Whether your drill partner is out of town, or you’re looking to level up your reflexes, working on a wall can be extremely beneficial for your pickleball game. Pro player Ava Ignatowich recently shared her favorite wall drills for players looking to level up. 

“The main reason I love hitting against a wall is because I feel like if I’m going out and practicing, I’m only hitting about 25% of the shots. But when I play at the wall, I get so many more reps in, so it’s just more bang for your buck,” said Ignatowich.

First, Ignatowich recommended hitting some low, soft shots that are equivalent to a dink. 

“One limitation of hitting against the wall is that you don’t see where your balls are landing. So you don’t know if you’re hitting shots that are out or too deep. But that doesn’t matter because feel is such an important thing. And that’s what you’re working on when you hit against the wall,” said Ignatowich. 

Working against the wall is more about working on your feel. You want to keep your eyes on the ball and watch the ball make contact with the sweet spot of your paddle. 

“This is how I’m going to develop good touch and good accuracy for when I’m actually playing real pickleball,” said Ignatowich. 

After getting warmed up with dinks, Ignatowich added in speed ups and resets. 

“In the middle of your dink rally, speed up towards the wall and block it back so that it comes back soft to you,” demonstrated Ignatowich. 

When Ignatowich works on wall drills, she dedicates most of her time to working on fast hands. 

“Because you’re really forced to hit the ball out in front of you and get a good feel for it. Because a lot of time against the wall, you don’t know where the ball is going to be coming back,” she explained. 

Then, she shared a wall drill she often practices. Ignatowich hits a forehand against the wall then a backhand, and alternates back and forth. You can also move closer to the wall for faster reflexes or take a few steps back for an easier alternative. 

“Because the ball bounces back so quickly, it ends up making your hands a lot faster. So this is the number one thing I would recommend practicing on a wall,” Ignatowich said. 

Another tip is to add lead tape to your paddle specifically to work on these hands wall drills to strengthen your forearm and wrist muscles for an endurance exercise. 

Additionally, hitting against the wall is a great cardio workout if you work on drives. 

“If you’re driving the ball, getting really low, and hitting through the ball, you’re going to burn a lot of calories,” said Ignatowich. 

For more of a cardio workout, Ignatowich recommended to hit your drives slightly to the right or left to cause you to move sideways across the court. 

“A great thing about the wall is that you don’t have to be perfect with your shots because you’re not in a game. So you can focus on your form and footwork, and focus on perfecting those things without worrying about hitting a ball in,” she concluded. 

So start working on your wall drills and watch your game level up. For more tips from the best in the game, follow on Instagram or X (formerly Twitter).