Top 10 Beginner Pickleball Mistakes

If you’ve discovered how fun pickleball is, you’ll want to know what you can do to get better quickly. To shorten your learning curve as much as possible, here are the top 10 beginner pickleball mistakes to know so you can avoid making them.

1. Missing a serve

Getting your service in is essential to playing pickleball. It can be frustrating to miss a service because that means your team won’t have a chance to get points. While it does take practice, always aim to get your service in before aiming for a “good service”.

2. Moving up as soon as you finish serving

One of the most common beginner pickleball mistakes is moving too quickly before you’re supposed to. There is a common saying that goes “serve and stay” exactly for this situation. Since you have to let the ball bounce twice, make sure that you wait for a service return before moving up. You don’t want your opponents to return the ball to you and then you have to step back for your third shot.

2. Rushing to the kitchen net

Most people who play pickleball understand that you must eventually move up to the kitchen line. However, beginners tend to rush up to the kitchen net without being aware of what shot is being given by their opponent and what their partner is doing.

If your partner makes a third-shot drive, you don’t want to rush up because your opponents may block it back. The counter could end up behind you where you won’t be able to return it or to your feet. You want to move up with your partner when it is “safe” to do so. That means if you or your partner had a good drop into the kitchen where your opponents are forced to let the ball bounce before hitting back.

3. Staying back during the whole game

Just as much as you want to avoid rushing to the kitchen net, you also want to avoid staying at the baseline or at the transition zone. The farther you are from the kitchen line, the harder it is to make good shots that your opponents can’t easily attack.

You’re also giving your opponents more room and angles to put away the ball that you or your partner won’t be able to cover. Aim to move up to the kitchen without rushing to it.

4. Trying to hit winners on every shot

Not every single shot that you take needs to be a winner. You don’t need to have super-strong third-shot drives to put the ball away. Or to make impressive shots down the sidelines. In order to eventually make a winning shot, sometimes that involves setting yourself or your partner up for the right ball.

You don’t want to be impatient and expect to make a winning shot right away. It may take a couple of shots back and forth before your opponents eventually hit an attackable ball.

5. Trying to use too much spin

If you come from another racquet sport where you’re used to using different spins, it may be tempting to use them. But until you have the consistency and experience to use them well, it is better to learn the game. Making simple, high-percentage shots that prolong the point is more important than hitting a low-percentage shot that may end up in the net or out of bounds.

6. Attacking unattackable balls

As a beginner, it may not be so obvious which balls are attackable and which are not. So a common mistake is attacking balls that are too low straight into the net. A general rule for an attackable ball is one with a maximum bounce higher than the net. If the ball’s bounce is lower than your knee, you want to avoid attacking the ball.

7. Hitting too hard

Playing pickleball is a mix of hitting hard and soft. You won’t want to hit every ball as hard as you can, especially without adding topspin to it. If you’re hitting the ball hard every time, you will see that most of them will go out of bounds.

Once you start playing with more intermediate players, most will not have a problem blocking hard shots. Playing good pickleball means being able to have better placement of the ball more so than power. That is why learning how to make soft, unattackable shots such as dinking and dropping are so important.

8. Not moving your feet/Overreaching

One of the worst beginner pickleball mistakes is not moving your feet and overreaching to take shots. You don’t want to overextend yourself and hit a ball beyond your reach. When you overreach, the ball may not end up where you want it to go.

Or worse, you may pull a muscle or something in your body that may hurt you in the long run. It is better to move your feet and take a stable, controlled shot.

9. Not playing as a team

Playing doubles in pickleball is a team effort. You want to be respectful of your partner and make sure that you’re not hogging the ball. If a ball lands in the centerline, it is generally better for the player with the forehand to take the shot.

So if it happens to be your forehand, communicate “mine” or “I got it” to let them know that you’re taking the shot. If it is their forehand, don’t take the shot with your weaker backhand. Unless you’re familiar with your partner and they don’t mind you poaching, make sure you’re not poaching their shots.

10. Taking the game too seriously

As much as playing pickleball can be a source of fun, it can also be a source of frustration. It could be upset with yourself and your progress, with your partner, or anyone else on the court. Remember that playing pickleball is a game. You don’t want to take the game so seriously that you want to win at all costs. Enjoy the sport and make it enjoyable for others by being supportive and having good sportsmanship.

More Pickleball Tips

For more tips on how to be a better pickleball partner, check out the article below.