Pickleball lessons with
Coach Lance Osborne
From$70.87 per lesson
•
Pickleball lessons with
Coach Lance Osborne
From$70.87 per lesson
•94
Happy Student ScoreGreat
This coach is reliable and responsive. Students are happy and often return for more lessons.
Coach Rating
5.0•9 reviews
94
Happy Student ScoreGreat
This coach is reliable and responsive. Students are happy and often return for more lessons.
Coach Rating
5.0•9 reviews
About your pickleball coach
If you’re ready to learn pickleball or take your beginner-intermediate (1.0-4.0) skills to the next level, you have a choice: (1) Work with someone who simply “picked up” the sport and may not know how to teach it effectively, or (2) Train with a former UT racket sports instructor and multi-medalist in USSP tournaments across Texas and Oklahoma. With professional instruction, you’ll not only master the fundamentals of this fun, social, and wildly popular sport—you’ll also stay safe by learning proper warm-ups and stretches to help prevent injuries. Plus, take on the ball machine, overcome your kitchen fears, choose the best clothing and equipment, dealing with your emotions in competition, and much more!
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Teaches: Kids, Teenagers, Adults, Seniors
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Levels: Beginners, Intermediates
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Lives in: Austin, Texas
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Years Playing: 7 years
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Given: 17 lessons
Lance's availability
Find a location and time that works for you
Lance's availability
Find a location and time that works for you
Availability on all locations
Near Austin, Texas
No availability for this date
Didn't find a time or location that works with Lance?
We can suggest similar coaches or arrange a different spot (even at home)
We can suggest similar coaches or arrange a different spot (even at home)
Accomplishments
🏓4.1 DUPR
🏅College Coach
➕93% percentile ranking in student evaluation @ UT
Reputation
94
Happy Student ScoreGreat
Reliability
Always reliable ⭐ Shows up on time and ready to teach every lesson. You can count on them.
Average rating
5.0
9 ratings•9 reviews
Craig L
If you’re looking for a coach who knows how to teach pickleball, not just play the game, Lance is your guy. He tailors his instruction based on your level of experience with a balanced focus on the fundamentals and game strategy. I saw significant improvement after one lesson. And, best of all, the lessons are on a private court!
Bob H.
Lance can definitely teach any of the technical skills necessary to master the game of Pickleball. His understanding of the tactical nuances of the game and how to teach them will allow you to take your game to the next level.
Scott S.
Lance brings warmth and wisdom to the court along with a deep understanding of the game and winning techniques. He's especially been a positive influence on my hyper-competitive sixteen year old son.
Tom F
Playing Pickleball, or most sports is about mental and physical skill. working with Lance he emphasized both equally. I learned more in an hour than 3 years of just playing
Lynn W.
Lance excels at the mechanics of the game and got us started hitting the ball quickly. He has lots of good suggestions and nice way of explaining things.
Dottie Stanley
Fantastic instructor! Patient and professional. Lance is a great player and he enjoys sharing his knowledge with others.
Beginner training plan
Your first lessonLesson 1 — Court Basics, Ready Position & Footwork Fundamentals
Goals: Introduce court, rules, stance, and basic movement.
Warm-up: Side shuffles, forward/back pedal, quick-feet ladder (or chalk boxes).
Teach: Court lines, NVZ, score basics.
Skills: Ready position, paddle grip, athletic stance.
Footwork Focus:
Split step timing
Shuffle steps instead of crossing feet
Drills: Shadow swings + shuffle to ball; partner toss & move.
Mini-Game: Cooperative rally inside service boxes (movement first).
Lesson 11+Lesson 11 — Match Play, Evaluation & Movement Mastery
Goals: Apply everything in real games.
Warm-up: Player-choice movement drills (dinks, volleys, drops).
Footwork Focus:
Movement efficiency
Defensive positioning
Match Play: Short, coached games with rotation.
Assessment: Serve stance, return movement, transition footwork, NVZ control.
Wrap-Up: Personalized improvement plan + movement goals.
Lesson 4-10Lesson 4 — Third Shot Drop + Drop Footwork
Goals: Introduce drop shot with correct positioning.
Warm-up: Drop-step, diagonal shuffle, soft-feet drills.
Footwork Focus:
Split step before contact
Move in behind a successful drop
Drills: Feed → drop → two shuffle steps forward.
Mini-Game: Drop-to-kitchen rally (movement mandated).
Lesson 5 — Dinking + NVZ Footwork
Goals: Develop soft hands and lateral movement at the net.
Warm-up: NVZ line lateral shuffles with paddle ready.
Footwork Focus:
Small, quiet, continuous steps
Staying square to ball while moving diagonally
Drills: Crosscourt dink with constant foot adjustments; “step only, no power” rallies.
Mini-Game: Kitchen-only rally where you must move feet before each shot.
Lesson 6 — Volleys & Punch Volleys + Reaction Footwork
Goals: Build quick, balanced net play.
Warm-up: High-knee quick steps, micro-shuffle volley drills.
Footwork Focus:
Split step before every volley
Recovering to ready stance after each punch
Drills: Reaction volleys with coach/partner; block volleys requiring lateral steps.
Mini-Game: “Quick Hands” with mandatory split step each exchange.
Lesson 7 — Transition Zone Footwork
Goals: Move from baseline to kitchen with intention.
Warm-up: Diagonal transition shuffles, soft-step drills.
Footwork Focus:
Three-step drop → move → reset
Controlled forward progress (no rushing)
Drills: Coach feeds → player takes 3 balls to reach kitchen (drop, block, reset).
Mini-Game: Transition race—win point only after reaching NVZ.
Lesson 8 — Drives & Lobs + Offensive/Defensive Footwork
Goals: Introduce power and vertical movement (backward recovery).
Warm-up: Forward drive steps + backpedal safely.
Footwork Focus:
Step-through drive technique
Quick pivot and retreat for defending lobs
Drills: Crosscourt drives with step-through; lob-chase footwork patterns.
Mini-Game: “Drive only” or “Lob only” games requiring correct movement.
Lesson 9 — Defense & Resetting + Soft Movement
Goals: Learn controlled movement under pressure.
Warm-up: Low balanced shuffles, knee-bend resets.
Footwork Focus:
Staying low to soften the ball
Slow, deliberate forward steps for resets
Drills: Partner hits hard → player resets while shuffling to NVZ.
Mini-Game: Reset Rally—point continues only if reset lands in NVZ and player moves up.
Lesson 10 — Strategy, Positioning & Tactical Footwork
Goals: Introduce doubles systems and movement patterns.
Warm-up: Partner shadow positioning, split-step timing drills.
Footwork Focus:
“Move as a pair” — sliding as a team
Stacking and unstacking footwork
Drills: Serve → return → drop → dink pattern with required footwork.
Mini-Game: Coaching-pause doubles with emphasis on movement choices.
Lesson 2-3Lesson 2 — Serve Fundamentals + Serve Footwork
Goals: Build a legal, consistent serve with proper balance.
Warm-up: Weight-transfer steps, slow underhand swings with step-in.
Footwork Focus:
Step-in or staggered stance stability
Controlled recovery after serving
Drills: Serve to quadrants, then shuffle to middle.
Mini-Game: Serve-only to 7, must move to correct position after the serve.
Lesson 3 — Return of Serve + Recovery Footwork
Goals: Deep returns with proper movement and court coverage.
Warm-up: Deep shuffle steps, quick pivot drills.
Footwork Focus:
Move forward into the return, then retreat to kitchen line
Open-stance returns
Drills: Return → shuffle to kitchen; cone-to-ball footwork patterns.
Mini-Game: Return-only points (must land ball deep, must reach kitchen by 3rd shot).
Advanced training plan
Your first lessonLesson 1 — High-Performance Footwork Foundations
Theme: Elite movement patterns & balance control.
Warm-up: Multi-directional ladders, explosive split-step timing, recovery patterns.
Footwork Focus:
Neutral vs. aggressive split-step
Directional shuffles, pivot turns, drop steps
Drills: Coach calls directions (“up, back, left, right”); 4-ball movement pattern.
Mini-Game: Movement-only rally (must move feet before each shot).
Lesson 11+Lesson 11 — High-Intensity Match Play & Tactical Footwork Evaluation
Theme: Apply elite movement to real matches.
Warm-up: Player-choice advanced footwork circuit.
Evaluation Areas:
NVZ dominance through footwork
Transition efficiency
Defensive resets under movement
Match Play: Short games with tactical coaching pauses.
Final Drill: 10-point movement challenge (serves, returns, drops, transitions).
Wrap-Up: Personalized footwork plan + advanced goals.
Lesson 4-10Lesson 4 — Third Shot Mastery: Drops, Drives, and Mixes
Theme: Shot selection based on positioning.
Footwork:
Set-and-drop positioning
Drive → split → crash patterns
Drills:
Drop/drive decision ladder (based on feed height)
3rd-shot transition circuits
Mini-Game: Server must decide drop or drive in real time; earn point only if correct.
Lesson 5 — Dink Patterns & Angular Footwork
Theme: Win dinking battles through angles & mobility.
Footwork:
Crosscourt vs. straight-on foot angles
Side shuffle + diagonal adjustment
Drills:
V-pattern dink movement
Speed-up bait dinks (foot positioning dictates win/loss)
Mini-Game: “Angles only”—must hit crosscourt unless forced straight.
Lesson 6 — Volley Domination & Hand Battle Footwork
Theme: Neutralizing speed and winning close-range exchanges.
Footwork:
Micro-shuffles, recoil recovery
Hand-battle split-step timing
Drills:
Rapid-fire volleys; movement after every volley
Attack → block → counter patterns
Mini-Game: First to win a 5-ball hand battle earns the point.
Lesson 7 — Transition Zone Warfare
Theme: Advance efficiently from baseline to NVZ under pressure.
Footwork:
Three-step progression movement
Reset footwork (low, quiet steps)
Drills:
Live transition feeds; player must stabilize with footwork before each reset
Drive → drop → block → advance sequences
Mini-Game: “3-ball gauntlet”—advance successfully or lose point.
Lesson 8 — Attack/Counterattack Footwork
Theme: Create and punish attackable balls.
Footwork:
Getting off the line to counter
Jump-step or micro-hop for speed-ups
Drills:
Attack-to-counter patterns
Footwork for inside-out forehands from NVZ
Mini-Game: “Counter wins”—only counterattack winners count.
Lesson 9 — Lobs, Overheads & Vertical Footwork
Theme: Master defending and executing vertical play.
Footwork:
Drop step → crossover sprint
Backpedal safely → pivot
Drills:
Offensive lob → chase → recovery
Overhead → crash forward for next ball
Mini-Game: Lob & Chase—lobber scores if chaser can’t recover properly.
Lesson 10 — Doubles Strategy, Rotations & Team Footwork
Theme: Movement patterns for advanced doubles.
Footwork:
Sliding together as a unit
Stacking and unstacking transitions
Poaching patterns
Drills:
Crosscourt dink pressure → switching roles mid-rally
Serve/return patterns with rotation footwork
Mini-Game: “Shadow partner”—teams must move as one to earn point.
Lesson 2-3Lesson 2 — Advanced Serves & Serve Positioning
Theme: Turn serve into an offensive weapon.
Footwork: Staggered stance for power, forward recovery, sideline positioning variation.
Skills: Topspin serves, slice serves, deep corner targeting.
Drills: Serve → sprint to optimal T-position; “serve + first ball attack.”
Mini-Game: “Serve for advantage”—point only counts if server gains positional edge.
Lesson 3 — Aggressive Return Footwork & Pressure Positioning
Theme: Turn returns into early control.
Footwork:
Forward momentum returns
Return → quick recovery to NVZ
Open-stance returns for speed
Drills: Deep return → crash to kitchen within 3 steps.
Mini-Game: Returner’s point if they reach NVZ before 3rd shot.
Youth players
Working with kidsDepending on your child’s age and athleticism, I will adjust the lessons. I’ve taught tennis and pickleball to hundreds of boys and girls from the age of 6 to 16, privately and in summer camps. I focus on being super positive, making it fun to learn, using teaching devices and drills to accelerate skill mastery, and celebrating accomplishments.
Working with teenagersSame as above but greatly dependent on the athleticism and previous skill set of the teen.
What you need to bringWear appropriate athletic and sun protection clothing and court shoes for tennis, pickleball, or volleyball.
What I can bringI will provide paddles if needed.
Frequently asked questions
Cancellation Policy
We totally understand that life can be unpredictable and plans might change. That's
why we've got your back with our flexible cancellation policy, designed to give you
peace of mind when booking private sports lessons with our awesome local instructors!
If you need to cancel your lesson, no worries! You can get a full refund if you cancel within 24 hours of making your booking. We want to make the process as hassle-free as possible for you.
And if you simply want to reschedule your lesson, change the date and time, or adjust the number of students joining, we've got you covered there too. You can easily make these changes within 24 hours of booking, and up to 72 hours before your lesson starts.
Our goal is to make your experience smooth, enjoyable, and worry-free. So go ahead and book with confidence, knowing that we're here to accommodate your needs every step of the way!
If you need to cancel your lesson, no worries! You can get a full refund if you cancel within 24 hours of making your booking. We want to make the process as hassle-free as possible for you.
And if you simply want to reschedule your lesson, change the date and time, or adjust the number of students joining, we've got you covered there too. You can easily make these changes within 24 hours of booking, and up to 72 hours before your lesson starts.
Our goal is to make your experience smooth, enjoyable, and worry-free. So go ahead and book with confidence, knowing that we're here to accommodate your needs every step of the way!
LO
Pickleball with Lance O.⭑ 5.0 (9 reviews)