Instructional Program

PCVG offers a complete learning pathway for players from brand‑new beginners to experienced, PCVG and DUPR rated players.

Two program series are offered: Introduction to Pickleball and Clinics. The specifics of each series are detailed below.

All Instructional classes and clinics are free for Villages residents. A Villages ID is required to register. Guests may attend only if space allows.

Schedule & Registration

Signups for both the Introduction to Pickleball Series and the Clinic Series are managed through SignUpGenius. Use the button below for instructions on how to use SignUpGenius.

All sessions open for registration 7 days before the event at 8:00 PM. Please cancel at least 24 hours in advance if you can no longer attend.

If weather forces a cancellation, participants will be notified one hour before the scheduled start time.

To view upcoming sessions, click the Schedule button.

Click the downward arrow to expand text. Click the upward arrow to collapse text. 

The registration link for each class or clinic is located inside its expandable section.

Introduction to Pickleball Series Overview

About the Introduction to Pickleball Series

The Introduction to Pickleball Series is designed to help players develop safe playing skills as they learn the game. It is both for brand new players and players who have been playing for quite a while but haven’t been able to figure out why they can’t seem to improve their game beyond the Beginner level. We teach good body mechanics to minimize injury and provide a foundation for skills improvement, as well as the basics of the game.

Complete in the following order:

  1. Virtual classroom
  2. Introduction to Pickleball on-court sessions. Attend 2 or more times and then be advanced by the instructor to Beginner Mentored Play (BMP).
  3. Beginner Mentored Play (BMP). Attend up to 5 BMP sessions and then be advanced by the mentor to Advanced Beginner Clinic (ABC). Some players may be advanced with less than 5 BMP sessions.
  4. Advanced Beginner Clinic (ABC) and then be advanced to the Clinic Series after a recommendation by the Advanced Beginner Clinic (ABC) instructor.

Paddles and balls are provided. Protective eyewear and athletic shoes are required.

Step 1 - Virtual Classroom

Participants are required to watch all assigned videos before attending the Introduction to Pickleball on-court class. These videos provide the foundational knowledge you’ll need before stepping onto the courts.

  • Basic terminology
  • Court layout
  • Rules
  • Scoring
  • Safety

Click HERE to watch the videos.

Step 2 - Introduction to Pickleball

Prerequisite is viewing the Virtual Classroom videos.

Students will learn the physical demands of the game, as well as balance, footwork, and movement. Through eye-hand coordination drills & paddle drills, they will learn paddle & ball interaction. Learning basic serves, ground strokes and dinks will prepare them to play. This class is designed to be repeated to help players become comfortable and safe. Instructors will advise students when they are ready to move on to beginner mentored play.

In this on-court class you will learn:

  • Grip and ready position
  • Basic strokes
  • Court movement
  • Intro to scoring
  • Good body mechanics
  • Safety on the court

Advancement:  Instructor moves you to the Beginner Mentored Play class when they feel you are ready.

Click HERE to register and for more information on the Introduction to Pickleball class.

Step 3 - Beginner Mentored Play (BMP)

This class consists of guided play with experienced mentors focusing on:

  • Consistency
  • Positioning
  • Shot selection
  • Confidence building

Students typically attend up to 5 times; however, it very much depends on the individual student. Some students may be recommended to attend more sessions before advancing to the next class.

Advancement:  Mentor moves you to the Advanced Beginner Clinic (ABC).

Click HERE to register and for more information on Beginner Mentored Play (BMP).

Step 4 - Advanced Beginner Class (ABC)

The focus of this class is skill development in:

  • Developing ball control with a variety of shots
  • Serve and return consistency
  • Dinking
  • Court strategy basics
  • Movement and positioning

Advancement:  The Advanced Beginner Clinic instructor recommends you for the Clinic Series.

Click HERE to register and for more information on Advanced Beginner Clinic (ABC).

Clinic Series Overview

The Clinic Series are designed for players who:

  • Have completed the Introduction to Pickleball series and have been recommended by their instructor to continue with the clinic series.
  • OR have prior training and play at the advanced beginner (2.5) level or above.

The clinic offerings, as referenced in the below sections, are:

  • Non-Volley Zone (NVZ) Concepts
  • Full Court Concepts
  • Partner Development Concepts
  • Strategy Play Concepts
  • Moving Beyond 3.5

You can repeat the clinics as recommended by the Activity Leader.

Non-Volley Zone (NVZ) Concepts

This clinic teaches developmental techniques to improve Non-Volley Zone shots using a game-based drill and play format. Instruction will be on:

  • creating open space
  • ball pace
  • moving opponents
  • ideal strike zone
  • paddle angles
  • ball pathways to achieve a variety of shots for successful play

Click HERE to register and for more information on Non-Volley Zone (NVZ) Concepts.

Full Court Concepts

This clinic teaches the deep forehand and backhand ground strokes needed in the serve and return of serve. 

The focus area of this clinic is:

  • transitioning to the non-volley zone using the drop-shot via game-based drills and play

Click HERE to register and for more information on Full Court Concepts.

Partner Development Concepts

Prerequisites are:  Non-Volley Zone (NVZ) Concepts and Full Court Conepts.

This clinic is designed for partners to learn and play together using various skills and strategies. 

This course requires you to sign up with a partner. Partners will play together for all the drills and practice games.

The focus areas of this clinic are:

  • Partner communication
  • Stacking basics
  • Movement as a team
  • Offensive and defensive transitions

Click HERE to register and for more information on Partner Development Concepts. Only one of the partners should sign up.

Strategy Play Concepts

This clinic is designed to utilize your skills to execute a successful game plan against any opponent by introducing offensive and defensive strategies, with an emphasis on the transition zone. The focus areas of this clinic are:

  • Point construction
  • Pattern recognition
  • Advanced positioning
  • Smart aggression

Click HERE to register and for more information on Strategy Play Concepts.

Moving Beyond 3.5

The goal of the Moving Beyond 3.5 clinic is to give you the tools to move your DUPR rating from 3.5 to 4.0 and above. 

We will focus on different aspects of three key areas:

  1. The first five shots
  2. Play at the NVZ line
  3. Playing in control

Click HERE to register and for more information on Moving Beyond 3.5.