DRILL BABY DRILL, Part 2

Earlier, Pickleball News posted an article on drilling (https://pictona.org/news-information/2020-09-25/drill-baby-drill/). This article discussed the importance of drilling. As an update, I want to share a few specific drills from some of the Pictona pros.

Sylvia Whitehouse recommends drilling by playing 2 against 1. The lone player starts in “no man’s land” or about halfway between the baseline and the No Volley Zone. The other two players stand at the No Volley Zone, and one of them hits the ball to the lone player. This rally is played out, with the solo player trying to make it to the NVZ and the paired players attempting to keep the long player back. (https://primetimepickleball.com/no-mans-land-drill)

Sylvia also likes drills whereby you practice resetting the ball when it is driven right at you, aka transitional block volleys. This drill works great using a ball machine, but can also work well with one person hitting the ball hard from the baseline or from “no man’s land” and the other person at the NVZ blocking the shot. Be sure to bring a container full of many balls for this drill.

One of Mike Pascale’s favorite drills is called " Kitchen Sink " This drill works best with 2 players, playing skinny singles (half the court used - 10 feet wide instead of the standard 20 feet).

Both players are on opposite sides of the court, and at the no volley zone line. The players start by dinking back and forth.  Player 1 stays at the kitchen line the entire time while player 2 slowly moves back a step, after each successful dink into the kitchen. When player 2 reaches the base line, the drill is complete.  Then the players switch places. This drill is essential in helping to develop a consistent 3rd shot drop.  See https://www.cjjohnsonglobal.com/third-shot-drop.

Scott Siewert’s favorite drill is "The Jerry,” primarily a groundstroke drill. The rule for The Jerry is that every ball must bounce. This drill can be done with 2, 3, or 4 players, and it begins with one player hitting a ball that bounces to an opponent. The rally plays out until a fault occurs, but a volley in this drill is also considered to be a fault. See https://applecountrypickleball.blogspot.com/2018/03/the-jerry-drill.htm