In the world Of Pickleball, consistency and integrity go a long way and easily supersede any form of raw skillset.
In fact, if you want to survive longer in the court than your opponent, the only way to counter their grit and brawn is through building better and more robust forms of reflexes which can only be attained when you are practicing alone in the court.
While some individuals might feel that practicing alone is a boring and hopeless endeavor, if you want professional advice then I would suggest that you stick to those lonely drills to become better at these sports since that’s where you will build focus and stamina.
In fact, I am going to teach you How to practice pickleball alone so you can overcome any challenge on the court easily.
Practicing Alone in a Pickleball Drill
Practicing alone feels like a whole different universe, it’s challenging and requires sheer focus, here is how you can do it.
Hydration phase
It’s obvious that whenever you are stepping into the court, you need to ensure your body maintains hydration levels at all costs because nobody is going to lend a helping hand or share their water bottles with you in the court, in other words, you have to abide by the logic “every man for themselves” and watch your own back.
Since practicing drills are meant to improve your core muscles and build reflexes, make sure you drink as much water as you can to lower the chances of injury from wear and tear after a tedious session.
Footwork Drill phase
Most of the points you would lose in a pickleball session are due to poor footwork or maneuvering skills because it’s not just about how you move around the court but how you make your way from point A to Point B effectively without spending much energy while taking a few quick paces.
So make sure you spend at least half an hour simply going back and forth and performing swift movement while balancing a pickleball on your paddle, this will improve your calve muscles since it is also an amazing source of a quick cardio routine.
Shot Variation Practice
The more time you spend on polishing your techniques the higher the chances of scoring a point. While working on your basic skills is always a commendable attribute in the sport, you must also flatten the learning curve by learning new forms of shot variations such as,
- Overhead Shots
- Volleying
- Dinking
- Underhand Serves & Counters
The silver lining of spending time alone in the court also allows you to focus and practice as much as you desire. In fact, the more you make mistakes the more you will become proficient in your skillset because you won’t feel judged or criticized.
Try building a Pickleball practice wall and use it for volleying drills so you can improve your reflexes to a great extent.
Drop Feet Practice Sessions
This one is considered by far one of the most strenuous exercises in Pickleball as it will bring the best out of you, however, the fruits it reaps in the long run are truly well worth the effort.
Simply stand at the back of the baseline while dropping the ball in the air and hitting it with your Paddle. Try performing this action at least a dozen times and make sure you hit your target across the court, this drill will help you improve your shot trajectory and accuracy which is undoubtedly one of the most pivotal traits for a Pickleball player.
Advanced Shot Variation
Lastly, make sure you practice performing serves with topspin, backspin, slice as well and groundstrokes, and try to achieve as much spin as possible. Additionally, you could also try out multiple varieties of paddles in order to test out which one suits your playstyle and execution the most.
On the flip side, you can also record yourself with a smartphone camera so that you can review your shots later for comparison purposes.
Recording yourself will provide greater insight into how you should improve and rectify your mistakes since you can watch yourself from a third-person perspective.
Related info: Can You Play Pickleball on Grass? And How?
How To Make A Pickleball Practice Wall?
Building your own pickleball wall is by far one of the most effective ways to improve your skillset in the long run, here is how you could do it yourself.
Gathering the tools
The first and foremost thing you need to do is gather these set of tools such as,
- 4 Feet Wide & 10 Feet tall Oriented Strand Board
- Nails
- Drill
- Bubble Level
Building Your Own DIY Pickleball Wall
- Once you have gathered all the equipment, it is time for you to build your own DIY Pickleball wall, make sure you find ample space located at a place where the sun won’t shine right on your face whenever you are practicing.
- Now find a wall where you could drill holes and attach the Plywood or the Oriented Strand board onto it, it doesn’t matter whether it’s indoors or outdoors, all that matters is the size of the board that fits on your wall.
- Now attach the board using nails and make sure it’s held up tight, you can use the bubble level to determine whether or not it has any inclination.
- Additionally, you could draw lines or paint multiple spots for target practice when volleying on your pickleball wall.
- That’s about it, try different variations and techniques to test out its feedback when the ball hits the surface of your newly made pickleball wall.
Additionally, you could make adjustments by integrating a Kitchen Zone as well as adding a Pickleball equipment holder, so you could start practicing right away.
For a more immersive experience, you could also paint the floor with temporary lines to determine zones, so you could easily maneuver from one place to another similar to a real court.
And That’s A Wrap
For whatever reason it might be, if you are left alone in a pickleball drill without a partner, chin up and apply the methods I have mentioned above and you will easily mold yourself into the best version of yourself.
Make sure that you don’t skip any of my tips and strategies mentioned in the guide “How to practice pickleball alone” especially if you are in your early phase of getting into this sport.
Good Luck 🤞.
