Common Pickleball Mistakes and How to Fix Them
Pickleball is easy to start playing, but playing it well takes more than simply getting the ball over the net.
Many beginners quickly learn how to serve, return and rally, then find themselves making the same errors over and over again. They hit too hard, stand in the wrong place, rush toward the net at the wrong time or give away points with avoidable mistakes.
The good news is that most beginner pickleball mistakes are not difficult to correct. Often, a small change in positioning, preparation or shot selection can make an immediate difference.
This guide covers 15 of the most common pickleball mistakes and explains what causes them, why they hurt your game and what you can do instead.
The rule-related guidance in this article follows the current USA Pickleball rules. USA Pickleball identifies its annually updated Official Rulebook as the definitive rulebook governing the game.
1. Trying to Hit Every Shot Hard
One of the first habits many new players develop is trying to overpower their opponents.
A hard drive can be useful, but pickleball is not a game where the hardest hitter automatically wins. Because the court is relatively small, powerful shots that are slightly mistimed can easily travel long, hit the net or give an opponent an easy counterattack.
Power also becomes less effective when opponents are positioned at the Non-Volley Zone line. A hard ball hit too high may simply give them something they can volley back even faster.
How to Fix It
Start thinking about control before power.
Rather than asking, “How hard can I hit this ball?” ask, “Where should I put this ball?”
Use enough pace to accomplish what the shot requires. Sometimes that will be a firm drive. Other times it may be a soft drop, dink or controlled volley.
Try practicing rallies at around 60 to 70 percent of your normal hitting power. Concentrate on keeping the ball in play and hitting toward a target. Once you can control the ball consistently, you can gradually add more speed.
A controlled ball placed well is usually more valuable than a powerful ball you cannot reliably keep inside the court.
2. Swinging Too Much
Beginners coming from tennis or other racket sports sometimes use large backswings and follow-throughs for nearly every pickleball shot.
That can make timing unnecessarily difficult.
Pickleball often gives you less reaction time, particularly when all four players are near the kitchen. A large swing takes longer to complete and can make it difficult to adjust when the ball arrives quickly.
It may also generate more power than you actually need.
USA Pickleball’s beginner instruction emphasizes compact swings, hitting the ball in front and keeping the paddle prepared for the next shot.
How to Fix It
Make your strokes more compact.
For returns and groundstrokes, you still need enough backswing to generate controlled pace. But when you move closer to the net, shorten the motion considerably.
For volleys, think about blocking or punching the ball rather than taking a full swing.
After every shot, return the paddle toward your ready position instead of allowing the follow-through to leave it far behind your body.
The closer you are to the net, the less time you usually have. Your swing should become shorter accordingly.
3. Holding the Paddle Too Tightly
It is natural for pickleball beginners to grip the paddle harder when they want more control.
Unfortunately, squeezing the handle too tightly can have the opposite effect.
Excessive grip pressure creates tension through the hand, wrist and forearm. That can make soft shots difficult and cause the ball to rebound farther from the paddle than intended.
This becomes especially noticeable when learning dinks, resets and controlled volleys.
How to Fix It
Relax your hand.
You need enough grip pressure to keep the paddle secure, but you should not feel as though you are trying to crush the handle.
Think of grip pressure as adjustable rather than fixed.
You may naturally firm the grip slightly when blocking a fast ball or driving from the baseline. When playing a soft dink or reset, however, loosen your hand and allow the paddle to absorb more of the ball’s energy.
Practice bouncing the ball gently on your paddle while experimenting with different grip pressures. You will quickly feel how a relaxed hand makes controlling soft contact easier.
4. Letting the Paddle Drop Between Shots
A common sight on beginner courts is a player finishing a shot and allowing the paddle to hang beside their hip.
The problem becomes obvious when the next ball comes quickly.
Instead of simply moving the paddle toward the ball, the player must first raise it into position. Those extra fractions of a second matter during fast exchanges.
USA Pickleball recommends a ready position with the paddle in front of the chest and the elbows slightly in front of the body so players can respond to either forehands or backhands.
How to Fix It
Develop the habit of returning to a ready position after every shot.
Keep the paddle in front of your body rather than resting it beside you.
Your knees should be slightly bent and your weight balanced so you can move in either direction.
Think of every stroke as having three stages:
Prepare → Hit → Recover.
Many beginners remember the first two and forget the third.
Recovery prepares you for whatever happens next.
5. Watching Where the Ball Goes Instead of Recovering
Beginners often admire their own shots.
They hit the ball, watch it travel toward the opponent and remain in exactly the position where they finished the stroke.
Meanwhile, the opponent is already preparing the next shot.
Pickleball happens too quickly for you to become a spectator during the rally.
How to Fix It
As soon as you complete a shot, begin preparing for the next one.
Recover your balance, bring the paddle back to the ready position and adjust your court position based on where you hit the ball.
Keep watching the ball, but do it while preparing to move.
For example, after hitting a return of serve, you should normally begin progressing toward the Non-Volley Zone rather than remaining near the baseline watching your return.
Good players are rarely completely still during a rally. They are constantly making small adjustments so they are ready before the opponent strikes the ball.
6. Forgetting the Two-Bounce Rule
This is one of the most common rule mistakes among new pickleball players.
After the serve, the receiving team must allow the serve to bounce before returning it. The serving team must then allow that return to bounce before hitting the next shot.
Only after those two required bounces have occurred may either team legally volley the ball.
USA Pickleball calls this the Two-Bounce Rule.
A beginner on the serving team may instinctively move forward after serving and volley the return before it bounces.
That results in a fault.
How to Fix It
Remember this simple sequence:
Serve → Bounce → Return → Bounce → Then volleys are allowed.
If you are serving, resist the temptation to charge toward the net immediately.
Stay behind or near the baseline so you have enough room to let the return bounce.
After hitting your team’s third shot, you can begin working forward when the situation allows.
7. Misunderstanding the Kitchen Rule
The Non-Volley Zone, commonly called the kitchen, creates more confusion for beginners than almost any other part of the court.
Some players believe they are never allowed to enter it.
That is incorrect.
You may stand in the kitchen and you may hit a ball after it bounces there. What you cannot do is volley the ball while touching the Non-Volley Zone or its line.
Momentum matters as well. If you volley from outside the kitchen and your momentum carries you into the zone afterward, the result is still a fault.
How to Fix It
Connect the kitchen rule specifically with volleys.
If the ball bounces, you may enter the kitchen to play it.
If you hit the ball before it bounces, make sure you are established outside the Non-Volley Zone and remain outside it after the shot.
When volleying near the line, stay balanced rather than lunging forward uncontrollably.
Learning to control your momentum is just as important as knowing where your feet are when you contact the ball.
8. Staying at the Baseline Too Long
Many beginners feel comfortable near the baseline because it gives them more time to see the ball.
The problem is that remaining there throughout the rally gives opponents more court to attack.
Players positioned at the kitchen line can hit balls downward, create sharper angles and take time away from opponents.
USA Pickleball’s beginner positioning guidance describes the Non-Volley Zone line as the position players generally want to work toward during rallies.
How to Fix It
Learn when to move forward.
If you are returning serve, hit the return and begin advancing toward the kitchen line.
If your team is serving, you normally need to be more patient because the return must bounce before your side can hit it. After that third shot, begin looking for opportunities to advance.
The goal is not to sprint forward regardless of what happens.
Move when your team’s shot gives you enough time or makes it difficult for your opponents to attack.
Eventually, you want to establish a balanced position near the Non-Volley Zone line whenever the rally allows it.
9. Running Forward While the Opponent Is Hitting
Moving toward the kitchen is important, but blindly running toward it creates another problem.
Imagine you hit your third shot and immediately sprint forward.
Your opponent contacts the ball while you are still moving.
Now a fast shot comes directly toward your feet.
Because your body is moving forward, changing direction or controlling the volley becomes much harder.
How to Fix It
Learn to split step.
As your opponent prepares to hit, slow down and establish a balanced athletic position.
Your feet do not have to remain planted permanently. You simply want your body under control when the opponent contacts the ball.
React to their shot and then continue moving forward when the opportunity appears.
USA Pickleball similarly recommends stopping and assuming a ready position if you cannot reach the Non-Volley Zone line before the opponent hits.
You do not have to reach the kitchen in one continuous sprint.
Getting there under control is far more useful than getting there quickly but being unable to handle the next ball.
10. Trying to Attack Balls That Are Too Low
A ball near shoulder or chest height may present an attacking opportunity.
A ball below the net is very different.
Beginners frequently try to smash low balls upward with excessive speed. Because the net is in the way, the ball must first travel upward before coming back down.
The result is often a shot into the net or a ball that travels long.
Even worse, a hard low-to-high shot may sit up high enough for the opponent to attack.
How to Fix It
Judge the height of the ball before deciding how aggressively to hit it.
When the ball is high, you may have an opportunity to attack downward.
When the ball is low, use patience.
A controlled dink, reset or drop can neutralize the rally and give you another opportunity later.
One of the biggest improvements a beginner can make is learning that not every ball needs to be attacked.
Sometimes the best shot is simply the one that prevents your opponent from attacking you.
11. Hitting Serves Too Hard
The serve starts the point, but beginners sometimes treat it as an opportunity to immediately hit a winner.
They aim for maximum speed, extreme angles or the very edges of the service court.
Then they miss.
The serve cannot help you if it never starts the rally.
USA Pickleball’s beginner guidance specifically recommends keeping serves simple and focusing on consistency rather than excessive power or aiming too close to the sidelines.
How to Fix It
Give yourself margin.
Aim safely inside the service box rather than directly at the lines.
Develop a repeatable service motion that allows you to consistently get the ball deep into the correct diagonal service court.
Once you can reliably make your serve, gradually experiment with placement, depth and additional pace.
A deep serve can be valuable because it makes the receiver hit from farther back, but consistency comes first.
Remember: a spectacular serve that lands out produces nothing. A solid serve that lands in gives you a chance to play the point.
12. Hitting Short Returns of Serve
A short return may land safely in the court, but it can make the next part of the rally more difficult.
When your return lands short, the serving team can move forward while hitting its third shot.
A deeper return tends to keep the serving team farther from the net and also gives you more time to move toward the kitchen.
USA Pickleball recommends using a deep return as a fundamental return-of-serve strategy and emphasizes that control is more important than simply hitting hard.
How to Fix It
Aim deeper without aiming directly for the baseline.
Choose a target several feet inside the back of the court so you have room for error.
Adding a little height can also help. A controlled return with enough arc takes longer to reach your opponent, giving you additional time to advance toward the Non-Volley Zone line.
After hitting the return, do not remain at the baseline.
Move forward and establish your position near the kitchen before the serving team gains control of the rally.
13. Aiming Too Close to the Lines
The court lines look like tempting targets.
A shot that clips the sideline can be difficult to return, so beginners often try to paint the lines.
Unfortunately, the difference between a brilliant winner and an unforced error may be only a few inches.
If you repeatedly aim at tiny targets, you are making pickleball unnecessarily difficult.
How to Fix It
Use larger targets.
Instead of aiming directly at the sideline, aim a few feet inside it.
Instead of trying to land every deep ball directly on the baseline, give yourself enough room that a slightly imperfect shot still lands in.
USA Pickleball similarly advises returners to aim safely inside the baseline rather than directly at it.
As you become more consistent, you can reduce your margin when the situation justifies the risk.
Until then, make your opponents earn points rather than giving points away by repeatedly missing narrow targets.
14. Leaving Large Gaps Between Doubles Partners
Doubles pickleball is not two singles players sharing the same side of the court.
You and your partner need to move together.
Beginners sometimes become separated because one player moves toward the ball while the other remains in the same position.
That creates a large gap between them.
Opponents quickly discover that the easiest target is often the empty space.
How to Fix It
Imagine you and your partner are connected by an invisible rope.
When one player moves left, the other should generally shift left.
When one player moves right, the other should adjust in the same direction.
When you move forward, try to advance together rather than leaving one player at the baseline and the other alone at the kitchen.
USA Pickleball’s positioning guidance similarly encourages doubles partners to remain linked as they move through the court.
You do not need perfect symmetry. The ball and your responsibilities will sometimes require different positions.
The important principle is that your team should defend the court as a connected unit rather than as two independent players.
15. Trying to Win the Point Too Soon
Perhaps the biggest beginner mistake is impatience.
You hit one good shot and immediately look for a winner.
You receive a dink and try to smash it.
You see an opening that is barely there and aim for it anyway.
Many pickleball rallies are not lost because the opponent produced an amazing shot. They are lost because someone attempted a low-percentage shot before the opportunity was truly available.
How to Fix It
Learn to build the point.
Keep your opponent uncomfortable without feeling that every shot must end the rally.
Make them hit another ball.
Move them.
Keep the ball low.
Wait for something you can attack with control.
An opponent may eventually leave a ball high enough to attack, move out of position or simply make an error.
Patience does not mean playing passively. It means recognizing which balls should be attacked and which ones should be controlled.
That ability becomes increasingly important as your opponents improve.
How to Stop Making the Same Pickleball Mistakes
Knowing your mistakes is useful. Trying to correct all 15 of them during one game is not.
Choose one or two habits at a time.
For example, during one practice session, focus entirely on keeping your paddle in the ready position.
During another, concentrate on hitting deep returns and immediately moving toward the kitchen.
Another session might focus on slowing down low balls instead of attacking them.
When you isolate a habit, you are much more likely to notice whether you are actually changing it.
Practice also does not always need to involve playing complete games. Repeating the same serve, return, dink or transition sequence dozens of times can improve a specific skill faster than waiting for that situation to appear naturally during a match.
Most importantly, pay attention to why you lose rallies.
Instead of simply thinking, “I missed,” ask a better question:
Was the problem technique, positioning, shot selection or a rule mistake?
That answer tells you what to work on next.
Final Thoughts
Every pickleball player makes mistakes.
The goal is not to eliminate every error immediately. It is to stop repeatedly giving away points for the same reasons.
For beginners, some of the biggest improvements come from surprisingly simple changes: keep the paddle ready, use shorter swings, get the serve in, return deep, understand the kitchen and two-bounce rules, move toward the Non-Volley Zone when appropriate and avoid attacking balls that are not attackable.
You do not need harder shots to become a better pickleball player.
You need better decisions, better positioning and more control.
Correct those habits one at a time and rallies that once felt rushed and unpredictable will gradually become much easier to manage.