Here are ten pickleball doubles strategies you might find helpful – especially if you are just starting out in the sport of pickleball. This list is by no means exhaustive. However, these are the fundamental strategies for picking up pickleball and will help you become a more intelligent player.
1. After the Return of Serve, you should go to the non-volley line
Tips for pickleball doubles strategy include getting to the non-volley line, which is always the first thing to do.
Wining rallies and points is much easier when you and your partner are
Following every serve return to the non-volley line is therefore recommended. This increases your likelihood of winning the rally.
2. Learn to Hit Drop Shots
Although drop shots can be difficult to use in pickleball doubles, they are effective when you and your partner aren’t at the non-volley line, but your opponents are. You and your partner will reach the non-volley line when this shot is executed correctly – negating your opponent’s inherent advantage.
Occasionally, the serving team will execute a drop shot after returning a serve. Drop shots are frequently referred to as “third shot drops” due to their common execution on the third shot.
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3. Pin your opponents to the baseline
Your partner and you should be on the non-volley line, and other players should not be. At this point, you have the advantage. Your advantage will be negated if you hit a shorter shot because your opponents will be closer to the non-volley line. Rather then hitting shots that keep your opponents deep in their own court, it is better to hit shots that maintain your advantage during rallies.
4. Strike at the opponent’s feet
It doesn’t matter where your opponents are on the court; hitting the ball at th
It is very difficult to return a ball at the feet without popping it up. Dink at your opponent’s feet if you are playing with them. The ball should be hit at your opponent’s feet if they are standing between the non-volley line and the baseline. Hit the ball at the feet of your opponent if they are near the baseline. You will become a better doubles pickleball player if you follow this simple strategy.
5. Serve with More Depth
When serving, the top priority is to hit the serve deep. Keep in mind strategy #1. Following the return, the return-of-server will advance to the non-volley line. If the serve is kept deep, they are unlikely to get all the way up to the line.
Although it may seem counterintuitive to some, hitting a high-arcing ball that lands deep on the opponent’s court is always preferable to a blazing serve that lands several feet inside the baseline.
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6. When returning serves, don’t stand too close to the baseline
Frequently when players return serves, I observe them standing at the baseline or perhaps within a foot of it.
Standing 2-3 feet behind the baseline when returning a serve is optimal unless the server is likely to hit a short serve. Stepping into the ball as you return the ball will give you time and space.
The deep ball will no longer cause you to get jammed and give up a point to your opponent.
7. Make sure to return the serve as deep as possible
There are several advantages to a deep return of service. Firstly, it provides additional time for the returner to follow the return-of-serve before advancing to the non-volley line. Furthermore, this makes the third shot by the serving team a longer one and harder to hit.
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8. Communicate if a return shot hits the middle
In most cases, shots hit down the middle of the court cause confusion and confusion over which partner should hit them. Decide as a team who will take the middle shots at the start of the game.
Generally, you will want to distinguish between whoever is positioned on the forehand side to make the middle shot and whoever is positioned on the backhand side. It would be nice if we could at least shout “mine” and “yours.”
9. Let’s move together
During pickleball doubles, players usually move together – almost as if they are tethered together by a rope 8-10 feet long. Play up and back with your teammate. Work together as a team. When your teammates don’t move together, huge angles are created for your opponents to put balls away more easily.
10. Have patience
I get right to the heart of this one. The Pickleball doubles strategy that requires the most patience is perhaps the most challenging. To be patient, you need to select your shots carefully. To get the ball over the net, consider a conservative shot if you cannot hit it with a descending blow. Most rallies are lost because of mistakes. Staying patient will prevent mistakes. Be patient, grasshopper!
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Final Thoughts
The above are just a few of the pickleball doubles strategies that can improve your gameplay and your partner’s play. Consider implementing as many of these concepts and strategies as possible in your own game. You might not be accustomed to these. Initially, you may not understand them. You can improve your skills with a bit of practice, however.
