Pickleball is famously easy to pick up and gloriously difficult to master. In your first hour you can rally, serve and score — but the gap between simply playing and genuinely improving comes down to a handful of core skills. Master these ten fundamentals and you will not only win more points; you will enjoy the game far more, because you will finally feel in control of the ball rather than at its mercy.
I have ordered these skills roughly the way I coach them — from the shots that start every point to the habits that decide how points finish. You do not need to be an athlete to build any of them. You need clear intent, a little patience, and a way to practise each one deliberately. Here is exactly what to work on, why it matters, and one simple drill for each.
1. A reliable serve
The serve is the only shot in pickleball you have complete control over — no one is hitting anything at you. Yet beginners often treat it as a formality and rush it. A reliable serve is simply one that clears the net and lands deep and in, point after point, without you having to think about it.
Why it matters: every rally you serve into a net or out of bounds is a point handed over for free. Depth also matters — a deep serve pushes your opponents back and buys your team time to move forward.
Coach's tipAim for a target a metre inside the baseline, not the line itself. Give yourself margin and consistency will follow. Practise by serving a bucket of balls to that deep third of the court and counting how many land in — chase a number, not a corner.
2. The return of serve
The return of serve is the most under-appreciated shot in the game. A good deep return keeps the serving team pinned at the baseline and gives you time to walk forward to the kitchen line — the most valuable real estate on the court.
Why it matters: after you return, you get to move up. A short return lets your opponents crash the net first and takes that advantage away. Return deep, then move.
Practise it by having a partner serve to you while you focus on two things only: hit the ball deep, and be moving forward as it crosses the net. Do not admire the shot — return and go.
3. The dink
The dink is a soft shot, hit from around the kitchen line, that arcs gently over the net and lands in your opponent's non-volley zone. It is the heartbeat of the game at every level above raw beginner.
Why it matters: you cannot smash a low ball at the net, so points at the kitchen become patient exchanges. The player who can dink calmly, without popping the ball up, controls the rally and waits for the mistake.
Coach's tipDink with your legs, not your wrist. Bend your knees, keep the paddle face open and let a gentle shoulder swing do the work. Practise cross-court dinks with a partner and count how many you can string together — aim for ten in a row before you worry about placement.
4. The third-shot drop
The third shot is the ball the serving team hits after the return comes back. The drop is a soft, arcing shot from near the baseline that lands in the kitchen, letting your team move forward safely. It is the single hardest shot for beginners to learn — and the most transformative.
Why it matters: the serving team starts every point stuck at the back. Without a drop, your only option is to hit hard from a bad position and hope. A good third-shot drop neutralises your opponents' net advantage and lets you join them at the line.
Practise it in isolation: stand at the baseline, have a partner feed you balls, and aim to land each one softly in the kitchen. Do not rush this one — a hundred repetitions a week will change your game within a month.
5. Resetting and soft hands
A reset is a defensive shot that takes the pace off a hard-driven ball and drops it softly back into the kitchen, buying you time to recover. It relies on "soft hands" — a relaxed grip that absorbs the ball's speed rather than fighting it.
Why it matters: when you are under pressure and someone is firing balls at your feet, panicking and swinging hard usually sends the ball long. A calm reset defuses the attack and turns defence back into a neutral rally.
Loosen your grip and the ball slows down. Tighten it and the ball flies. Soft hands are a decision, not a talent.
Practise by having a partner hit medium-pace balls at you while you simply try to deaden each one into the kitchen. Think "catch the ball on the paddle," not "hit it back."
6. Volleys at the net
A volley is any ball you hit out of the air before it bounces, taken from at or near the kitchen line. Beginners often let balls drop when they could take them early — and lose the initiative doing it.
Why it matters: taking the ball out of the air gives your opponents less time to react and lets you keep pressure on. A compact, controlled volley — punchy, not swingy — is a huge weapon at the net.
Keep your paddle up and in front of you, and use a short block rather than a big swing. Practise with a partner feeding volleys to your forehand and backhand, keeping your paddle head above your wrist throughout.
7. The ready position and grip
Ready position is the athletic stance you hold between shots: knees bent, weight forward on the balls of your feet, paddle up and out in front around chest height. Paired with a neutral "continental" grip — the same grip you would use to hammer a nail — it lets you react to any ball without fumbling.
Why it matters: pickleball is fast at the net, and there is rarely time to change your grip mid-exchange. A consistent ready position and grip mean you are prepared for forehands and backhands alike before the ball even arrives.
Coach's tipBetween every shot, reset your paddle to the middle of your body at chest height. Film thirty seconds of yourself rallying — you will be amazed how often your paddle drops to your side. Train it back up.
8. Moving to the kitchen line
The kitchen line — the edge of the non-volley zone — is where points are won. Getting there, together with your partner, and holding it is one of the most important habits a doubles player can build.
Why it matters: teams that control the net win the overwhelming majority of points. If you hang back at the baseline, your opponents get to dictate. The whole purpose of the return and the third-shot drop is to earn your way forward to this line.
Practise it as a mindset: after every serve return or drop, ask yourself "am I moving up?" Drill it by playing points where your only goal is to reach the kitchen line as a pair before the fifth shot.
9. Communication with your partner
Doubles is a team sport, and the best partnerships talk constantly — calling "mine" and "yours," "in" and "out," and "switch" when you cross. Communication is a genuine skill, and it is one you can be excellent at from day one regardless of your shot-making.
Why it matters: most beginner points are lost to hesitation — two players watching a ball land between them, each assuming the other had it. Clear, early calls eliminate those free points and build trust.
Practise by making a rule with your partner: every single ball down the middle gets called out loud, early and often. It feels awkward for one session and natural forever after.
10. Shot selection and patience
Shot selection is choosing the right shot for the moment — and patience is the willingness to keep resetting and dinking until the right ball appears, rather than forcing a winner that is not there. It is the skill that ties the other nine together.
Why it matters: the fastest way to improve at pickleball is to stop beating yourself. Beginners lose far more points to unforced errors — going for too much, too soon — than to opponents' brilliance. Choose the high-percentage shot, wait for a ball you can genuinely attack, and let your opponents make the mistakes.
You do not have to win the point on the third ball. You just have to not lose it.
Practise patience by playing "kitchen games" — rally only with dinks and resets, no attacking allowed, and see how long you can keep the ball in play. It rewires your instinct to swing at everything.
None of these ten skills requires special talent — only deliberate, repeated practice and, ideally, someone watching to nudge your technique in the right direction. If you want to fast-track the whole list in a supportive, structured environment, our group coaching sessions are built around exactly these fundamentals, and we run them for players across Melbourne's Bayside — Brighton, Sandringham, Mentone and Cheltenham.
Key takeaways
- Consistency beats power — a reliable serve and deep return win more points than any big shot.
- The soft game — dinks, third-shot drops and resets — is what separates true beginners from improving players.
- Get to the kitchen line and hold it: teams that control the net win most points.
- A ready paddle, a neutral grip and loud communication cost nothing and save free points immediately.
- Patience and shot selection tie it all together — stop forcing winners and let opponents make the errors.
