Set up
Stand in an athletic posture in a clear area and choose a comfortable upward-bounce height below eye level.
Court: Any flat, clear space with enough room for a missed ball
Equipment:paddle, pickleballs
Solo setup: any clear practice space
Run the drill
- Bounce the ball upward on the forehand paddle face, keeping the height consistent.
- Repeat on the backhand face, then alternate faces after every contact.
- Finish with lower bounces while keeping the paddle quiet and the body balanced.
Timing: about 6 minutes for the whole block. Treat the rep totals as targets and move on when the block time expires.
Roles and rotation
1 player
- Player 1: paddle controller, repetition counter, and retriever
Rotate: No rotation; progress from forehand to backhand, alternating, then low bounces.
Repetitions: The player performs every touch and records the longest controlled streak. Use the full block clock without extending it to finish a target.
Targets and cues
- Complete 50 forehand, 50 backhand, 40 alternating, and 30 low controlled bounces.
- Make small face-angle corrections and keep the ball in front rather than chasing it overhead.
Common failure: Raising the bounce after every error until the player is reaching or looking straight up.
Good miss:A low, recoverable miss that follows a quiet paddle-face adjustment.