timed · reviewed drill

Three-Target Serve

Groove one service motion while learning three landing zones, then add an occasional body serve.

Productive level range:2.5–5.0+, inclusive. This is practice guidance, not an official rating.

Set up

Place cones in the deep middle, near the centerline T, and deep wide area of each service box; give each server a ball supply.

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

Equipment:paddles, pickleballs, cones

Solo setup: pickleball court

Run the drill

  1. Place targets at middle, T, and wide; begin with five minutes on the high-margin middle target.
  2. Add T, then wide and body serves without changing the serving routine or disguising the intended target.

Timing: about 10 minutes for the whole block.

Roles and rotation

1 player

  • Player 1: server; calls the cone, serves the full sequence, then retrieves balls

Rotate: No rotation; change court side halfway through.

Repetitions: One player receives every contact. Use the full block clock.

4 players

  • Players 1 and 2: serve simultaneously from the two service boxes on one baseline
  • Players 3 and 4: serve from the opposite baseline after the first pair clears

Rotate: Alternate serving pairs after each target round; change service boxes halfway.

Repetitions: Every player keeps an individual target count and receives an equal serving turn. 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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