The Real Reason You Don’t Have A Pickleball Drilling Partner (And 4 Proven Ways To Get One)
You know you need one. Every article about improving emphasizes drilling. Top players drill constantly. Your game would transform with focused, repetitive practice instead of random rec play.
So why don’t you have a drilling partner?
The answer might not be what you think.
The Stories We Tell Ourselves
“Everyone at my courts just wants to play games.”
I don’t know anyone at my skill level who wants to drill.
“People are already in their groups—I’d be intruding.”
Maybe these are true. Courts vary wildly in culture. Some facilities are purely recreational. Some demographics genuinely prefer casual play over structured practice.
But consider this: these statements might also be shields. Convenient explanations that protect you from exploring a deeper possibility—that asking for what you need feels vulnerable, and potential rejection feels risky.
The Vulnerability Factor
You’ve probably approached strangers for pickup games dozens of times. You’ve joined round robins with people you don’t know. You’ve asked “Need a fourth?” without overthinking it.
But asking someone to drill? For many people, that hits differently.
Games are casual. Low commitment. Rejection is easy to rationalize—they’re tired, they have a regular partner, the court’s booked. It’s situational, not personal.
Drilling signals intentionality. It says “I’m serious about improving and I think we might be compatible practice partners.” That’s a different social equation. If someone declines, it can feel more personal, even when it isn’t.
Plus, drilling exposes weaknesses in slow motion. During games, mistakes disappear in the flow. In drilling, you’re repeating your worst shots over and over while someone watches.
That vulnerability is real. And it might be influencing your inaction more than you realize.
Four Strategies That Actually Work
1. Use Your Local Facebook Group Or Social Pages
Your area almost certainly has a pickleball Facebook group. Post something specific: “Looking for a drilling partner at [facility], Tuesdays 9-10am. I’m a 3.5 working on consistency. Anyone interested?”
Why this works: You’re not asking one person who might reject you. You’re broadcasting to dozens or hundreds of players. Someone will respond. The people who do are self-selecting for motivation—they actively want to drill too.
Pro tip: Search the group first. Someone probably already posted looking for a drilling partner two weeks ago and got no responses. Message them directly. Be bold and share this article and say something like “I’m looking for someone to drill with!”.
2. Ask Your Club To Create A Pairing System
Many clubs have “looking for doubles partner” boards. Few have drilling partner boards, but most would create one if you asked.
Offer to manage it yourself. Create a simple Google Sheet with name, skill level, available times, and what they want to work on. Send it to your club coordinator and ask them to share it.
Physical boards work. Digital boards work. The format matters less than creating an official mechanism where people can express interest without direct rejection risk.
Now you’re not “that person asking for special treatment”—you’re solving a problem for the entire community.
3. Start With Micro-Commitments
Don’t ask someone to “be your drilling partner.” That’s too much pressure.
Instead: “Want to hit serves for 15 minutes before the next game Thursday?”
Watch your courts for a week. Look for people who warm up deliberately, ask questions about technique, or show up consistently. Then approach with a single, specific session.
If it goes well, suggest doing it again. You’re testing compatibility before commitment. Much less intimidating for both of you.
After clinics or lessons, extend the session: “That transition drill was helpful—want to keep working on it for another 20 minutes?” You’re drilling with people who are already improvement-minded.
4. Create Your Own Session And Invite People
Announce you’re drilling at a specific time and invite anyone to join: “I’m drilling dinks at Court 3 on Saturday mornings, 8-9am. Anyone who wants to join, just show up.”
Why this works: You’ve removed all rejection risk. You’re drilling either way. They’re just joining something that’s already happening. Some Saturdays, nobody shows. You drill serves solo. But eventually, someone shows. Then someone else. Before you know it, you have a regular crew.
Match Commitment, Not Just Skill
Stop looking for someone at your exact skill level. Look for someone who matches your commitment to improvement.
A 3.5 player who shows up reliably and focuses intensely beats a 4.0 player who’s flaky and distracted every time.
Look for: Consistent attendance, improvement mindset, similar availability.
Don’t worry about: Exact skill match (within one level works fine), same age or demographic, whether you’d play social doubles together.
The Follow-Through That Matters
Once you find someone willing to drill, the partnership lives or dies on execution.
Show up every single time. Unless you’re genuinely sick or have an emergency. Flakiness kills drilling partnerships faster than anything else.
Come with a plan. Don’t waste time deciding what to work on. “100 crosscourt dinks, then 50 resets, then 20 minutes of serve-return” beats “what do you want to work on?”
Communicate clearly. If the time stops working, say so early. If you need to miss a session, give maximum notice.
The Choice
Keep operating under your current assumptions about court culture, scheduling conflicts, or social dynamics. Stay where you are and see if circumstances change on their own.
Or test whether those assumptions are actually true by taking small, specific actions.
The discomfort of asking doesn’t usually disappear before you act. It diminishes because you act.
Maybe everyone at your courts really does just want to play games. Or maybe someone there wants a drilling partner too and is waiting for someone else to ask first.
Pick one of the four strategies above. Try it this week.
The only way to find out is to test it.