timed · reviewed drill

Charmin Drill

Repeat baseline drops that land in the kitchen or force the kitchen player to contact upward.

Productive level range:3.0–5.0+, inclusive. This is practice guidance, not an official rating.

Set up

Put a feeder at the kitchen and a dropper at the opposite baseline; keep only one or two balls in play.

Court: One pickleball court; use the named half-court lanes when instructed

Equipment:paddles, pickleballs

Run the drill

  1. Place a feeder at the kitchen and a dropper at the baseline with only one or two balls in play.
  2. Rotate through straight and crosscourt positions, retrieve misses, and switch roles halfway.

Timing: about 10 minutes for the whole block.

Roles and rotation

2 players

  • Player 1: kitchen feeder; sends a neutral ball and catches or blocks each drop
  • Player 2: baseline dropper; works straight and crosscourt drops and retrieves misses

Rotate: Swap feeder and dropper halfway through the block.

Repetitions: Each player receives equal baseline dropping time. Split the working time evenly.

4 players

  • Players 1 and 2: baseline droppers, each working a straight or crosscourt target
  • Players 3 and 4: kitchen feeders, each feeding and judging the drop across from them

Rotate: Baseline and kitchen pairs swap ends halfway through the block.

Repetitions: Two repetitions run together; every player is either dropping or feeding. No added time is required.

Targets and cues

Common failure: Rushing the next contact before the player has recovered position.

Good miss:A purposeful miss made while following the stated target and movement cue.

References and demonstrations

Practice Pickleball's description and instructions are always original and tailored to the audience and purpose of this service.

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