Field Guide/2026
Your first
pickleball
session.
60-min plan for your first court session. Print, fold, court-side.
Before you leavePack it.
Court booked and confirmed
Paddle (yours or rental confirmed)
3+ outdoor or indoor balls (match the court surface)
Water bottle, towel, court shoes
This PDF saved on your phone
The 60-minute plan.
01
0–10
minutes
Warmup
3 minWrist circles, shoulder rolls, hip openers.
7 minStand 10 feet apart, paddle-tap the ball back and forth, gentle. The goal is feel, not power.
02
10–25
minutes
Bounce + Serve
Bounce rallyLet every ball bounce, easy strokes. Try for 10 in a row.
Serve practice10 serves each. Underhand, below the waist, diagonally across the court. The serve must land in the opposite service box.
03
25–40
minutes
Dink + Drop
Dink rallyBoth players at the kitchen line. Soft shots over the net landing in the opponent's kitchen. Aim for 10 in a row, no power.
Third-shot dropFrom the baseline, hit a soft arc that lands in the opponent's kitchen. The shot that defines the sport.
04
40–60
minutes
Play a Game
FormatFirst to 11, win by 2.
GoalDon't keep score perfectly. Focus on rallying and reading the kitchen rule, not winning.
By the end you should have
- Strung together a 4-shot rally
- Hit one dink rally over 6 shots
- Returned more serves in than out
- Had one “oh, THAT’S the kitchen” moment — that's the sport clicking.
Avoid — 5 first-timer mistakes
1
Hitting too hard. It's a 24mph plastic ball, not a tennis ball.
2
Standing too far back. Get to the kitchen line as fast as possible.
3
Crowding your partner. Split the court down the middle.
4
Calling lines on the other side. Only your side, only what you saw.
5
Quitting after one bad rally. Every player whiffed their first 50 shots.
Ready for game two? dinkstart.com
© DinkStart 2026