Top pickleball pros spend as much time drilling as they do playing rec games—and they each have their go-to routines.

World No. 1 singles player Chris Haworth keeps his favorite drill simple.

“For singles, I do a lot of drop-feeding drills. All you need is a partner and a basket of balls. Have them stand on the same side of the net as you, they drop balls in, and you hit 100 balls in five minutes,” he explained. “Then pick them up, move to a different spot, and do it again. Hit forehands down the line, forehands cross-court, etc. It’s all about repetition, hitting as many balls as you can, and getting a feel for every shot.”

For his part, Christian Alshon has always been a big advocate of wall drills.  

“I always recommend hitting against the wall. I know it can be boring and mundane, but it’s great if you don’t have a partner to drill with. It really helps you develop fast hands,” he insisted. “If you think about it, if you stand from the kitchen line to the wall, it’s 50% shorter distance, so it’s going to make your reflexes faster. You need fast hands to be good at the game.”

On the women’s side, Isabella Dunlap suggested drilling your third shot.  

“Drilling thirds are super important for me and my game,” she mentioned. “I recommend working on your thirds as much as possible because it allows you to get up to the net during a point.”

Dunlap suggested this particular drill for thirds. 

Have your partner stand at the kitchen line while you stand at the baseline on the opposite side. Then, your partner feeds you a ball and you drive the ball back, they block it, and you drop your return into the kitchen.

For Michael Loyd, the most effective drills often come back to the basics.

“You need to hit baskets of balls on serve and return. Nobody does it, and they’re missing out,” he said. “The serve in singles is becoming more and more of a weapon, so I highly recommend utilizing that and perfecting it. I swear, practicing your serve a lot is going to help you jump up half a level, especially if you’re a beginner.”

“Everyone should play more skinny singles because it encompasses all facets of the game,” he noted. “You’re hitting serves, thirds, mid-court, and kitchen stuff. If there’s one drill more people should do, it’s just playing skinny singles.”

Connor Garnett is another top pro who emphasizes wall work, recommending a simple but effective volley drill against the wall.

“I like a wall volley drill. Stand about two steps away from the wall and hit one backhand, one forehand, and just keep alternating that back and forth,” he explained. “It allows you to keep the body fully engaged, and if you can do 50 of them consecutively pretty easily, then you’re starting to engage the kinetic chain. Don’t take too big of a swing or try to poke the ball, just try to be in a more flowy natural kind of swing.”

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