Warming Up

As with every sport, it is important to warm up before playing pickleball. Stretching is always good to get the muscles going and prevent injury. Equally important is warming up hitting the ball. Here is a good basic warmup before playing.

Dinking

Dinking should be one of the shots done most during the game. That is why it is so important to practice this plenty while warming up. Get a feel for the ball, wind, sun, etc. Use these hits to get into the groove of dinking. Pro Ben Johns says dinking should feel as comfortable as a Sunday evening at home. Dink straight ahead with your partner moving the ball around left, right, by the kitchen line. If available, also work on cross court dinks, both forehand and backhand.

Drops

Similar to dinking, it is important to get a feel for the ball and elements before starting. The third drop is a long, yet soft shot that can be greatly affected by wind. Also, every ball is different, so you need to adjust for how much it pops off your paddle. This will give you some muscle memory for how hard to hit during the game. Warming up drops can be done by having one partner at the baseline and one at the kitchen. The one at the baseline tries to drop all their shots into the kitchen while the partner returns it to the baseline.

If you want to add some movement, do the Slinky Drop Drill. One player starts at the baseline and the other at the kitchen. The player at the baseline hits drops while moving toward the kitchen. Do 3 hits. Once they reach the kitchen, the other player starts moving back, hitting 3 drops until they reach the baseline. Then they start moving in again. Play goes back and forth, warming up the feet and working on drops not only from the baseline, but throughout the court.

Serving

You can't win a game without serves. Hit a few serves back and forth with your partner before starting the game. The worst thing to do is miss the first serve of the game. Get the bad ones out before play starts.

Warming up is a crucial part of the game. There are some who like to warm up while playing, but this can lead to poor play and injury.