PickleChoo

By Coach Vince Geo Serino, Lead Pickleball Coach at PickleChoo — certified through the TAG International Tennis Academy. Last updated: July 2026.

Pickleball is one of the easiest sports in the world to start — and one of the most rewarding to get genuinely good at. Most players in Singapore reach a decent recreational level within a few weeks of casual play, then plateau. The difference between a player who stays stuck and one who keeps climbing almost always comes down to how they practise, not how often. After coaching hundreds of players across our courts at PickleChoo Arena, Prime, and Apex, these are the seven drills and tips I return to again and again.

1. Master the Kitchen Rule Before Anything Else

The non-volley zone — the “kitchen” — is where pickleball is won and lost. New players who understand it early develop cleaner habits and far fewer faults. Stand at the kitchen line and have a partner feed soft balls to your feet. The goal isn’t to win the point; it’s to reset every ball softly into the opponent’s kitchen without stepping over the line. Ten minutes of this at the start of every session builds the discipline that separates recreational players from competitive ones.

2. Build a Reliable Dink

The dink — a soft shot that arcs just over the net and lands in the kitchen — is the single most under-practised shot among Singapore club players. Practise cross-court dinking with a partner for five minutes without trying to end the point. Count how many you can keep going in a row. When you can rally 20+ consecutive dinks comfortably, you’ve built the touch that lets you control the pace of a game instead of just reacting to it.

3. Groove Your Third-Shot Drop

If there’s one shot that unlocks the next level, it’s the third-shot drop — the soft shot you hit from the baseline that lands in the opponent’s kitchen and lets your team move up to the net. It’s difficult because it demands touch under pressure. Start close, then gradually move back to the baseline as your consistency improves. Aim for a target zone rather than “just over the net.” This is the drill I run most often with intermediate players who want to start competing.

4. Serve for Consistency, Not Power

In pickleball, a missed serve is a wasted point — you don’t get a second serve. Rather than chasing pace, practise landing ten serves in a row deep into the service box. Depth pushes your opponent back and buys you time. Once your consistency is rock-solid, then you can add placement and spin. Reliability first, weapons later.

5. Practise Transitions From Baseline to Net

Most points are decided during the transition — the moment you move forward from the baseline to the kitchen line. Practise hitting a drop, taking two or three steps in, splitting your stance, and resetting the next ball. The players who move up deliberately and under control win far more than those who either camp at the baseline or rush the net blindly.

6. Play Points to a Theme

Free play is fun, but themed games accelerate learning. Play a set where every point must start with three dinks, or where you only score if you win at the net. Constraints force you to practise the skills you’d otherwise avoid. This is a core method we use in our structured group and private lessons — and it’s easy to replicate with a regular playing partner.

7. Get Coaching Early — It’s the Biggest Shortcut

The fastest improvers I’ve coached all have one thing in common: they invested in proper coaching before bad habits set in. A single session can correct a grip, a footwork pattern, or a swing path that would otherwise take months of frustration to unlearn. Most players notice tangible improvement after just two or three sessions of structured coaching. If you’re serious about getting better, book a lesson with one of our TAG-certified coaches.

Coming From Tennis? You Already Have an Advantage

Many of our fastest-improving players in Singapore come from a tennis background — the hand-eye coordination, footwork, and match instincts transfer directly. If that’s you, read our breakdown of pickleball vs tennis in Singapore to understand what carries over and what to unlearn. And if you’d like to sharpen your tennis at the same time, PickleChoo’s coaching network shares its roots with the TAG International Tennis Academy and Singapore’s most decorated tennis coach Singapore professionals — many of our members train in both sports.

Where to Practise These Drills in Singapore

Every drill above works best on a proper court with regulation lines and nets. PickleChoo operates three public-access outdoor venues across Singapore — Arena at One North, Prime at New Industrial Road, and Apex at Henderson — all open daily from 6am to 10pm, walk-ins welcome. New to the sport? Start with our Beginner’s Guide to Pickleball in Singapore or the Complete Guide to Playing Pickleball in Singapore.

Ready to Level Up?

Structured practice beats random play every time. Work through these drills, get a few sessions of coaching to correct the fundamentals, and you’ll be surprised how quickly you climb. To book a private or group lesson with a TAG-certified coach, message us on WhatsApp at +65 9029 8400 or explore our pickleball lessons in Singapore.