Everyone wants to improve their pickleball game.

Whether you're aiming to compete in a higher division at your next tournament or simply want to step up your casual matches with friends, a quick tip from the pros can help any player take their skills to the next level.

Here’s what some of the top players in the game recommend.

Jorja Johnson

“Pay attention to court positioning. I see a lot of times where one teammate will be stuck in the midcourt and the other one will be standing at the line, and it causes them to have a big gap in the middle. Stay with your partner. If your partner is back, you should be back. You want to be a wall at the line.”

John Cincola

“The big one I see is backswings that are too big, so stay more compact and keep the paddle more centered in your body. Allow your body movements to take the paddle where it needs to be, rather than too big with the arm. Connect your paddle to your bigger body movements as opposed to having your arm be an isolated movement when you’re hitting. Watch the pros. You’ll see that they’re all very good with using their whole body as a unit.”

Roscoe Bellamy

“Limit your unforced errors. Bring your margins in. A lot of people focus on the hard stuff, but at the end of the day, it’s not rocket scientists and statistics. There’s a lot of ways to limit your unforced errors. But if someone is going to beat you, make them hit 22 winners. Don’t make 22 mistakes and don’t give them 22 Christmas gifts.”

Milan Rane

“Drill more. I like the seven eleven drill game where you’re at the kitchen and your opponent is at the baseline. The person at the kitchen has to win 11, and the person at the baseline has to win seven. It helps you work your way up from the baseline in a defensive position and then make your way into an offensive position.” 

Alli Phillips

“Learn the transition zone and use it to your advantage. Often, when you’re taking lessons or doing camps, you’re taught that the transition zone is a scary zone and people are almost scared of it. But I want players to get that idea out of their head. If you watch players like Anna Leigh Waters, Jorja Johnson, or Anna Bright, they’re so confident in the transition zone. Don’t be scared of it.”

Yates Johnson

“You need to have a solid base. You need to have the right technique starting off. If you have the wrong technique, it doesn’t matter how good you get, you’ll be practicing the wrong thing. Find a coach or a player who’s really good and try to get some tips from them. I think Roscoe Bellamy does one of the best jobs of coaching and making good videos to learn from.”

“And drill a lot. You have to get reps in and work on every shot and every classic drill. We have a saying in tennis that you’re not good until you’ve hit 10,000 balls of every shot. It’s the same in pickleball. Pickleball is easy to play, but hard to master. If you want to master it, you have to put the time and the reps in.”

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