If you are looking for the best Pickleball Drills we have some focusing on footwork here! Moving your feet correctly is not only important to reach the ball effectively but avoiding accidents too. If you are looking to improve your game it is vital that you understand where your feet should move together and practicing on the court is how you will improve.
You can do many of these by yourself but it is always more fun if you have a partner or a few. There are diagrams on our free PDF pickleball printable to reference as well as instructions for all 10 drills that will help you improve your footwork on the court.
Pickleball Footwork You Need
1 – Split step reaction drill is where you stand in ready position with knees slightly bent. Have a partner stand across the net or point left, right, forward, or backward. As your partner begins the motion or calls a direction, perform a small hop called a split step. Land on the balls of your feet with feet shoulder width apart. Immediately push off toward the indicated direction. Return to center and repeat.
2 – Side to side shuffle is just what it says. To move from side to side you should NOT cross your feet and/or legs or you will trip yourself at some point, and you won’t move as fast either. You should start with as the basics on the court where you move from left to right on the kitchen line, and then again on the base line. Slide your right foot to the right followed by your left foot as you move, with your legs slightly bent to stay steady.
3 – Kitchen to baseline transition drill is when you start at the non volley zone (kitchen line). Backpedal quickly to the baseline. Plant your feet and simulate a groundstroke. Move forward using small shuffle steps back to the kitchen line. Simulate a volley or dink. Repeat.
4 – Crossover recovery pickleball drill is where you sart in the middle of the court. Have a partner feed balls wide to either sideline. Use a crossover step (one leg crossing over the other) to reach the ball quickly. Hit the shot. Recover back to center using shuffle steps. Repeat to both forehand and backhand sides.
5 – 4 corner cone drill is when you place four cones in : Right kitchen corner, Left kitchen corner, Right baseline corner and the Left baseline corner. Start in the center of the court. Move to each cone and return to center before moving to the next cone. Use appropriate footwork such as working on a controlled backpedal when moving backward, shuffle for side movement, sprinting forward and a crossover for longer distances.
Pickleball Footwork Drills PDF
If you like to have something in hand to refer to when you are on the court, I get it. I am someone like that too so I made a free PDF footwork printable for you here. Bring it to the court so you and the ones you are practicing with can see a picture and explanations of each one.
Once you feel more confident practice with people of your same level and focus on one for each game. Then find more people to rotate partners and continue to remember the correct way to move around the court. You can use our free pickleball round robin printable to integrate more people to play because more time on the court will improve your game too.
