Pickleball drills
Pickleball footwork drills
9 free Pickleball drills for footwork, each with the setup, how it runs, what to coach, and how to make it harder or easier.
9 drills
Fitness & agilityFootworkCourt agility conditioningShort, controlled bursts of the movements pickleball asks for: move up, split-step, shuffle along the kitchen line and turn to go back.20 min · 1–8 players · U14+
Return of serveFootworkDeep return and move to the kitchenLet the serve bounce, lift the return deep and walk forward to the kitchen line before the next ball arrives.12 min · 2–4 players · U8+
Warm-upFootworkDynamic warm-up with paddle and ballA ten-minute moving warm-up for shoulders, wrists, calves and court footwork, finishing with soft dinks and volleys.10 min · 2–8 players · U10+
Doubles playFootworkGetting to the kitchen as a teamDoubles pairs practise the journey from the baseline to the kitchen line after the serve, return and third shot, arriving side by side.15 min · 4–8 players · U12+
Doubles playFootworkMoving as one: the rope drillPartners hold a light rope between them while the coach feeds around the court, so they learn to slide, shift and retreat as one unit.12 min · 2–8 players · U12+
FootworkForehandPaddle grip and ready positionLearn a relaxed handshake grip and an athletic ready stance, then react to gentle tosses from the coach.10 min · 1–12 players · U8+
FootworkSplit step and lateral shuffle at the lineThe player split-steps on every feed and shuffles sideways along the kitchen line to dink, then recovers to the middle.10 min · 2–6 players · U10+
Third shotFootworkThird shot dropFrom the baseline, drop the third shot softly into the kitchen and move up.12 min · 2–4 players · U10+
Resets & blocksFootworkTransition zone resetsMoving up from the baseline in stages, the player split-steps for each feed and resets low balls softly into the kitchen.15 min · 2–4 players · U12+