A previous post linked to a video of a conditioned game called Game of 10s Pickleball Drill. After trying it out with players at different levels we modified the game slightly to accomodate a wider range of skills and mobility. A summary of the original game is as follows. The video link above will give full details and a played example with useful coaching tips along the way.

It’s a game of 3 players, 1 player versus 2.
Only the individual player can score points.
Points are scored by winning a rally or playing 10 shots that land in the kitchen. These drop shots don’t have to be played consecutively in one rally but have to be played in one turn as the individual player.
When the individual loses a rally the 3 players rotate anticlockwise but the single player takes there score in points with them. They don’t carry over any drop shots.
When each player becomes the individual player they carry with them their previous score.
The first individual to win 10 points is the winner.

The thing to bear in mind is that this is a competitive game. The individual initiates each point with a serve that lands in the kitchen. This counts as 1 towards the 10 to get a point. From the serve onwards a normal game is played but the pair can only play into the half court the individual served from. Weak dinks can be attacked with a speedup. Lobs and passing shots can be played. The individual player gets a point for every rally they win and a point for every completed 10 drops into the kitchen. They can win a point by playing a winner or the pair making an error which would include not returning the ball into the individual’s half court.

The modification we made is that a minimum number of dinks must be played before any other type of shot can be. We chose 4. If any of these first 4 shots does not land in the kitchen the ball is out and either the individual has scored a point or the player rotation takes place.

Other modifications could be getting a point for fewer accumulated dinks, say 7. Or, if playing with less mobile players, prohibiting lobs.

We found the game was very good for tightening up our dinks and thinking more about placement. Just doing dinking rallies does not show up how your weak dinks can be attacked. It also helped us to recognise attacking opportunities from weak drop shots. In addition it helped us to think about how we worked as a pair, as a unit, particularly covering the middle.

At my first pickleball tournament last weekend I discovered that when I get into dinking rallies (very rarely, as it happens) the better players, rather than dinking them back, attack them and drive them straight at me. Clearly my dinks are not very good! This video talks through a conditioned game for 3 players that is designed to develop controlled consistent dinks that are not attackable but also, conversely, how to punish weak dinks from your opponents. The fact that it’s a scored game and competitive makes it more interesting and more fun. If you watch the full 19 minute video there are some useful coaching tips along the way. The scoring system used is a little confusing at first but could easily be amended.