Prefer to watch the video on this topic instead of reading it? Here’s the link to the YouTube video version.

What’s up! Glad you could make it here. I’m assuming you’re a beginner?

And if you are, I’m going to introduce you to the seven shots all pickleball beginners need to know! So grab your paddles, put on your game face, and let's get started.

1. The Serve: Setting the Stage

The serve is where the game begins. Remember to serve diagonally to the opposite court, as it's a rule in pickleball.

Additionally, make sure your serves are landing beyond the kitchen. If the ball hits the kitchen line or lands inside the kitchen line, it’s a fault.

The key factors to mastering the serve are to focus on accuracy and depth to put your opponents on the defensive right from the start.

If you want a more in-depth video on how to serve better, I made one just for you!

2. The Return: A Touch of Finesse to Rule the Court

Picture this: you return the ball with finesse, sending your opponent into a spin of despair. 

A bit dramatic? Yeah maybe :) 

The big idea is to make their third shot challenging to hit. So how do you make that happen?

By hitting your return deep! The farther away from the net you keep your opponent, the greater they’ll struggle. 

Give that a shot next time you head out to play.

3. The Drive: Unleash Your Inner Pickleball Beast

Prepare to tap into your hidden pickleball power with the drive. But wait, there's an art to it. The actual pickleball isn't like your average tennis ball—it's more like a wiffleball. Which means, the ball doesn’t bounce that high! That’s a big difference from tennis.

To master this shot, you have to get low so you can hit it with power and accuracy.

One thing I picked up from my friend James Ignatowich, a global top player, is his advice to "Stay down when you go for your shot." Let's now explore the four key points to keep in mind while executing a drive.

1. Start down 
2. Stay down 
3. Closed stance 
4. Finish

Keep this in mind while playing and your drive will be hard to handle.

4. The Drop Shot: A Touch of Finesse to Rule the Court

Ah, the graceful 3rd shot drop — one of the more difficult shots in pickleball. Now, beware of the common mistake of swinging too hard. It happens a lot! But remember, this isn’t tennis. It’s pickleball. Speaking of multiple sports. 

Let's borrow a trick from the cornhole game—less wrist, more of a gentle push. And remember, aim for the kitchen area. If you do this, you’ll become a more dangerous player on the court your teammates love to play with and your opponents hate to play against. 

If you want a more in depth video on how to hit a 3rd shot drop, go here.

5. The Dink: The Slow and Steady Path to Victory

There's beauty in slowing the game down.

Embrace the dink, a soft shot you’ll hit while close to the net. If you’re coming from tennis, this one’s going to take some time to learn. But don’t worry. You’ll get there.

Master the art of controlled shots around the net and you’ll become a dangerous thread to your future opponents. 

One thing to watch out for. Most avoid dinking early on. They think, “Why would I ever use that?” Trust me. If you want to improve faster than your friends, embrace the dink.

 And if you want to learn more about how to hit a consistent backhand dink, go here.

6. ATP (Around the Post): The Shot Of Legends

Occasionally, your opponent will dink the ball wide enough that the smartest shot you can hit is well…

The "around the post" shot. Also known as, The ATP.

Like this: 

Some wonder, “is that legal?” I can assure you. It is. So let’s use this to our advantage, shall we? 

When a ball ends up, going a bit wide, past the sidelines of the court, you’re more than likely to have the chance to hit the shot. And if you do, you’ll automatically become a certified legend. Ha! 

Even your opponents will be wide-eyed and open-mouthed. After hitting this sick shot, I guarantee you’ll be the talk of the pickleball court.

If you want to learn the technique pros use to hit more Around The Post shots, go here!

7. The Erne: A Sneaky Shot For Pickleball Victories

In pickleball, the Erne is a striking position where you run around or jump through the kitchen to catch your opponent off guard and hit the ball.

How exactly do you catch your opponent off guard? 

Well, one common trigger you can use to know when it’s a good time to Erne is to watch when your opponent is off balance, and their head is down.

Kind of like this:

This is when you can capitalize on their mistake and go for the Erne. 

Quick tip** If you ever get caught off-balance with your head down, try to hit the ball to the middle area of the kitchen line.

Bonus: The Lob

Just because I love making these blogs for you so much. I’ll throw out a bonus shot. 

Which is called “the lob”, which is pretty self-explanatory. But the best way to actually perform the lob is to do it while you’re around the kitchen area. Opposed to being for the back on the court, because there’s a bit of psychology going on here. 

When you and your opponents are hitting the ball back and forth to each other, they’re more than likely expecting you to either dink or speed up the ball.

What they least expect, is for you to knock it wayyy over their head. So now they have to break their balance and run to the back of the court in order to save the ball. 

So this is a great shot to catch your opponent completely off guard when you’re in close quarters.

Conclusion:

Congrats! You’ve unlocked the knowledge of 7 of the most common shots in pickleball.

Embrace their power and watch as your game reaches new heights. 

Remember, the court is your canvas, and the shots are your brushstrokes. 

So, go forth with confidence, unleash your pickleball powers, and let the games begin! May the pickleball gods be ever in your favor!

OO, and if you want a masterclass on how to Erne and know all the BEST moments to catch your opponents off guard.

You can tap right here for a quick video on how you can master the Erne.

Until next time!