That stat comes from Kyle “That Pickleball Guy” Koszuta. And while we can’t verify its accuracy 100%, it does make sense anecdotally. Extended rallies are the exception in most rec play, not the rule.
So it tracks that a good place to start during a drill session would be to focus on those first five shots, yes? Kyle joined Cam Luhring on court to talk through his five favorite drills to do just that.
1️⃣ Back Third Serves. Place a piece of tape or a cone to mark the back third of the court, or five feet up off the baseline. Now serve 10 times and see how many you land in that zone.
2️⃣ Back Third Returns. Same as above, except now you’re on the receiving end. Depth is the name of the game. Prioritize placement over speed.
3️⃣ Third Shot Combo. Serve to your drilling partner 10 times, playing each point only to the fifth shot. The goal here is to make your thirds. Drive or drop, it doesn’t matter. This is all about training yourself to minimize unforced errors.
4️⃣ Fourth Shot Pressure. Again, same as above but now you’re on the receiving end. Hit your fourth shot back hard or at an angle. Anything but a defensive block or weak drop that is easily attackable.
5️⃣ Skinny Singles. Now put it all together and play each point out. Play to 7, rally scoring. But keep the same person serving every point to really drill the consistency of the serve, third, and fifth shots. Once that game is over, repeat but switch servers.
These drills build on each other, so do all five in order and you’ll be finding yourself in longer game rallies in no time.
