an injury, check with your doctor before starting new drills.