4 Person Pickleball Drill Kit
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7/11 Game
The Basic Rules
- Starting Positions: One team starts at the Net (kitchen line), while the other starts at the Baseline.
- The Goal: Net team wins at 11, baseline team wins at 7
- The Serve: The team at the net starts every point.
- Serving Flexibility: Any player on the net team can start. No restrictions on serving cross-court or down the line.
Strategic Objectives
- For the Net (Serving) Team: Focus on keeping opponents deep. Volley as much as possible and attack the feet in the transition zone.
- For the Baseline (Receiving) Team: Use third-shot drops and drives to safely move forward. Communicate with your partner on when to advance.
Lob Drills & The Dinking Game
Basic Mechanics
- The Bounce Lob: During a dink, lift the ball high over the opponent after it bounces.
- The Volley Lob: Take the ball out of the air and immediately lift it to surprise the opponent.
- Disguise: Keep your motion identical to a standard dink until the last moment.
The "Dinking Game" Rules
- Boundary Rules: The Kitchen line acts as the baseline. Any ball bouncing past it is "out."
- Goal: Players must dink back and forth, looking for the perfect moment to hit an offensive lob.
- Winning: A successful lob over the opponent's head landing deep in the court wins the point.
- Scoring: Standard rules apply, but each player only gets one serve.
Expert Tips
- Target: Aim high over the backhand shoulder.
- Depth: Ensure the lob is unreachable to prevent an overhead smash.
- Vulnerability: Watch for opponents leaning too far forward.
Team Drills: Dinkle, Poaching & Speed
The "Dinkle" Game
- Setup: Two balls are used simultaneously. Each pair dinks cross-court.
- The Call: When someone misses, shout "Dinkle!".
- The Rally: Play out the remaining ball as a standard point.
- Scoring: 1 pt for the dink phase, 1 pt for winning the rally.
The Poaching Drill
- Setup: Two players start at the baseline and two at the net.
- Action: One baseline player hits a third-shot drop. Net players return it to that same player.
- The Poach: The second baseline player (the one who didn't hit the drop) looks to "poach" on the fifth shot.
- Timing: Jump as late as possible—once you go, commit 100%.
- Key Tip: Don't "put on your turn signal" by moving too early. Hover at mid-court and jump on the ball as late as possible. If you commit, go 100%.
Hand Speed & Coordination
- Figure-Eight Volleys: Two players stand at the kitchen line. One player hits everything cross-court while the other hits everything down-the-line. This creates a continuous figure-eight pattern that forces quick reactions.
- The "Catch" Drill: Practice catching balls out of the air to improve reaction speed.