Dominate the singles court with these seven critical techniques that combine endurance, strategy, and shot-making for one-on-one pickleball success.

Singles Pickleball Mastery: 7 Essential Techniques

The first time I played singles pickleball, I thought I was going to die.

Not literally, but seriously—I had never been so tired in my life. I'm a decent doubles player, or at least I thought I was. I can dink, I can volley, I can hold my own. So when my friend challenged me to a singles match, I was like, "Sure, no problem."

Twenty minutes later, I was bent over with my hands on my knees, gasping for air, while my friend stood there barely breathing hard. He beat me 11-1, and that one point I won was mostly because he felt sorry for me.

Turns out, singles pickleball is a completely different sport than doubles. It's not just pickleball with fewer people—it's its own thing entirely.

If you're thinking about playing singles, or if you've tried it and gotten destroyed like I did, here are the seven things I wish someone had told me before I stepped on that court.

Technique #1: The Deep Serve (Because Short Serves Get Crushed)

Here's what I learned the hard way: in singles, if you serve short, you're basically handing your opponent a free point.

I used to serve like I was playing doubles—just getting it in, not worrying too much about depth. In doubles, that's fine because your partner is there to help. In singles? A short serve means your opponent can step in and absolutely demolish the ball, and you have to cover the whole court by yourself. Good luck with that.

What Actually Works:

Stand near the center of the baseline. Not on the sideline, not five feet back—center. This gives you equal coverage to both sides.

Now hit that serve deep. I'm talking 2-3 feet from the baseline. Make them hit from behind their comfort zone. Force them back.

Use your legs. Push up through the ball. In singles, you can use a bigger swing than in doubles (it's legal), so take advantage of that. Generate some power.

The Mindset Shift:

I used to think of the serve as just starting the point. In singles, the serve is a weapon. Every serve should put pressure on your opponent.

Practice This:

Put cones at the corners of the baseline. Try to hit 20 serves to each corner. If you can't hit the corners consistently, you don't have control yet. Keep practicing.

Technique #2: The Deep Return (Because You're Not Coming to the Net)

In doubles, after you return, you're immediately moving forward to the kitchen line. In singles? You're staying back. You're recovering to the center baseline and getting ready for a groundstroke rally.

This took me forever to get used to. I kept instinctively moving forward after my returns, and then I'd get caught in no man's land while my opponent crushed a passing shot past me.

The Adjustment:

Hit your return deep, just like in doubles. Aim 2-3 feet from the baseline. Make them hit from deep.

But here's the difference: after you hit, you split-step and recover to the center baseline. Don't move forward. Stay back. Prepare for a groundstroke exchange.

This feels wrong at first if you're used to doubles. Trust me, I know. But singles is played from the baseline. Embrace it.

Technique #3: Groundstroke Consistency (The Real Singles Game)

Singles rallies are long. I'm talking 10, 15, sometimes 20 shots from the baseline. If you can't hit consistent groundstrokes while moving, you're not going to win.

When I first started playing singles, I was exhausted after three-shot rallies. I'd hit one big shot, miss, and the point would be over. My opponent barely had to work.

What Changed:

I stopped trying to hit winners on every shot. I started just keeping the ball deep and cross-court, waiting for the right opportunity.

The singles court is wider than you think. Use the angles. Hit deep, cross-court shots that push your opponent side to side. Make them run. Make them work.

Don't go for winners early in rallies. Build the point. Wait until you get a short ball or an opening.

The Drill That Helped:

Find a partner and just rally cross-court from the baseline. Don't play points, just rally. See how many shots you can hit in a row without missing. When I started, I could barely get to 10. Now I can rally 50, 60, 70 shots. That's the consistency you need.

Technique #4: The Passing Shot (When They Come to the Net)

Eventually, your opponent will try to come to the net. When they do, you need to be able to pass them.

I struggled with this at first. I'd see them coming in and panic. I'd try to hit a perfect shot and end up missing by a mile.

What Works:

Down-the-line passes are your friend. Aim down the line, keep the ball low, and use pace. The net is lower in the middle, so you have more margin for error than you think.

Cross-court passes are riskier but can be effective. The angle is bigger, but you're hitting over the higher part of the net. Use topspin to help the ball dip down.

And don't forget the lob! If they're crowding the net, hit over their head. Make them run back. Reset the point.

The Key:

Don't panic when they approach. You have time. Pick your target and commit. A decent pass is better than trying for a perfect one and missing.

Technique #5: Court Positioning (The Center is Your Friend)

In singles, positioning is everything. After every single shot, you need to recover to the center of the baseline.

I used to hit a shot and then stand there admiring it (or cursing it, depending on how it went). Meanwhile, my opponent would hit to the open court and I'd be scrambling.

The Rule:

Hit and recover. Immediately. Get back to center. Split-step as they hit. Be ready to move in any direction.

The center baseline position is your home. It's equidistant from both corners, which means you can cover the whole court from there.

If you don't recover, you're giving away free points. I learned this the expensive way—by losing a lot of matches.

Practice:

Play points where you have to touch the center after every shot. It feels weird at first, but it builds the habit. Eventually, it becomes automatic.

Technique #6: Fitness (Yeah, You Actually Need to Be in Shape)

Okay, real talk. Singles pickleball is physically demanding. Way more than doubles. You're covering twice the court, running side to side, forward and back, over and over.

If you're not in decent shape, you're going to struggle. I don't care how good your technique is—if you're gasping for air after ten minutes, you're not winning.

What I Had to Do:

I started running. Not because I enjoy running (I don't), but because I needed the cardio. Three miles, three times a week. Nothing crazy, just enough to build my base.

I added HIIT workouts—high intensity interval training. Sprint for 30 seconds, rest for 30 seconds. Repeat. This mimics the stop-and-go nature of pickleball.

I worked on leg strength. Squats, lunges, lateral movements. Singles is all about legs.

The Result:

Six months later, I could play a full singles match without dying. I wasn't just surviving—I was competing. And actually winning sometimes.

If you want to play singles, you have to train for it. There's no way around it.

Technique #7: Shot Selection (Smart Beats Strong)

This might be the most important one. In singles, shot selection is everything. It's not about hitting the hardest shot—it's about hitting the smart shot.

I used to try to crush every ball. I'd see an opening and swing for the fences. Sometimes it worked. Usually, it didn't.

The Shift:

I started playing percentage tennis—er, pickleball. I kept the ball deep and cross-court, made my opponent run, and waited for a high-percentage opportunity.

I stopped going for winners from difficult positions. If the ball was low or I was off-balance, I'd just hit a deep, safe shot back.

I learned to attack only when I had a clear advantage—when the ball was high, when I was balanced, when my opponent was out of position.

The Results:

My matches got longer, but I started winning more. I wasn't beating myself with errors. I was making my opponent beat me, and a lot of the time, they couldn't.

The Singles Mindset

Here's what I finally figured out: singles is chess, not checkers. It's about strategy, patience, and fitness.

You have to be willing to grind. To have long rallies. To run side to side until your opponent makes a mistake or gives you an opening.

You have to accept that it's physically hard. That you're going to be tired. That you need to train for it.

But here's the thing: when you win a tough singles match, it feels incredible. You earned it. Every point. Every sprint. Every shot.

Doubles is fun. I love doubles. But singles makes you a better player. It forces you to cover the court, to hit consistent groundstrokes, to think tactically.

If you've never played singles, give it a try. But be warned: that first match is going to humble you. Just like it humbled me.

And then? Get to work. Train your fitness. Practice your groundstrokes. Learn to be patient.

Because once you figure out singles, you'll never look at pickleball the same way again.

Trust me on this one.