Pickleball lessons in Santa Rosa, for the part of the game that actually wins points.
Private and small-group lessons with Michael Kuhlman, from $85 for an hour, at public courts in Santa Rosa, Rohnert Park, Windsor, Petaluma, the Napa Valley and Marin. Most players plateau because they drill the wrong thing. We find the one habit holding your level back, and fix it.
Pick the format that fits
Every session is built around your game, not a script. I sort out where we play and when the courts are free, and you leave with a written plan and drills you can do on your own. Or send me footage of a game I was not at and the whole thing happens online, wherever you played it.
New to pickleball? A private lesson is the easiest first step, and a paddle is provided. Rather not be the only one learning? Bring a friend and book a group lesson. Or read what a first lesson is like first.
Private Lesson
One player, one coach, everything aimed at your game.
- A short assessment of where your level is stuck
- A written plan and two take-home drills
- Paddle provided if you need one
Group Lesson
Bring your doubles partner, or a few friends, and train together.
- Positioning, stacking and who takes the middle
- Bigger groups: one theme, drilled in rotations
- A written plan afterwards for every player
Online Video Analysis
Send me footage of a game I was not at. Get a coaching video back.
- Film on any phone and upload it here
- A video reply, me talking over your footage
- Every key moment timestamped
Lessons make a good present. A gift card for a lesson, a lesson for two, or any amount from $25. Same price as the lesson, and it never expires.
Give a gift cardThree steps, no membership
No club to join, no contract, no minimum commitment. Book one lesson and see how it goes.
Choose your lesson and court
Pick a format, then a venue that suits you. There are 34 to choose from across six counties. I handle the court reservation and any fee.
We find the real problem
The first fifteen minutes are diagnostic. Most players are working on the wrong thing. The fix is usually one layer beneath what they think it is.
You leave with a plan
Written notes, two drills you can do alone, and a clear focus for your next few sessions of open play. It all shows up in your student account.
Our home courts
Lessons run at 34 venues across six counties. Four of them do most of the work: Finley Community Park, Sunrise Park, Howarth Memorial Park and Hiram Lewis Park. Best courts, easiest parking, most open times.
Finley Community Park
Santa Rosa, CA · 12 courts
Sunrise Park
Rohnert Park, CA · 12 courts
Howarth Memorial Park
Santa Rosa, CA · 6 courts
Hiram Lewis Park
Windsor, CA · 5 courts
Michael Kuhlman
PPR Certified Instructor and a 5.0+ tournament player, teaching across Sonoma, Napa and Marin counties.
I came to pickleball the way most people do, hooked after one session, then stuck at the same level for a year because nobody told me what I was actually doing wrong. That is the gap I coach into. Not drills for the sake of drills, but the specific thing between you and the next level.
Most of my students are recreational players who want to stop losing to the same people every week. Some are chasing a rating. A few have never held a paddle. All of them get the same thing: an honest read on their game and a plan they can actually follow.
PPR Certified Instructor
Professional Pickleball Registry: the standard credential for coaching in the US.
5.0+ tournament player
I still compete. What I teach is what works against good players, not theory.
All levels welcome
From first-ever paddle to 5.0 players fine-tuning for tournaments.
I come to you
Lessons at any of 34 venues within 60 miles of Santa Rosa, with no travel charge.
Before you book
Do I need to be athletic?
No. The court is a quarter the size of a tennis court and most points are won by putting the ball somewhere awkward rather than by outrunning anyone. If you can walk for an hour you can play, and a first lesson moves at that pace.
What if I am terrible?
Everyone is, for about twenty minutes. A first lesson is built to get you rallying rather than drilling technique on your own, because rallying badly is how you stop being bad. Nobody on the next court is watching as closely as you think.
Do I need to know the rules or scoring first?
No, and I would not bother trying to learn them from a video beforehand. The kitchen rule and the serving sequence take about five minutes to understand on a court and considerably longer to understand reading about them. Your first lesson covers both.
Do I need my own paddle?
No. I bring spares to every lesson and you are welcome to use one for as long as you like. Try a few before you spend anything - a lesson is a good place to work out what weight suits you.
What actually happens in the first ten minutes?
You get a paddle, we stand a few feet apart and hit the ball back and forth, and you find out it moves slower than you expected. There is no fitness test and no drill you can fail. You will have played real points before the hour is up.
Ready to stop guessing?
Book a single lesson, no membership, no commitment. If it was not worth it, you do not pay for it. That is in writing.