Beginner training plan
Your first lessonBeginner Player Plan (First 10 Lessons)
Objective: Build fundamental skills, develop hand-eye coordination, and understand the rules.
Lesson 1: Introduction to Pickleball
• Warm-Up (10 min): Dynamic stretches and light footwork drills.
• Basics (20 min):
• Grip techniques: Eastern grip and paddle control.
• Court layout and rules: Explain scoring, boundaries, and faults.
• Drills (15 min):
• Tossing and catching balls to develop hand-eye coordination.
• Shadow swings (no ball) for forehand/backhand strokes.
• Game Play (15 min): Practice rallying over the net.
Lesson 2-3Lesson 2: Serves and Returns
• Warm-Up (10 min): Shadow strokes focusing on serve motions.
• Drills (25 min):
• Basic serve technique: underhand motion, aiming for the service box.
• Return drills: Drop feeds to practice returning to the middle of the court.
• Game Play (25 min): Short serving and returning games to practice skills.
• Coaching Tip: Encourage consistency over power. Focus on foot placement.
Lesson 3: Dinking Fundamentals
• Warm-Up (10 min): Soft toss drills at the kitchen line.
• Basics (15 min): Explain the purpose of dinking. Demonstrate the proper technique.
• Drills (20 min):
• Crosscourt dinking drills with focus on control.
• Partner drills: Keep the ball in play for as long as possible.
• Game Play (15 min): Kitchen-line rally games.
Lesson 4-10Lesson 4-5: Groundstrokes and Footwork
• Groundstrokes (Lesson 4):
• Forehand/backhand technique. Drills: Rally with a partner, alternating strokes.
• Footwork drills: Side-stepping along the baseline while maintaining paddle control.
• Footwork and Positioning (Lesson 5):
• Movement drills: Transitioning from baseline to net.
• Court awareness: Partner positioning for doubles.
Lessons 6-10: Combine and Reinforce
• Practice serves, dinks, and volleys with situational games.
• Introduce simple doubles strategies.
• Gradually increase game intensity while reinforcing fundamentals.
