Every new player makes these errors. Here is exactly what to do about each one.
The 10 Most Common Beginner Mistakes (and How to Fix Them)
Every new pickleball player makes the same mistakes. Not because they are careless, but because the game looks simple from the outside and reveals its depth only once you are in it. The good news is that these mistakes are predictable — which means they are fixable. Here are the ten most common errors beginners make, and exactly what to do about each one.
1. Staying at the Baseline
The single biggest mistake new players make is hanging back at the baseline after the serve. In pickleball, the net is where points are won. Both players on the receiving team should advance to the kitchen line after the return of serve. The serving team must wait for the ball to bounce before advancing, but they should be moving forward as soon as they hit that third shot.
The fix: Make it a habit to move toward the kitchen after every return. You do not have to sprint — a few deliberate steps forward puts you in a much stronger position.
2. Hitting Too Hard
Pickleball rewards patience and placement, not power. New players often try to blast winners from the baseline, which sends the ball long or into the net. The court is small — there is not much room for pace to work in your favor unless you are at the net.
The fix: Focus on keeping the ball in play. Aim for depth on groundstrokes and practice controlling pace before adding power. Consistency beats aggression at every level below 4.0.
3. Volleying from the Kitchen
Standing in the kitchen and hitting the ball out of the air is one of the most common rule violations in beginner play. The non-volley zone rule prohibits volleying while any part of your body is touching the kitchen or its lines — including momentum that carries you in after a volley.
The fix: Before you volley, check your feet. If you are near the kitchen line, let the ball bounce first. Over time, court awareness becomes automatic.
4. Ignoring the Dink
New players often treat the dink — a soft, controlled shot that lands in the opponent’s kitchen — as a passive or boring shot. It is neither. The dink is the most important shot in pickleball. It forces opponents to hit up on the ball, which limits their attack options and creates opportunities for you.
The fix: Practice dinking in every warm-up. Get comfortable with the soft touch required and learn to sustain a dink rally rather than ending it prematurely with a hard shot.
5. Using a Tennis Grip
Players who come from tennis often use a full Western or semi-Western grip, which works well for topspin groundstrokes but creates problems at the kitchen. The continental grip — holding the paddle as if you were shaking hands with it — is more versatile and better suited to the quick exchanges at the net.
The fix: Experiment with a continental grip during warm-up dinking sessions. It may feel awkward at first, but it allows you to handle both forehand and backhand shots without adjusting your grip mid-rally.
6. Poaching Without Communication
In doubles, poaching — crossing to your partner’s side to intercept a ball — can be a powerful weapon. But doing it without communicating first is a recipe for confusion, missed balls, and partnership friction.
The fix: Call “mine” or “yours” loudly and early. Before you poach, make sure your partner knows you are crossing. A simple verbal system prevents most doubles miscommunications.
7. Returning the Serve Short
A short return of serve gives the serving team an easy ball to attack and allows them to advance to the net. The return should be deep — ideally landing near the baseline — to push the serving team back and give you time to move forward.
The fix: Aim for the back third of the court on every return. A deep, neutral return is more valuable than an aggressive one that lands short.
8. Watching the Ball Instead of the Opponent
New players tend to watch the ball all the way to their paddle on contact, then look up too late to see where it went. Experienced players watch the ball to contact but immediately shift their gaze to the opponent to read what is coming next.
The fix: After you hit, look at your opponent’s paddle and body position. This gives you a half-second head start on your next shot.
9. Not Calling the Score
Failing to call the score before serving is a small habit with big consequences. It leads to disputes about who is serving, which server is up, and what the actual score is. In competitive play, it can cost you points.
The fix: Call the score — all three numbers in doubles — before every single serve, even in casual games. Make it a non-negotiable habit from day one.
10. Giving Up on the Point Too Early
Pickleball rallies are often won by the team that simply keeps the ball in play one shot longer. New players frequently give up on balls that are reachable, or they attempt a low-percentage attack when a neutral reset would keep them in the point.
The fix: Chase every ball. Reset when you are out of position. The point is not over until the ball bounces twice or goes out of bounds — not when it feels like it should be over.
The fastest path to improvement in pickleball is not hitting harder or buying a better paddle — it is eliminating these ten mistakes one by one. Pick the two or three that resonate most and focus on them in your next session. You will notice the difference immediately.