Catherine Parenteau is at the top of pro pickleball, so when she shares her favorite drills to elevate her singles game, I am definitely giving them a try the next time I hit the court.

1.     Side-to-side feed

“For the first drill, I’m going to have my partner feed me 10 balls side-to-side. After I’m done hitting, I take a 30 second break then go again,” said Parenteau. “I love this drill because I have to move and I have to really work hard to get to the ball.”

First, your partner feeds you a drive to your forehand on the right side of the court, then feeds you another drive on the left side to your backhand, forcing you to move positions to get the ball. 

“This drill helped me work on my passes in singles,” explained Parenteau. 

She recommended doing five to six sets of this drill.

2.     Cross-court vs. straight targets

For the next drill, Parenteau and her partner stand at the baseline. Parenteau hits every ball straight ahead, and her partner returns every ball cross-court. 

“This is another movement drill that practices trying to hit targets, trying to keep the ball in play, and it’s also great for your cardio,” explained Parenteau. 

Then, you switch and alternate roles where Parenteau is now hitting every ball cross-court and her partner hits every ball straight ahead.  

3.     Drops or drives

The final drill Parenteau shared has her partner positioned on the left side of the court in the corner at the kitchen line, and Parenteau stands at the baseline and returns every ball to her partner as a drop or a drive. 

Then, her partner moves to the right corner behind the kitchen line and does the same thing. 

These three drills are great for building stamina and getting a great cardio session, in addition to working on specific shots.

“Singles is a great workout in general, so I hope you do those drills and make sure you give yourself plenty of time between each drill to rest,” concluded Parenteau.

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