12 Pickleball Drills to Improve Every Part of Your Game | Dinking, Transition, Defense & More

Main Points

• Warm up properly with structured dink drills that emphasize footwork, balance, and taking balls out of the air
• Build patience and consistency at the kitchen line with competitive dink games from all court positions
• Improve volley control and hand speed with compact, controlled volley drills
• Learn how to initiate attacks and train counters during hands battles
• Master transition play with reset-focused drills like “3 and Go”
• Develop stronger transition drives and controlled attacks on short balls
• Improve third-shot drops and decision-making from the baseline
• Combine drives and drops to stabilize before moving forward
• Strengthen serves and short counters with the serve counter drill
• Practice overheads and defensive skills in live, playable scenarios
• Improve lob defense, recovery, and court awareness
• Finish training sessions with skinny singles to reinforce fundamentals under pressure

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Summary

This video walks through a complete set of 12 pickleball drills designed to improve every major area of your game. The focus is on practical, on-court training that players can immediately apply, whether they are working on consistency, aggression, or decision-making. Each drill builds on real match situations and emphasizes good habits rather than low-percentage shots.

Early drills center on dinking fundamentals, including warm-ups and patience-based games that reinforce footwork, balance, and controlled pressure at the kitchen line. These drills highlight the importance of creating space, taking balls out of the air when possible, and resisting unnecessary speed-ups. Volley control and hand-speed drills follow, helping players develop compact strokes and better readiness during fast exchanges.

The middle portion of the video focuses heavily on transition play, one of the most challenging areas for many players. Drills like “3 and Go,” transition attacks, drive-and-drop sequences, and baseline drop repetitions train players to move forward with stability and intent. Emphasis is placed on keeping shots low, using margin, and choosing the right moment to advance to the net.

Later drills shift to serve pressure, overheads, lob retrieval, and defensive recovery. These exercises help players handle high balls, track lobs effectively, and stay composed when defending against aggressive opponents. The session finishes with skinny singles, reinforcing footwork, shot selection, and fundamentals under fatigue, making it an ideal way to end any drilling session.

Overall, this video provides a structured, well-rounded practice plan that helps pickleball players sharpen technique, improve consistency, and make better decisions during real games.

Source: Briones Pickleball Academy | YouTube

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Tags: Briones Pickleball | Defense | Drill | Drive | Drop Shot | Hands Battle | Lob | Overhead Shot | Reset Shot | Serve Return | volley