You won’t always be able to get a game of pickleball together, but that doesn’t mean you can’t practice it. Being able to practice on your own and at your convenience is critical to improving your game, and you can do this with a pickleball practice wall. Having built one of these myself, I know just how beneficial it can be in making you a better player.
Play Pickleball at Home
Sometimes you just get that itch. Maybe you were thinking about it all day at work, or have been waiting for the weekend, or even a nice sunny day, but you’re wanting to play pickleball.
But we can’t always get what we want. Your local pickleball courts aren’t nearby. The weathers bad. You can’t find people who are free to play. All sorts of things can stand in your way.
For those who are just wanting to scratch that itch, a practice wall is exactly what you need.
Perfect for players players away from their pickleball court, a diy pickleball rebounder can let you work on your game anytime. Who needs a partner you have a wall. All it takes is the right location and a little effort to set it up, and you’ll be able to practice in your own backyard.
Setting Up Your Own Pickleball Practice Wall
Location
Location location location. Just like in business, you’re going to need a good spot for your practice wall.
First and foremost you have to find a hard and flat surface. It doesn’t need to be big, but the last thing you want is a slope. This is going to create awkward bounces and your practice won’t simulate being on an actual court.
Obviously it needs to be something the pickleball will bounce off of too. Any kind of asphalt or concrete floor works great here.
For most people this is either going to be their garage or driveway. And this area doesn’t even need to be that big. It doesn’t need to be the entire width of a pickleball court because usually even in doubles you’re only covering around half, so most spaces will do.
Finally you need a probably need a wall but maybe not depending on how involved you get with building your own.
Usage
Determining the level of functionality for your pickleball wall will decide what you do next. The simplest thing is to fix up an existing wall. But if you want a pickleball rebounder with the ability to practice a greater vareity of shots you might want to build your own with plywood because a vertical wall angle won’t be able to replicate the arc you receive on deeper shots and volleys.
Natural Flat Wall
Turning an every day wall into a practice wall is very easy. It literally requires two steps.
First measure about 34-36 inches off the ground, about three feet. This is to mark the height of the pickleball net depending on where you measure from.
Now just draw your own net line. This can be done with tape for something quick and removable, or go ahead and paint a line across for something more permanent.
Benefits
- Cost efficient
- Low effort, quick, and easy
- Good for practicing short hits around the non volley zone like volleys and dinks
Drawbacks
- Limited in the amount of pickleball shots you can practice
- The ball will bounce down off the wall instead of up, which doesn’t simulate opponent serves and grounstrokes
Build Your Own Adjustable Pickleball Rebounder Wall
This will be much more involved. But this diy pickleball rebounder will have the unique benefit of being able to be leaned against a wall to create an upward angle and is also portable. You can also make them in different sizes depending on the space you have to work with.
The angle of the wall is very important. If you go hit a ball off the nearest wall it drops down when bouncing off. This is less than ideal when trying to simulate someone hitting towards you in pickleball.
What you need is a wall that leans back. A slightly elevated angle will lift the ball, so you can have extended rallies from anywhere as if you were playing an actual pickleball player. This makes for a much more effective practice wall.
Benefits
- Able to practice deep forehand and backhand strokes in addition to anything near the net
- Simulates an opponent better because of the angle
- Portable for short distances
Drawbacks
- Costly
- More difficult to put together
- Net line height will be slightly off when you lean to create an angle
Materials
- The exact number and dimensions of these will depend of the size of the space you have
- 2×4’s
- Sheets of 1/2 inch to 3/4 inch plywood
- Nails and screws
- Painters tape
- Any material for noise reduction/reducing vibration
- Paint or something to seal the wood with
Visual Aid
If you aren’t handy, (I know I’m not), building a practice wall from scratch could seem way too daunting to just figure out on your own. Luckily we’ve got help.
Explaining this in an article is not going to be very helpful, but I’ve found a great little mini video course for you to watch below. If this isn’t what your looking for there are plenty of other videos on youtube you can search through to find something similar to what you were building.
Closing Thoughts
The practice wall is perfect for elevating your pickleball game when you’re away from a court. There are a number of fun at home drills you do with these that don’t require another person, so you can practice pickleball whenever you want, all without leaving the comfort of your own home. We’ve even already put together a list of solo pickleball wall drills!