I learnt pickleball by playing doubles. I had always been in good shape before I started playing pickleball.
However, when I faced the Singles game for the first time, reality hit me. It was such an awkward feeling as I was running from post to post to return the shots. By the third rally, I was gasping.
All this long I never played real game. I was just playing along, covering the half part of the court calling my partner for the shots that I can’t hit. It was way too comfortable for me in doubles as my partner Sarah was way too good to handle everything on her own.
But singles? It was all me, my paddle, and the only net standing between me and my opponent.
With this article I’ll teach you the survival skills in the Pickleball singles game. It’s not just the rules of singles pickleball, but also how to survive it, enjoy it.
What Makes Singles Different
The court dimensions are exactly the same as doubles 20 feet wide, 44 feet long. But here’s the catch, there’s no partner to assist you that means you have to cover all of that 20 feet area yourself.
That’s why singles are faster paced & exhausting. Pickleball singles game will test your overall stamina and endurance. Every point you score is going to be your own point.
Pickleball Singles Rules
The scoring method in Pickleball Singles is simple. The server can only score points. The maximum you can score is 11. Margin for victory will always be by 2 points.
Consider for an example how a Rally looks like
- The game starts with the scoreboard at 0-0. Player one starts the game and serves from the right.
- If the opponent misses then player one scores, 1-0.
- Next the Player-1 moves to the left to serve, hastily serves the ball into the net. Side-out is called. The score will be 0-1.
- It’s Player-2’s turn to serve.
Simple mnemonic to remember. When your score is even (0,2,4…etc.) serve from the right side when it’s odd (1,3,5….) serve from the left side.
It’s simple right? until you forget and serve from the wrong side. Therefore I made a small infographic for you to save in your phone on how Pickleball singles scoring works.
What should be your serving strategy
The serve in singles can give you opportunity to dominate the rally. I’m assuming you know the basics, but just in case:
- The paddle must swing underhand and the ball makes contact with the paddle below the waist. No brainer…
- The serve must land diagonally into the opponent’s box.
Aim to place the serve deep to push the opponent back. Serving short will cause the opponent to smack the ball back at your feet where you can potentially lose a point.
If you are an intermediate player you can mix up the corner serves, body serves to get the best outcome.
How to Position Correctly in Pickleball Singles?
If you position yourself in the wrong place, the ball will be aimed at the gap you left wide open.
Here are thumb rules:
- After every shot recover position to center court.
- Anticipate the opponent’s next move based on their position
- If the opponent is standing at baseline, he is likely to hit deep drives.
- If the opponent is at the kitchen line, he might be preparing for dinks.
The center position is your home base. You can easily step away and return the shots and reposition yourself at the center.
What strategy works best in Singles?
For Beginners
For beginners it’s always beneficial to keep everything simple in order to improve the game.
The basic shots like deep serves, deep returns, dinks etc. work best.
If you are planning too many things inside your head, it will confuse you as your body and brain won’t cooperate with each other.
Once your brain is free from technical things and focused on basics, you can work on improving these simple shots.
As you train yourself to position at center and develop these basic skills, improvise shots.
The intermediate players can
- Use drop shots to pull power players forward.
- Serve wide and then attack in open space.
- Target backhand of the opponent as even pro players are weak at playing backhand, aiming at your opponent’s backhand creates opportunity.
Practice drills for Singles Pickleball
If you want to master singles pickleball then you must look after fitness. I know, you will say that “But Paul.. Isn’t Pickleball a laid back, relaxed game that can be played in the backyard?” Well it’s not anymore. (By the way if you are interested in reading my story of building court in my backyard, it’s here.)
People from all age groups have welcomed it so well that it has become very important for the Picklers to maintain some fitness standards if they really want to move ahead.
The workout drills
- Sprint 10 to 20 meters. Repeat 3-4 times with 3 minutes of rest time in between.
- Work on footwork. For 5-10 minutes move as if chasing invisible shots.
- Incorporate core exercises such as planks, twists to keep balance while lunging.
These drills are must before big game,
For a detailed guide on fitness drills for pickleball refer this article.
Remember that your off-court fitness will prove to be a game changer for your performance on court.
Common Mistakes the Singles Pickleball (Newbies) Make
- Most of the Picklers who are used to the doubles game, try smacking every single ball. But it drains your energy faster giving your opponent a chance to overpower you.
- The follow through motion: After hitting the ball, if you keep on looking at the ball instead of regaining the center position, you will definitely be in trouble.
- Lack of strategy: If there is no strategy you will be hitting the useless shots and running behind the ball like chicken.
Short Note: Even the pro-players are prone to these mistakes but they make sure not to repeat them.
Practice drills for improving skills
Although you can’t improve your game without getting on court and playing one on one. You can definitely practice alone. Use this alone time to sharpen your skills, improve on your regular mistakes.
Wall drills: Everyone loves wall drills. Even the advanced players! You can practice hitting the ball against the wall to practice a rally of dinks.
Try wall drills, where you rally with a wall in order to develop consistency.
Serve drills: Stand at any serving side at baseline. Start hitting serves in diagonally opposite box. Practice for at least 20-30 serves. Then change the side and repeat the same. Make sure to note down how many serves landed correctly. The goal here is to avoid side-out due to missed serve.
Cone Drill: Start by placing the 10 cones 5 in each half of the opponent’s side. Stand at center position and aim at each of the cone one by one.
Change your position from center to left side and repeat the same drill. Again reposition yourself towards right side and aim at the cone one by one. This drill is helpful in improving the accuracy of shots.
FAQs
Q: Is physical fitness mandatory for Singles?
Nope. But you have to develope stamina for short rallies. You can achieve this level by practicing drills I mentioned earlier.
Q: Is singles harder than doubles?
Yes. Physically it is harder. However, it is less confusing than doubles, straightforward and exciting.
Q: Can beginners start with singles?
Absolutely. You’ll sweat more, but you’ll also learn faster.
Conclusion
Singles pickleball surely needs more stamina, energy and it is exhausting. If you are switching from doubles to singles, it will expose every weakness that you were not aware of.
But this that’s the beauty of singles, you start working on these weaknesses and soon you will find yourself improving with your game as well as overall fitness level. This will also compliment your doubles.
Start by playing at least one singles game a week. Once you get good hold of it, you will keep coming back. Because the moment you win that long rally, you’ll know why singles pickleball is worth it.
