First Launch
When you first open Court Canvas, an example play is already on the board with a card over it. Tap 'Watch it' to see the point run, or 'Start my own' for an empty court. Nothing asks you to pick a sport or a format first — those are in the toolbar and the menu, and the board remembers what you last chose.
Interface Overview
The court sits in the middle, with draggable players on it and the ball marker. The toolbar floats at the bottom, in reach of your thumb.
Shot (default)
Draw where the ball goes. Drag on the court and let go. Shot arrows are yellow and numbered in the order you draw them.
Movement
Tap 'Movement' in the toolbar and drag on the court. Movement arrows are pale blue and carry the same numbered badges.
Free draw
Under 'More'. Sketch anything you like on the court — zones, notes, shapes. The line follows your finger.
Circle
Tap the court to drop a circle. Good for target zones and recovery spots.
X mark
Tap the court to drop an X. Good for marking spots to stay out of.
Moving Players
Drag a player straight away. They grow slightly when grabbed, with a small buzz on phones. Turn on 'Hold to move' if you want a short press first, so you don't nudge players while drawing.
Player Teams
Player A is on your side of the net, player B is across from them. C and D join in doubles.
Moving the Ball
Same drag behavior as players. Switching between singles and doubles puts the ball and the players back on the starting marks for that format, so switch before you draw rather than after.
Start over
The menu has 'Reset board', which clears every shot and movement and puts the players back where they started.
Playing your play
Tap Play to run your play. Shots and movements go in the order you drew them, about 2 seconds each, with the ball and players following the paths.
During Playback
You can't draw while a play is running, and the tools stay off until it finishes. To stop early, tap 'Done' on the playback bar, or press Esc.
Timing
Each shot/movement: 1.8 seconds. Pause between actions: 0.05 seconds. Playback stops on the last action; it does not loop.
Save a play
Open the menu, tap 'Save play', give it a name, tap Save. Plays are stored on your own device — 5 of them on the free plan.
Load a play
Open the menu, tap 'Load play', then tap a name in your playbook. The board comes back with every shot and movement where you left it.
Send a play to someone
Draw your play, then tap 'Share play' in the menu. On a phone that opens the share sheet, so the link goes straight to a message; on a desktop it copies. Whoever opens it sees the play run and can edit their own copy, with no account and nothing to install.
Save or send an image
'Save PNG' downloads the board at 2x resolution. 'Share image' sends the same picture through the share sheet. The free plan adds a small watermark.
Save or send the animation
'Save GIF' records the play and 'Share GIF' sends it. The GIF runs at half speed so it can be read — about 3.6 seconds per action — and holds the last frame for 1.5 seconds. 'Save video' writes an MP4, and 'Save PDF' prints a one-page coach sheet.
Court Surface
Choose from 3 Grand Slam surfaces: Hard (US Open blue), Clay (Roland Garros terracotta), Grass (Wimbledon green).
Court Mode
Singles mode shows 2 players (A, B). Doubles mode shows 4 players (A, B, C, D). Toggle in toolbar or settings.
Theme
Light Mode with clean white background, or Dark Mode with slate gray. Automatically matches system preference or toggle manually.
Hold to Move
When enabled, must hold 400ms before dragging players/ball. Prevents accidental moves while drawing. Recommended for heavy annotation work.
Drawing Tips
Draw from where the ball actually is. The order you draw in is the order it plays back. Undo freely — and make each drag long enough to register.
Positioning Tips
Move players to strategic positions before drawing. Try different formations for serve + volley patterns.
Export Tips
Clear any stray marks before you save. Dark mode gives better contrast. Draw shots in the order you want them to play. The PNG is high resolution, so it holds up on a big screen.
Mobile Tips
Pinch to zoom. Turn a tablet sideways for a bigger court. Add it to your home screen. You'll feel a small buzz when a player is grabbed.
Do I need an account?
No. Court Canvas runs entirely on your device, with no signup.
Is my data private?
Your plays stay on your own device: they are only sent anywhere when you share a link yourself, and there is no account to attach them to. The site does send anonymous traffic and performance analytics — the privacy policy names both services and what they see.
Does it work offline?
Yes. Once it has loaded, Court Canvas works without a connection. Add it to your home screen for the best courtside experience.
Are the courts accurate?
Court layouts are based on official ITF, FIP, and USA Pickleball specifications.
Why won't my line appear?
A very short flick doesn't register as a shot. Drag a bit further.
How do I add players C and D?
Switch to doubles with the '1v1' / '2v2' toggle in the toolbar, or pick 'Doubles' in the menu.
Why is there a watermark on my PNG?
The free plan adds a small Court Canvas watermark. Court Canvas Pro removes it.
What browsers are supported?
Chrome, Safari, Firefox, and Edge, on phones and desktops.
Is there an app?
Yes. Court Canvas is on the App Store for iPhone, iPad and Apple silicon Macs, and it is free to download. Pro is a one-time $4.99 purchase there and removes the export watermark. Everything in this guide works in the browser without it.
⌨️Keyboard Shortcuts (Desktop)
📱Court Canvas on your phone
Everything in this guide works in a browser, with no account. There is also an App Store version for iPhone, iPad and Apple silicon Macs. It is free to download, it keeps your whole playbook on the device, and it adds seven court themes.
Get it on the App Store