The understanding that playing games of pickleball is a terribly inefficient way to get better at pickleball. Purposeful, repetitive drilling is what actually builds skills. Games are a reward and a test, not a training method.
Identify the specific skill that needs work (e.g., cross-court forehand dink). Drill that skill with enough repetitions to create muscle memory change. A game might give you a handful of relevant reps; drilling gives you hundreds in the same time. The drill-to-play ratio should favor drilling. See games as tests to evaluate how well your drilling is paying off. Don't expect improvements from playing alone — the factors are too random and uncontrolled.
Playing a game of pickleball is a terribly inefficient way to get better at pickleball. In a game, you might get a handful of cross-court forehand dinks. In 15 minutes of drilling, you get hundreds. The factors in a game are too random and uncontrolled to produce the repetitions needed for skill change.
Cincola: for hand speed development, most players just do open fast-hands drills (both players hitting anywhere). This builds reaction but not TECHNIQUE. The correct approach is two stages: Stage 1 = pattern drills (backhand-to-backhand, or forehand-to-forehand) where both players know the pattern — this builds correct movement patterns and technique without reaction pressure. Stage 2 = open drills (anywhere) — this adds reaction and decision-making ON TOP of the technique built in Stage 1. Skipping Stage 1 means you're building fast but WRONG reactions.