The best pickleball drills for 2 players are cross-court dinking, volley-to-volley exchanges, blocking speed-ups, serve and return targets, transition and reset work from midcourt, and a scored game like skinny singles. Two people can drill almost every doubles shot, because so many doubles exchanges, like cross-court dinks and resets, are played between two people on one diagonal. Pick three or four drills per session, set a target number for each, and finish with a game.

Below are ten partner drills grouped by skill, each with a setup, how to run it, a target and a harder version, plus 30, 45 and 60 minute practice plans you can screenshot or print.

Best pickleball drills for 2 players at a glance

#	Drill	Skill	Target	Make it harder
1	Cross-court dinks	Dinking	20 in a row	Backhands only
2	Straight-on and figure-eight dinks	Dinking, footwork	15 in a row	Feeder moves you side to side
3	Volley-to-volley	Hand speed	25 in a row	Both step back to midcourt
4	Block the speed-up	Defense at the net	7 of 10 blocks in the kitchen	Speed-up without warning
5	Serve to targets	Serve	8 of 10 in the deep third	Smaller target, called corner
6	Return and close	Return, footwork	At the line in time, 8 of 10	Third ball at your feet
7	Transition climb	Transition zone	Reach the line in 5 shots or fewer	Feeder mixes in firm balls
8	Midcourt resets	Resets	6 of 10 unattackable	Feeder hits anywhere
9	Skinny singles	Competitive	Game to 11	Official mini-singles
10	Kitchen points game	Competitive dinking	Game to 11	Cross-court only until a speed-up

The targets are practice benchmarks, not official standards. If you can't get near one, stay on that drill. If you hit it twice in a row, switch to the harder version.

Pickleball dinking drills

Dinking is the easiest doubles skill to drill with two people, because you're both standing at the kitchen line. The kitchen (the non-volley zone) extends 7 feet from the net on each side (Rule 3.A.4.c in the USA Pickleball Official Rulebook), and every dink here should land inside it. If a term is new to you, our pickleball terms glossary has short definitions.

Drill 1: Cross-court dinks

Setup. Both players at the kitchen line on the same diagonal.

How to run it. Dink cross-court, low over the net and inside the kitchen, counting out loud. Switch diagonals after three minutes.

Target. 20 in a row without a pop-up or a ball landing outside the kitchen.

Make it harder. Backhands only. Then aim every dink at your partner's outside foot, which is one of USA Pickleball's Level 3 tips: dink cross-court to the outside foot and mix in middle dinks.

Drill 2: Straight-on and figure-eight dinks

Setup. Face each other straight across the net at the kitchen line.

How to run it. Dink straight ahead for two minutes. Then one player always dinks cross-court while the other always dinks straight, so you both shuffle along the line. Swap roles after two minutes.

Target. 15 in a row in the figure-eight pattern.

Make it harder. The cross-court player chooses wide, middle or body on each ball, so the other can't settle into a rhythm.

2 person pickleball drills for volleys and hand speed

Drill 3: Volley-to-volley

Setup. Both players just behind the kitchen line.

How to run it. Hit soft volleys back and forth with no bounce, paddle up and out front, short punches instead of swings. You can't volley while touching the kitchen, or let your momentum carry you into it afterward (Rule 11.A), so keep your feet back.

Target. 25 in a row.

Make it harder. Both step back to midcourt, or raise the pace a little every five hits until someone misses.

Drill 4: Block the speed-up

Setup. Both at the kitchen line. Player A dinks with B, and every few dinks A speeds the ball up at B's body or shoulder.

How to run it. B keeps a soft, steady paddle and blocks the ball back into the kitchen instead of swinging. USA Pickleball's Level 4 guidance suggests the same pattern: block, reset, reposition. Switch after ten speed-ups.

Target. 7 of 10 blocks land in the kitchen.

Make it harder. A speeds up without warning and varies the target: body, backhand hip, forehand shoulder.

Serve and return target drills

Drill 5: Serve to targets

Setup. Put a towel or cones in the deep third of the service court. Your partner stands behind it to collect balls.

How to run it. Ten serves from each side. Our guide on how to serve in pickleball for beginners covers the legal motion and technique; this drill is only about where the ball lands.

Target. 8 of 10 in the deep third.

Make it harder. Shrink the target and call a corner before each serve.

Drill 6: Return and close

Setup. A serves. B returns deep and moves to the kitchen line.

How to run it. The serve and the return each have to bounce (the two-bounce rule, Rule 10.A), so A lets the return bounce and hits a gentle third ball. B wants to be at the line, split-stepped, before A makes contact.

Target. B is set in time on 8 of 10 points.

Make it harder. A hits the third ball at B's feet. B learns quickly that a deep, slower return buys more time than a hard, short one.

Transition zone drills

The transition zone is the middle of the court between the baseline and the kitchen, and it's where many points are lost to a ball hit up while moving forward. For getting in behind a drop, use the partner drills in our third shot drop drills post (feed and drop, drop and step, drop or drive). The drill below starts once you're already moving through the middle.

Drill 7: Transition climb

Setup. A at the kitchen line with a few balls. B at the baseline.

How to run it. A feeds low balls at B's feet. B hits each softly into A's kitchen, takes two or three steps forward and split-steps before A's next contact. Keep going until B reaches the line, then swap.

Target. Reach the kitchen line in five shots or fewer without a pop-up.

Make it harder. A mixes in a firm ball or a lob. B has to handle it and only move forward after a good shot.

Pickleball reset drills

Drill 8: Midcourt resets

Setup. A at the kitchen line. B at midcourt, about halfway to the baseline.

How to run it. A volleys or drives firm balls at B. B takes the pace off and resets the ball into A's kitchen so it comes back low, then A restarts.

Target. 6 of 10 resets land in the kitchen at a height A can't attack.

Make it harder. A sends balls anywhere, including wide and at the hip, and B can't step forward until a reset is good.

Pickleball skinny singles and points games

Drills build skills; games show whether they hold up when someone is trying to beat you. Finish every session with one.

Drill 9: Skinny singles

Setup. Each player uses half the court. The common house version is cross-court: both play the same diagonal, so every ball goes cross-court, like a dink rally stretched to the baseline.

How to run it. A normal game to 11 with the usual serve, two-bounce and kitchen rules. Switch diagonals at 6.

Target. Win, and count how many points you gave away into the net or out.

Make it harder. Play the official version, which the rulebook calls mini-singles (Rule 14.B). Each player's own score picks their half, the centerline acts as a sideline, and every shot must land in the opponent's in-play half. Our pickleball singles rules post explains both versions.

Drill 10: Kitchen points game

Setup. Both at the kitchen line on one diagonal.

How to run it. Start each point with a dink feed and play it out. A ball that lands outside the kitchen without being volleyed loses the point. Use rally scoring to 11 so every rally counts.

Target. Win on both diagonals.

Make it harder. Only cross-court dinks until someone speeds up, which forces you to pick the right ball to attack.

To check whether drilling carries over, record skinny singles and practice games in Pickleball Plus Games. It keeps score on your phone or Apple Watch, singles or doubles, side-out or rally, and every confirmed game moves your rating on a 2.00 to 8.00 scale. It's a scorekeeper and a rating, not a drill library, but that's enough to see whether practice is turning into wins.

Pickleball drills for 2 players PDF: printable practice plans

No download needed. Screenshot or print this and take it to the court.

Block	30 minutes	45 minutes	60 minutes
Warm-up	Drill 1 (5 min)	Drill 1 (5 min)	Drills 1 and 2 (8 min)
Hands	Drill 3 (5 min)	Drill 3 (8 min)	Drill 3 (8 min)
Defense	Drill 4 (8 min)	Drill 4 (8 min)	Drill 4 (8 min)
Serve and return	None	None	Drills 5 and 6 (14 min)
Middle of the court	None	Drill 7 or 8 (8 min)	Drills 7 and 8 (10 min)
Game	Drill 10 (12 min)	Drill 9 (16 min)	Drill 9 (12 min)

Swap roles halfway through each fed drill so both players get equal reps, and write down your best streak or success rate so you can compare next week. If your partner cancels, our guide to how to practice pickleball alone covers wall drills and solo serve practice.

Pickleball drills for beginners

In your first few weeks, stick with Drill 1, Drill 3 and Drill 5, and count streaks instead of going for winners. Serves matter early because a missed serve gives the point away before the rally starts. Skip the speed-up and reset drills until you can dink 10 in a row. Habits to build now: stay behind the kitchen line when you volley, keep your paddle up between shots, and split-step as your partner hits.

Pickleball drills for 3.0 players

USA Pickleball's Level 3 description says a 3.0 can sustain a basic dink rally with limited control and hits medium-pace volleys with inconsistent direction. So prioritize Drills 1, 2 and 3 for control, then 6 and 7 to get to the net more reliably. Our explainer on what a 3.0 pickleball player is covers the step up to 3.5, which for most players means the drop, steadier dinks and fewer pop-ups.

Pickleball drills for intermediate players

Around 3.5 to 4.0, the gap is about handling pace and choosing the right ball. USA Pickleball's Level 4 guidance describes 4.0 players as beginning to execute resets and learning to recognize attackable dinks. Spend most of your time on Drills 4, 7 and 8 in their harder versions, and finish with Drill 10 under the cross-court rule. For how these skills fit doubles patterns, see our pickleball strategy guide.

Find a drilling partner with Pickleball Plus

The hard part of two-player drills is finding someone who wants to drill instead of just playing games. Pickleball Plus has player search and local groups with group chat and scheduled play, so you can post a drill time and see who's in, and our guide to finding pickleball players near you has more ideas. Download Pickleball Plus to find a partner and record your practice games.

FAQ

What are the best pickleball drills for 2 players?

Cross-court dinks, volley-to-volley, blocking speed-ups, serve and return targets and midcourt resets cover nearly every doubles skill. Finish with a scored game such as skinny singles. Pick three or four drills per session rather than all of them.

How do you play skinny singles in pickleball?

Each player uses half the court. Many groups play cross-court on one diagonal and switch partway through. The official version, mini-singles (Rule 14.B), uses each player's own score to pick their half and extends the centerline through the kitchen.

How long should a 2 person drill session be?

Thirty minutes covers dinks, volleys and one game. Forty-five to sixty minutes adds serves, returns, transition and resets. Swap roles halfway through each drill.

What are good pickleball dinking drills for 2 people?

Cross-court dinks on both diagonals, then straight-on dinks and the figure-eight, where one player hits cross-court and the other straight. Aim for 20 in a row, then play a kitchen points game so dinking happens under pressure.

What pickleball drills should beginners do with a partner?

Cross-court dinks, volley-to-volley and serve targets. They're easy to run, build control and give you a number to beat each week. Leave speed-ups and resets for later.

Can you practice pickleball with only 2 people?

Yes. Two players can drill dinks, volleys, serves, returns, transition and resets, and play singles or skinny singles. What two can't practice well is doubles teamwork, such as who takes the middle ball, so mix in regular doubles too.