Pickleball lessons · Houston, Texas
Get better at the game you already love.
Private and semi-private coaching on Houston courts, from a small group of strong players — most of us came over from competitive tennis. Tell us where you're at, and we'll build the hour around it.
What we offer
Two ways to work with a coach
Both are available at one-hour minimums, at a court near you, with paddles and balls provided if you need them. No packages to commit to — book one and see how you like it.
Private lesson
The whole hour is yours. Best when you want to fix something specific, or you're brand new and would rather not learn in front of anyone.
- Entirely built around your game
- Video review of your stroke if you want it
- A written plan of what to drill next
Semi-private
Cheaper per head, and you get to practise the thing you'll actually play — doubles, with someone on the other side of the net.
- Bring a friend, a partner, or your spouse
- Live points, not just drills
- Doubles positioning and communication
What we teach
Lessons built around where you actually are
Pick the one that sounds like you. If you know your DUPR rating the numbers are there too — and if you've never heard of DUPR, ignore them entirely.
Tap one to see what your hour covers
You're new to the court
Maybe you've played a handful of times, or you're coming over from tennis and the paddle feels wrong in your hand. The goal of the first hours is simple: rally with confidence and know where to stand.
- Grip, ready position and paddle pathA repeatable swing that doesn't fight you, and the athletic stance everything else is built on.
- Serve and return, deep and inGetting both in play every time, with enough depth to keep the point neutral.
- The two-bounce ruleWhy it exists, and how it shapes the first three shots of every single point.
- Where to stand and when to move upThe kitchen line, the transition zone, and the mistake almost every new player makes.
You can rally — now you want control
You keep the ball in play and you know the rules. What's missing is the soft game: the ability to slow a point down instead of swinging harder when things get fast.
- Dinking with intentNot just getting it over — placing it so your opponent has no good answer.
- The third shot dropThe single highest-value shot in the sport, and when to drive instead.
- Getting to the kitchen lineMoving up behind your own shot without getting caught in no-man's land.
- Resetting a hard ballTaking pace off a speed-up so the point goes back to neutral instead of away from you.
You're consistent — now it's decisions
Your shots hold up. What costs you games is choosing the wrong one under pressure, or losing the hands battle at the line. This is where coaching gets specific.
- Shot selection under pressureReading the ball you're given and picking the shot the situation actually calls for.
- Speed-ups and countersWhen to initiate, how to defend one, and how to win the exchange that follows.
- Transition zone footworkMoving through the middle of the court without giving away free points.
- Poaching and switchingCovering your partner, taking the middle, and calling it before the ball gets there.
You compete — now it's margins
You're playing tournaments or the top rec games and the gaps are narrow. Work here is pattern-based: constructing points on purpose and taking away what your opponents do best.
- Stacking and court coverageKeeping your forehands in the middle and organising who takes what.
- Point constructionRunning patterns that force a specific ball rather than waiting for a mistake.
- Targeting and pressureFinding the weaker side, the weaker player, and the shot they don't want to hit.
- Erne, ATP and the low-percentage shotsThe plays worth having — and knowing the moment they're actually on.
What to expect
An hour that goes on your game, not a script
We're a small Houston group, not a franchise — several of us came up through competitive tennis and we play well above where most of our students are aiming. But what you're actually paying for is an hour spent on the two or three things holding you back, rather than a lesson plan written for somebody else.
We watch before we fix anything
The first few minutes are live points, not drills. It is the fastest way to see what is actually costing you — and it is almost never the thing people think it is.
Two or three things, not ten
You will leave able to do something you could not do when you arrived. A list of ten corrections is a list you will have forgotten by the car park.
Nobody is watching but us
Private and semi-private only, so there is no group to keep up with and no one three levels ahead of you. Beginners are genuinely welcome — most of our students start there.
How it works
Three steps, no membership
Tell us your level
Pick your rating band above, or say you don't know one — plenty of people don't, and that's a perfectly normal place to start.
We match the coach and court
You get paired with a coach who works well at your level, at a Houston court that's convenient for you. We come back within one day.
Play, then get a plan
You finish the hour with a short written plan — the two or three things to drill before you come back. Pay after the lesson, not before.
Request a lesson
Tell us where you're at
Fill this in and we'll come back within a day with a coach, a court, and a couple of times. Nothing is charged until after your first lesson.
- Have a court at home, or one you'd rather play at? Tell us in the form and we'll come to you.
- Otherwise we'll pick a good public court near you
- No membership and no packages
- Paddles and balls provided if you need them
- Free reschedule up to 12 hours before