Around the Post
Why this drill
The ATP is pickleball's only shot that ignores the net entirely — and it comes from a ball most players treat as an emergency. Deliberate reps turn the wide dink from a scramble into an invitation.
Setup
Feeder at the non-volley-zone line with a supply of balls; hitter at the opposite line. Full court width — the drill lives at the sidelines.
The drill
The feeder dinks deliberately wide — balls that bounce near the sideline and carry beyond it, the ATP invitation. The hitter tracks wide, lets the ball drift past the post, and hits around it, low and flat, aiming inside the far sideline. Ten attempts per set; count clean makes. Two or three of ten is honest at first — the drill is also learning which balls to decline: if it hasn't carried wide of the post, dink it back and live. Swap roles each set.
One thought to take on court
Let it travel — the ATP only exists after the ball is past the post, and impatience is why yours hits the net post's shadow.