Pickleball Coaching

Pickleball Coaching

Coaching the Clock: Managing time so every part of the session matters

Time management is a coaching skill, not just a logistical one. Players might not remember every drill you ran, but they always remember how a session felt. When pacing is off, even strong content can feel rushed, disjointed, or unfinished. Well-managed time creates rhythm. It allows learning to build naturally and gives each part of the session the space it deserves.

Pickleball Coaching

The Art of the Reset Mid-Session: Restoring focus when a session drifts

Even the best-planned sessions can lose clarity. Energy drops. Players start going through the motions. The drill keeps running, but learning slows down. In those moments, the instinct is often to explain more or add another layer. Most of the time, that just creates noise.

What the session really needs is a reset. A short, intentional pause that restores focus, sharpens the objective, and puts the session back on track.

Pickleball Coaching

How to Level Up from 4.0 to 4.5: Refine your patterns, sharpen your reads, and control the court

At 4.0, you’ve already got a strong foundation—solid technique, smart tactics, and reliable teamwork. But moving to 4.5 means stepping into a higher gear. This is where pickleball becomes more physical, more mental, and much more detail-oriented. Every decision counts. Every ball matters. You’re no longer just playing well—you’re expected to be clean, sharp, and efficient.

Pickleball Coaching

Set the Lesson Tone: First impressions Matter More Than You Think

Whether you’re running a beginner clinic or working with advanced players, the tone you set at the start of a lesson shapes the entire experience. Before you even feed the first ball, players are forming opinions: Is this coach prepared? Do they take this seriously? Am I in good hands?

One of the easiest and most effective ways to set a professional tone is by arriving early and showing up looking like a coach. These small habits build trust and create a strong foundation for learning.

Pickleball Coaching

Keep It Game-Like, Coach! The Importance of Training Players Through Play

In pickleball coaching, one of the most effective ways to help players improve isn’t a complicated drill or a long explanation—it’s simply to make practice look and feel more like the real game. When your drills reflect the actual situations players face in matches, their learning sticks, their decisions improve, and their skills transfer more easily.

Pickleball Coaching

How to Give Effective Feedback: Coaching That Drives Improvement

Providing effective feedback is one of the most important skills a pickleball coach can develop. The way you deliver feedback can make the difference between a player feeling motivated to improve or becoming frustrated and discouraged. One of the best ways to ensure that your feedback is clear, constructive, and encouraging is by using the "What, Why, How" feedback method.

Pickleball Coaching

Starting with the Fundamentals: The Big Five

No matter your skill level, mastering the fundamentals is key to improving your pickleball game. Too often, players jump ahead to advanced strategies without first developing a solid foundation. By focusing on the Big Five—Grip, Setup, Impact Point, Sensation, and Recovery—you’ll build consistency, control, and confidence on the court. Let’s break them down.

Pickleball Coaching

Coaching a Game of Movement: Throw and Catch Drills

If we’ve said it once, we’ve said it a million times: pickleball is a game of movement. You can have the nicest swing in the world but if you can’t get to the ball, you can’t use it. That’s why pickleball coaches should get their players – especially those who maybe don’t have an extensive ball sport background – to work on their catching skills. Here’s are three examples of catching-related drills that will help your players improve: