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Pickleball Fundamentals
by Mary Littlewood and USA Pickleball Association
Series: Sports Fundamentals
176 Pages
Fast, fun, and competitive: Simply step onto the court and it will be clear why pickleball is booming in popularity.
Pickleball Fundamentals is the first book written and endorsed by the USA Pickleball Association. It will teach you the basics of the sport so that you can join the fun on the court right away.
Learn proper execution of the sport’s essential skills and tactics. All the shots—groundstroke, serve and return, volley, dink, lob, overhead smash, and drop—provide a base for solid technique.
More than 40 drills and gamelike activities will speed your learning while improving performance. You’ll also find competitive tactics for various scenarios and strategies for both singles and doubles play.
So whether you are new to the sport or one of the growing number of pickleball fanatics, Pickleball Fundamentals is the best way to master the basics and compete with confidence.
Introduction
Chapter 1 Warming Up and Stretching
Chapter 2 Ready Position, Grips, and Ball Control
Chapter 3 Forehand and Backhand Groundstrokes
Chapter 4 Serve and Return of Serve
Chapter 5 Volley
Chapter 6 Dink
Chapter 7 Overhead Smash
Chapter 8 Lob
Chapter 9 Drop Shot
Chapter 10 Shot Selection and the Mental Game
Chapter 11 Strategies for Doubles and Singles
About the USAPA
About the Author
The USA Pickleball Association (USAPA) originated in the mid-1980s and became the official governing body of pickleball in 2005. Its mission is to promote the growth and development of pickleball throughout the world. This organization provides players with official rules, sanctioned tournaments, rankings, promotional materials, and training. The number of dedicated pickleball courts in the United States is increasing 50 percent each year.
Mary Littlewood taught physical education and coached various sports at the university level. She was head softball coach and head volleyball coach of the NCAA Division I program at Arizona State University.
After retirement, Littlewood discovered pickleball. She began competing in the Arizona Senior Olympics, Huntsman World Senior Games, and other tournaments, earning several gold, silver, and bronze medals. This success merged with Littlewood’s enthusiasm for the game and education, leading her to teach pickleball in clinics all over Arizona.
She wrote The History of Women’s Fastpitch Softball: The Path to the Gold, published by the National Fastpitch Coaches Association. She also is the author of Teaching for Success in Pickleball, Drilling for Success in Pickleball, and Pickleball: A Guide for Teaching. She published From Rags to Riches, a memoir of her experiences at ASU from the pre- to post-Title IX years. Littlewood currently writes a Coaching Tips column for her pickleball club website.
Forehand and Backhand Serves
Most commonly used is a forehand drive serve. Stand in a forward stride position behind the baseline with your left shoulder pointing toward the target and your weight on your back foot. The ball is in your left hand, and that arm is extended toward the net.
Forehand Serve
Most commonly used is a forehand drive serve. Stand in a forward stride position behind the baseline with your left shoulder pointing toward the target and your weight on your back foot. The ball is in your left hand, and that arm is extended toward the net. Bend at the waist, take your paddle arm back, drop or toss the ball between you and the target (figure 4.3a), swing your paddle arm forward in an underhand motion, and contact the ball below your waist (4.3b). After ball contact, follow through by bringing your arm up and toward the target (4.3c).
The forehand drive serve: (a) preparation, (b) contact, and (c) follow-through.
Another serve option is a short crosscourt one that lands just beyond the non-volley line. After a series of deep serves, the opponent will likely not expect a short crosscourt serve, which may lead to an easy point.
A third option of serving and perhaps the easiest to execute is the lob serve. When executing a lob serve, stand in a balanced upright position with your body facing the net and your left foot slightly ahead of the right foot. The paddle arm hangs loosely at your side with the paddle in a backward cocked position. Hold the ball in your left hand with that arm in line with the target (figure 4.4a). Drop the ball, swing the paddle arm forward, and make contact with the face of the paddle behind and below the ball (4.4b). Follow through up and toward the target (4.4c). The ball should be lofted and land deep in the intended service court. A lob serve is an excellent serve to mix in with a forehand drive serve. The slow speed of the ball as well as the high bounce often throw off the timing of the receiving player.
The lob serve: (a) preparation, (b) contact, and (c) follow-through.
So off of the forehand are three possible choices of serve: a hard-driven serve, a shallow crosscourt serve, and a lofted lob serve. Your decision about which serve to use depends on the position of the player receiving the serve and also how that player tends to react to and handle each kind of serve.
Backhand Serve
Players who cannot control the flight of the ball when using a forehand serve may find that a backhand serve works better. Some players who excel in using a forehand serve also find it useful to have the backhand serve in their arsenals. Just as there are variations of the forehand serve, there are variations of the backhand serve. Most common is for a right-hand player to assume a side-stride position behind the baseline with the right side toward the net. The right foot points to a spot between the net and the left sideline (figure 4.5a). The ball is in the left hand, and the arms are crossed in front of the body. The ball is dropped in line with the intended target, and the paddle arm swings forward and contacts the ball as it travels downward (4.5b). The swinging arm continues in a follow-through motion toward the target (4.5c). This serve is easy to execute because only the upper body of the server moves. It is also deceiving to the receiver and difficult to return because of a natural sidespin on the ball.
The backhand serve: (a) preparation, (b) contact, and (c) follow-through.
How you serve the ball and how you look while serving are incidental as long as you serve legally and successfully. Try several methods of serving until you find one that works for you.
When you play doubles, your position behind the baseline when serving is somewhat dependent on the type of serve that you plan to use. However, it's not wise to vary your position too much because it will telegraph to your opponents the type of serve that you plan to use. For example, if your intent is to hit a short crosscourt serve, you can get more of an angle on the hit ball if you stand close to the sideline rather than in the center of the court. Other than that, you should maintain a position behind your baseline in a position that enables you to cover your half of the court on the return of the serve.
When you play singles, the strongest position for serving is close to the center line. This puts you in a strong position from which to move either to the right or to the left to get to the return shot.
Save
Learn more about Pickleball Fundamentals.
Basic and Advanced Doubles Strategies
While the best players may use the strategies of the doubles game automatically now, they, too, were beginners at one time. Select one or two strategies to work on; when they become automatic to you and your partner, work on two more.
Basic Doubles Strategies
While the best players may use the strategies of the doubles game automatically now, they, too, were beginners at one time. Select one or two strategies to work on; when they become automatic to you and your partner, work on two more. Eventually your team will truly be one working together toward a common goal: success!
- Strive for 100 percent accuracy on serves. The serve is the only shot in the game that is uncontested - the receiving team must let the ball bounce before it can be hit (the double-bounce rule). Therefore, there is no excuse for not serving the ball over the net into the proper court. Your first objective should be to serve with 100 percent accuracy. Once you accomplish that, then you can focus on a more aggressive serve and placing the serve. Don't try to get too fancy with your serve too soon.
- The forehand player has the primary responsibility for balls down the middle. Even though, as Alex and Jennifer said, it's better for both players to go for the ball rather than neither one trying for it, balls down the middle are the primary responsibility of the player whose forehand is down the middle. Most forehands are stronger than backhands, so allowing the player whose forehand is in position to hit the ball will enable your team to return the ball with the strongest possible shot.
- Anticipate what the return shot will be and move into position to cover the possible angle of the return shot. The location of the opponents on the court, the paddle position and the body position of the player hitting the ball, and the possible angles for the return shot will tell you what the shot will probably be and where it will be hit. Be prepared to move into position for the return. For example, if you and your partner are at the net and one of you has executed a mis-hit that will be a setup for a smash, instead of maintaining your position at the net, both of you should move back with the hope that one of you will be able to get your paddle on the ball as it is smashed back across the net (figure 11.1).
Covering the angle of the return.
- Always face the ball on the other side of the net. Regardless of where you are on the court and where the ball is on the other side of the net, assume a position that is always facing the ball. In addition, always be prepared for the ball to be hit to you.
- Know where you are on the court and where the boundary lines are. Many beginners will hit any ball coming to them regardless of the flight of the oncoming ball and where they are standing on the court. Every time you hit a ball that would have gone out of bounds, you're extending the rally when, had you let the ball hit the ground first, you would have won the rally.
- Always strive for placement and control rather than speed when you hit the ball. The more games that you play, the better you will be able to see where your opponents are on the court. As the ball is coming to you, note where your opponents are and in what direction they're moving (if they're moving). Then place the ball behind them or in an open space on their court.
Advanced Doubles Strategies
When you and your partner both feel confident that you're playing a smart game and you're satisfied with your play together as a team, you can start thinking about using more advanced strategies, such as poaching, stacking, and putting spin on the ball. Don't force their use, but when the opportunity to use them arises, give them a try.
Poaching
If one partner is already at the net - especially on the left side while facing the net - and the other partner is coming to the net but is not there yet, and the opposing team is pretty predictable about where their groundstroke is going, the net player can poach by moving across in front of the partner staying behind the non-volley zone line and hitting the ball just after it crosses the net (R2 in figure 11.2). Normally a shot hit by a player poaching will be a winner, but in the event it isn't, R1 switching to the side vacated by his partner ensures that their court is covered. The advantage of poaching is that the ball is returned quicker than it would be if it were allowed to continue on to the partner who is still advancing toward the non-volley zone line. The disadvantage of poaching is that if the opposing team suspects that the net player is going to move across to poach, they will hit a line shot behind the poaching player. Poaching can occur on either side, but is usually a stronger shot if the ball is hit by the forehand of the player poaching.
Poaching.
Stacking
Every year, there are more players of all ages interested in competing against others in local, regional, national, and international tournaments. In preparation for that competition, players are exploring ways of improving their chances of winning. One of those is to use stacking. Simply put, stacking means that during the serve, the stronger player, whose forehand should be down the middle, lines up either at the baseline or at the non-volley zone line to the left (facing the net) of his partner. If the doubles team consists of one right-hand player and one left-hand player, the right-hand player would always line up to the left of his left-hand partner.
Jim Hackenberg, winner of multiple gold medals in men's doubles and mixed doubles, notes that more pickleball doubles teams are stacking and explains two situations in which it is particularly beneficial:
The first relates to a doubles team that consists of a left-hand player and a right-hand player. Stacking allows them to keep both of their forehands down the middle. As most players know, hitting the ball down the middle of the court is one of the best shots. The net is lower in the middle so there's a higher margin for error if you mis-hit the shot and there is the possibility of confusion about who should take the shot by the opposing team.
Stacking also can be an advantage to a doubles team that consists of one player who is more dominant - quicker, stronger, and more consistent - than his partner. Mixed-doubles teams that consist of a player who is stronger than the other often use stacking so that the stronger player's forehand is covering all middle shots.
The rules pertaining to the serve and the return of the serve apply to the two players involved in the serve action, not their partners. So while the server must stand behind the baseline and behind the proper service court, the server's partner can stand anywhere. Similarly, the player receiving the serve should be in a position that will allow for a return of serve, but the receiving player's partner can be anywhere on or just off of their court.
Jim considers that there are a full stack, a 75 percent stack, and a serving (defensive) stack. For a 75 percent stack, your team would stack in all instances except when the weaker player is receiving the serve behind the left service court. If your team chose to use a serving (defensive) stack, you would stack only when your team is serving; with this option, both players would receive serves normally.
Figure 11.3 illustrates the way players would stack in various situations.
Stacking chart.
Jim offers this advice to players who are considering stacking:
The advantages of stacking are fairly easy to identify - both players hit more shots with their forehands, and the dominant player has more opportunities to cover a larger area of the court. The disadvantages are also pretty simple to identify - teams forget where they are supposed to be! Nothing is worse than losing a point by being out of position. Never enter a tournament and try to stack if you haven't practiced it several times with your partner. Just as you need to practice the skills of the game, you also need to practice stacking. Have the first server wear a red wristband just like in a tournament. After a rally, ask yourself what your score is. The answer will tell you which partner is where. Your first server will be behind the right service court (facing the net) any time your score is even and behind the left service court when your score is odd. With practice, stacking becomes a valuable tool.
Putting Spin on the Ball
Once your pickleball game becomes consistent and you feel confident that you can control the speed and direction of the ball coming off of your paddle, then you might want to experiment with putting spin on the ball. A topspin or a backspin on groundstrokes, a sidespin on a serve, and a backspin on dinks can be very effective. (See the More to Choose and Use section in chapter 3 for details on applying spin.)
Save
Learn more about Pickleball Fundamentals.
Forehand and Backhand Serves
Most commonly used is a forehand drive serve. Stand in a forward stride position behind the baseline with your left shoulder pointing toward the target and your weight on your back foot. The ball is in your left hand, and that arm is extended toward the net.
Forehand Serve
Most commonly used is a forehand drive serve. Stand in a forward stride position behind the baseline with your left shoulder pointing toward the target and your weight on your back foot. The ball is in your left hand, and that arm is extended toward the net. Bend at the waist, take your paddle arm back, drop or toss the ball between you and the target (figure 4.3a), swing your paddle arm forward in an underhand motion, and contact the ball below your waist (4.3b). After ball contact, follow through by bringing your arm up and toward the target (4.3c).
The forehand drive serve: (a) preparation, (b) contact, and (c) follow-through.
Another serve option is a short crosscourt one that lands just beyond the non-volley line. After a series of deep serves, the opponent will likely not expect a short crosscourt serve, which may lead to an easy point.
A third option of serving and perhaps the easiest to execute is the lob serve. When executing a lob serve, stand in a balanced upright position with your body facing the net and your left foot slightly ahead of the right foot. The paddle arm hangs loosely at your side with the paddle in a backward cocked position. Hold the ball in your left hand with that arm in line with the target (figure 4.4a). Drop the ball, swing the paddle arm forward, and make contact with the face of the paddle behind and below the ball (4.4b). Follow through up and toward the target (4.4c). The ball should be lofted and land deep in the intended service court. A lob serve is an excellent serve to mix in with a forehand drive serve. The slow speed of the ball as well as the high bounce often throw off the timing of the receiving player.
The lob serve: (a) preparation, (b) contact, and (c) follow-through.
So off of the forehand are three possible choices of serve: a hard-driven serve, a shallow crosscourt serve, and a lofted lob serve. Your decision about which serve to use depends on the position of the player receiving the serve and also how that player tends to react to and handle each kind of serve.
Backhand Serve
Players who cannot control the flight of the ball when using a forehand serve may find that a backhand serve works better. Some players who excel in using a forehand serve also find it useful to have the backhand serve in their arsenals. Just as there are variations of the forehand serve, there are variations of the backhand serve. Most common is for a right-hand player to assume a side-stride position behind the baseline with the right side toward the net. The right foot points to a spot between the net and the left sideline (figure 4.5a). The ball is in the left hand, and the arms are crossed in front of the body. The ball is dropped in line with the intended target, and the paddle arm swings forward and contacts the ball as it travels downward (4.5b). The swinging arm continues in a follow-through motion toward the target (4.5c). This serve is easy to execute because only the upper body of the server moves. It is also deceiving to the receiver and difficult to return because of a natural sidespin on the ball.
The backhand serve: (a) preparation, (b) contact, and (c) follow-through.
How you serve the ball and how you look while serving are incidental as long as you serve legally and successfully. Try several methods of serving until you find one that works for you.
When you play doubles, your position behind the baseline when serving is somewhat dependent on the type of serve that you plan to use. However, it's not wise to vary your position too much because it will telegraph to your opponents the type of serve that you plan to use. For example, if your intent is to hit a short crosscourt serve, you can get more of an angle on the hit ball if you stand close to the sideline rather than in the center of the court. Other than that, you should maintain a position behind your baseline in a position that enables you to cover your half of the court on the return of the serve.
When you play singles, the strongest position for serving is close to the center line. This puts you in a strong position from which to move either to the right or to the left to get to the return shot.
Save
Learn more about Pickleball Fundamentals.
Basic and Advanced Doubles Strategies
While the best players may use the strategies of the doubles game automatically now, they, too, were beginners at one time. Select one or two strategies to work on; when they become automatic to you and your partner, work on two more.
Basic Doubles Strategies
While the best players may use the strategies of the doubles game automatically now, they, too, were beginners at one time. Select one or two strategies to work on; when they become automatic to you and your partner, work on two more. Eventually your team will truly be one working together toward a common goal: success!
- Strive for 100 percent accuracy on serves. The serve is the only shot in the game that is uncontested - the receiving team must let the ball bounce before it can be hit (the double-bounce rule). Therefore, there is no excuse for not serving the ball over the net into the proper court. Your first objective should be to serve with 100 percent accuracy. Once you accomplish that, then you can focus on a more aggressive serve and placing the serve. Don't try to get too fancy with your serve too soon.
- The forehand player has the primary responsibility for balls down the middle. Even though, as Alex and Jennifer said, it's better for both players to go for the ball rather than neither one trying for it, balls down the middle are the primary responsibility of the player whose forehand is down the middle. Most forehands are stronger than backhands, so allowing the player whose forehand is in position to hit the ball will enable your team to return the ball with the strongest possible shot.
- Anticipate what the return shot will be and move into position to cover the possible angle of the return shot. The location of the opponents on the court, the paddle position and the body position of the player hitting the ball, and the possible angles for the return shot will tell you what the shot will probably be and where it will be hit. Be prepared to move into position for the return. For example, if you and your partner are at the net and one of you has executed a mis-hit that will be a setup for a smash, instead of maintaining your position at the net, both of you should move back with the hope that one of you will be able to get your paddle on the ball as it is smashed back across the net (figure 11.1).
Covering the angle of the return.
- Always face the ball on the other side of the net. Regardless of where you are on the court and where the ball is on the other side of the net, assume a position that is always facing the ball. In addition, always be prepared for the ball to be hit to you.
- Know where you are on the court and where the boundary lines are. Many beginners will hit any ball coming to them regardless of the flight of the oncoming ball and where they are standing on the court. Every time you hit a ball that would have gone out of bounds, you're extending the rally when, had you let the ball hit the ground first, you would have won the rally.
- Always strive for placement and control rather than speed when you hit the ball. The more games that you play, the better you will be able to see where your opponents are on the court. As the ball is coming to you, note where your opponents are and in what direction they're moving (if they're moving). Then place the ball behind them or in an open space on their court.
Advanced Doubles Strategies
When you and your partner both feel confident that you're playing a smart game and you're satisfied with your play together as a team, you can start thinking about using more advanced strategies, such as poaching, stacking, and putting spin on the ball. Don't force their use, but when the opportunity to use them arises, give them a try.
Poaching
If one partner is already at the net - especially on the left side while facing the net - and the other partner is coming to the net but is not there yet, and the opposing team is pretty predictable about where their groundstroke is going, the net player can poach by moving across in front of the partner staying behind the non-volley zone line and hitting the ball just after it crosses the net (R2 in figure 11.2). Normally a shot hit by a player poaching will be a winner, but in the event it isn't, R1 switching to the side vacated by his partner ensures that their court is covered. The advantage of poaching is that the ball is returned quicker than it would be if it were allowed to continue on to the partner who is still advancing toward the non-volley zone line. The disadvantage of poaching is that if the opposing team suspects that the net player is going to move across to poach, they will hit a line shot behind the poaching player. Poaching can occur on either side, but is usually a stronger shot if the ball is hit by the forehand of the player poaching.
Poaching.
Stacking
Every year, there are more players of all ages interested in competing against others in local, regional, national, and international tournaments. In preparation for that competition, players are exploring ways of improving their chances of winning. One of those is to use stacking. Simply put, stacking means that during the serve, the stronger player, whose forehand should be down the middle, lines up either at the baseline or at the non-volley zone line to the left (facing the net) of his partner. If the doubles team consists of one right-hand player and one left-hand player, the right-hand player would always line up to the left of his left-hand partner.
Jim Hackenberg, winner of multiple gold medals in men's doubles and mixed doubles, notes that more pickleball doubles teams are stacking and explains two situations in which it is particularly beneficial:
The first relates to a doubles team that consists of a left-hand player and a right-hand player. Stacking allows them to keep both of their forehands down the middle. As most players know, hitting the ball down the middle of the court is one of the best shots. The net is lower in the middle so there's a higher margin for error if you mis-hit the shot and there is the possibility of confusion about who should take the shot by the opposing team.
Stacking also can be an advantage to a doubles team that consists of one player who is more dominant - quicker, stronger, and more consistent - than his partner. Mixed-doubles teams that consist of a player who is stronger than the other often use stacking so that the stronger player's forehand is covering all middle shots.
The rules pertaining to the serve and the return of the serve apply to the two players involved in the serve action, not their partners. So while the server must stand behind the baseline and behind the proper service court, the server's partner can stand anywhere. Similarly, the player receiving the serve should be in a position that will allow for a return of serve, but the receiving player's partner can be anywhere on or just off of their court.
Jim considers that there are a full stack, a 75 percent stack, and a serving (defensive) stack. For a 75 percent stack, your team would stack in all instances except when the weaker player is receiving the serve behind the left service court. If your team chose to use a serving (defensive) stack, you would stack only when your team is serving; with this option, both players would receive serves normally.
Figure 11.3 illustrates the way players would stack in various situations.
Stacking chart.
Jim offers this advice to players who are considering stacking:
The advantages of stacking are fairly easy to identify - both players hit more shots with their forehands, and the dominant player has more opportunities to cover a larger area of the court. The disadvantages are also pretty simple to identify - teams forget where they are supposed to be! Nothing is worse than losing a point by being out of position. Never enter a tournament and try to stack if you haven't practiced it several times with your partner. Just as you need to practice the skills of the game, you also need to practice stacking. Have the first server wear a red wristband just like in a tournament. After a rally, ask yourself what your score is. The answer will tell you which partner is where. Your first server will be behind the right service court (facing the net) any time your score is even and behind the left service court when your score is odd. With practice, stacking becomes a valuable tool.
Putting Spin on the Ball
Once your pickleball game becomes consistent and you feel confident that you can control the speed and direction of the ball coming off of your paddle, then you might want to experiment with putting spin on the ball. A topspin or a backspin on groundstrokes, a sidespin on a serve, and a backspin on dinks can be very effective. (See the More to Choose and Use section in chapter 3 for details on applying spin.)
Save
Learn more about Pickleball Fundamentals.
Forehand and Backhand Serves
Most commonly used is a forehand drive serve. Stand in a forward stride position behind the baseline with your left shoulder pointing toward the target and your weight on your back foot. The ball is in your left hand, and that arm is extended toward the net.
Forehand Serve
Most commonly used is a forehand drive serve. Stand in a forward stride position behind the baseline with your left shoulder pointing toward the target and your weight on your back foot. The ball is in your left hand, and that arm is extended toward the net. Bend at the waist, take your paddle arm back, drop or toss the ball between you and the target (figure 4.3a), swing your paddle arm forward in an underhand motion, and contact the ball below your waist (4.3b). After ball contact, follow through by bringing your arm up and toward the target (4.3c).
The forehand drive serve: (a) preparation, (b) contact, and (c) follow-through.
Another serve option is a short crosscourt one that lands just beyond the non-volley line. After a series of deep serves, the opponent will likely not expect a short crosscourt serve, which may lead to an easy point.
A third option of serving and perhaps the easiest to execute is the lob serve. When executing a lob serve, stand in a balanced upright position with your body facing the net and your left foot slightly ahead of the right foot. The paddle arm hangs loosely at your side with the paddle in a backward cocked position. Hold the ball in your left hand with that arm in line with the target (figure 4.4a). Drop the ball, swing the paddle arm forward, and make contact with the face of the paddle behind and below the ball (4.4b). Follow through up and toward the target (4.4c). The ball should be lofted and land deep in the intended service court. A lob serve is an excellent serve to mix in with a forehand drive serve. The slow speed of the ball as well as the high bounce often throw off the timing of the receiving player.
The lob serve: (a) preparation, (b) contact, and (c) follow-through.
So off of the forehand are three possible choices of serve: a hard-driven serve, a shallow crosscourt serve, and a lofted lob serve. Your decision about which serve to use depends on the position of the player receiving the serve and also how that player tends to react to and handle each kind of serve.
Backhand Serve
Players who cannot control the flight of the ball when using a forehand serve may find that a backhand serve works better. Some players who excel in using a forehand serve also find it useful to have the backhand serve in their arsenals. Just as there are variations of the forehand serve, there are variations of the backhand serve. Most common is for a right-hand player to assume a side-stride position behind the baseline with the right side toward the net. The right foot points to a spot between the net and the left sideline (figure 4.5a). The ball is in the left hand, and the arms are crossed in front of the body. The ball is dropped in line with the intended target, and the paddle arm swings forward and contacts the ball as it travels downward (4.5b). The swinging arm continues in a follow-through motion toward the target (4.5c). This serve is easy to execute because only the upper body of the server moves. It is also deceiving to the receiver and difficult to return because of a natural sidespin on the ball.
The backhand serve: (a) preparation, (b) contact, and (c) follow-through.
How you serve the ball and how you look while serving are incidental as long as you serve legally and successfully. Try several methods of serving until you find one that works for you.
When you play doubles, your position behind the baseline when serving is somewhat dependent on the type of serve that you plan to use. However, it's not wise to vary your position too much because it will telegraph to your opponents the type of serve that you plan to use. For example, if your intent is to hit a short crosscourt serve, you can get more of an angle on the hit ball if you stand close to the sideline rather than in the center of the court. Other than that, you should maintain a position behind your baseline in a position that enables you to cover your half of the court on the return of the serve.
When you play singles, the strongest position for serving is close to the center line. This puts you in a strong position from which to move either to the right or to the left to get to the return shot.
Save
Learn more about Pickleball Fundamentals.
Basic and Advanced Doubles Strategies
While the best players may use the strategies of the doubles game automatically now, they, too, were beginners at one time. Select one or two strategies to work on; when they become automatic to you and your partner, work on two more.
Basic Doubles Strategies
While the best players may use the strategies of the doubles game automatically now, they, too, were beginners at one time. Select one or two strategies to work on; when they become automatic to you and your partner, work on two more. Eventually your team will truly be one working together toward a common goal: success!
- Strive for 100 percent accuracy on serves. The serve is the only shot in the game that is uncontested - the receiving team must let the ball bounce before it can be hit (the double-bounce rule). Therefore, there is no excuse for not serving the ball over the net into the proper court. Your first objective should be to serve with 100 percent accuracy. Once you accomplish that, then you can focus on a more aggressive serve and placing the serve. Don't try to get too fancy with your serve too soon.
- The forehand player has the primary responsibility for balls down the middle. Even though, as Alex and Jennifer said, it's better for both players to go for the ball rather than neither one trying for it, balls down the middle are the primary responsibility of the player whose forehand is down the middle. Most forehands are stronger than backhands, so allowing the player whose forehand is in position to hit the ball will enable your team to return the ball with the strongest possible shot.
- Anticipate what the return shot will be and move into position to cover the possible angle of the return shot. The location of the opponents on the court, the paddle position and the body position of the player hitting the ball, and the possible angles for the return shot will tell you what the shot will probably be and where it will be hit. Be prepared to move into position for the return. For example, if you and your partner are at the net and one of you has executed a mis-hit that will be a setup for a smash, instead of maintaining your position at the net, both of you should move back with the hope that one of you will be able to get your paddle on the ball as it is smashed back across the net (figure 11.1).
Covering the angle of the return.
- Always face the ball on the other side of the net. Regardless of where you are on the court and where the ball is on the other side of the net, assume a position that is always facing the ball. In addition, always be prepared for the ball to be hit to you.
- Know where you are on the court and where the boundary lines are. Many beginners will hit any ball coming to them regardless of the flight of the oncoming ball and where they are standing on the court. Every time you hit a ball that would have gone out of bounds, you're extending the rally when, had you let the ball hit the ground first, you would have won the rally.
- Always strive for placement and control rather than speed when you hit the ball. The more games that you play, the better you will be able to see where your opponents are on the court. As the ball is coming to you, note where your opponents are and in what direction they're moving (if they're moving). Then place the ball behind them or in an open space on their court.
Advanced Doubles Strategies
When you and your partner both feel confident that you're playing a smart game and you're satisfied with your play together as a team, you can start thinking about using more advanced strategies, such as poaching, stacking, and putting spin on the ball. Don't force their use, but when the opportunity to use them arises, give them a try.
Poaching
If one partner is already at the net - especially on the left side while facing the net - and the other partner is coming to the net but is not there yet, and the opposing team is pretty predictable about where their groundstroke is going, the net player can poach by moving across in front of the partner staying behind the non-volley zone line and hitting the ball just after it crosses the net (R2 in figure 11.2). Normally a shot hit by a player poaching will be a winner, but in the event it isn't, R1 switching to the side vacated by his partner ensures that their court is covered. The advantage of poaching is that the ball is returned quicker than it would be if it were allowed to continue on to the partner who is still advancing toward the non-volley zone line. The disadvantage of poaching is that if the opposing team suspects that the net player is going to move across to poach, they will hit a line shot behind the poaching player. Poaching can occur on either side, but is usually a stronger shot if the ball is hit by the forehand of the player poaching.
Poaching.
Stacking
Every year, there are more players of all ages interested in competing against others in local, regional, national, and international tournaments. In preparation for that competition, players are exploring ways of improving their chances of winning. One of those is to use stacking. Simply put, stacking means that during the serve, the stronger player, whose forehand should be down the middle, lines up either at the baseline or at the non-volley zone line to the left (facing the net) of his partner. If the doubles team consists of one right-hand player and one left-hand player, the right-hand player would always line up to the left of his left-hand partner.
Jim Hackenberg, winner of multiple gold medals in men's doubles and mixed doubles, notes that more pickleball doubles teams are stacking and explains two situations in which it is particularly beneficial:
The first relates to a doubles team that consists of a left-hand player and a right-hand player. Stacking allows them to keep both of their forehands down the middle. As most players know, hitting the ball down the middle of the court is one of the best shots. The net is lower in the middle so there's a higher margin for error if you mis-hit the shot and there is the possibility of confusion about who should take the shot by the opposing team.
Stacking also can be an advantage to a doubles team that consists of one player who is more dominant - quicker, stronger, and more consistent - than his partner. Mixed-doubles teams that consist of a player who is stronger than the other often use stacking so that the stronger player's forehand is covering all middle shots.
The rules pertaining to the serve and the return of the serve apply to the two players involved in the serve action, not their partners. So while the server must stand behind the baseline and behind the proper service court, the server's partner can stand anywhere. Similarly, the player receiving the serve should be in a position that will allow for a return of serve, but the receiving player's partner can be anywhere on or just off of their court.
Jim considers that there are a full stack, a 75 percent stack, and a serving (defensive) stack. For a 75 percent stack, your team would stack in all instances except when the weaker player is receiving the serve behind the left service court. If your team chose to use a serving (defensive) stack, you would stack only when your team is serving; with this option, both players would receive serves normally.
Figure 11.3 illustrates the way players would stack in various situations.
Stacking chart.
Jim offers this advice to players who are considering stacking:
The advantages of stacking are fairly easy to identify - both players hit more shots with their forehands, and the dominant player has more opportunities to cover a larger area of the court. The disadvantages are also pretty simple to identify - teams forget where they are supposed to be! Nothing is worse than losing a point by being out of position. Never enter a tournament and try to stack if you haven't practiced it several times with your partner. Just as you need to practice the skills of the game, you also need to practice stacking. Have the first server wear a red wristband just like in a tournament. After a rally, ask yourself what your score is. The answer will tell you which partner is where. Your first server will be behind the right service court (facing the net) any time your score is even and behind the left service court when your score is odd. With practice, stacking becomes a valuable tool.
Putting Spin on the Ball
Once your pickleball game becomes consistent and you feel confident that you can control the speed and direction of the ball coming off of your paddle, then you might want to experiment with putting spin on the ball. A topspin or a backspin on groundstrokes, a sidespin on a serve, and a backspin on dinks can be very effective. (See the More to Choose and Use section in chapter 3 for details on applying spin.)
Save
Learn more about Pickleball Fundamentals.
Forehand and Backhand Serves
Most commonly used is a forehand drive serve. Stand in a forward stride position behind the baseline with your left shoulder pointing toward the target and your weight on your back foot. The ball is in your left hand, and that arm is extended toward the net.
Forehand Serve
Most commonly used is a forehand drive serve. Stand in a forward stride position behind the baseline with your left shoulder pointing toward the target and your weight on your back foot. The ball is in your left hand, and that arm is extended toward the net. Bend at the waist, take your paddle arm back, drop or toss the ball between you and the target (figure 4.3a), swing your paddle arm forward in an underhand motion, and contact the ball below your waist (4.3b). After ball contact, follow through by bringing your arm up and toward the target (4.3c).
The forehand drive serve: (a) preparation, (b) contact, and (c) follow-through.
Another serve option is a short crosscourt one that lands just beyond the non-volley line. After a series of deep serves, the opponent will likely not expect a short crosscourt serve, which may lead to an easy point.
A third option of serving and perhaps the easiest to execute is the lob serve. When executing a lob serve, stand in a balanced upright position with your body facing the net and your left foot slightly ahead of the right foot. The paddle arm hangs loosely at your side with the paddle in a backward cocked position. Hold the ball in your left hand with that arm in line with the target (figure 4.4a). Drop the ball, swing the paddle arm forward, and make contact with the face of the paddle behind and below the ball (4.4b). Follow through up and toward the target (4.4c). The ball should be lofted and land deep in the intended service court. A lob serve is an excellent serve to mix in with a forehand drive serve. The slow speed of the ball as well as the high bounce often throw off the timing of the receiving player.
The lob serve: (a) preparation, (b) contact, and (c) follow-through.
So off of the forehand are three possible choices of serve: a hard-driven serve, a shallow crosscourt serve, and a lofted lob serve. Your decision about which serve to use depends on the position of the player receiving the serve and also how that player tends to react to and handle each kind of serve.
Backhand Serve
Players who cannot control the flight of the ball when using a forehand serve may find that a backhand serve works better. Some players who excel in using a forehand serve also find it useful to have the backhand serve in their arsenals. Just as there are variations of the forehand serve, there are variations of the backhand serve. Most common is for a right-hand player to assume a side-stride position behind the baseline with the right side toward the net. The right foot points to a spot between the net and the left sideline (figure 4.5a). The ball is in the left hand, and the arms are crossed in front of the body. The ball is dropped in line with the intended target, and the paddle arm swings forward and contacts the ball as it travels downward (4.5b). The swinging arm continues in a follow-through motion toward the target (4.5c). This serve is easy to execute because only the upper body of the server moves. It is also deceiving to the receiver and difficult to return because of a natural sidespin on the ball.
The backhand serve: (a) preparation, (b) contact, and (c) follow-through.
How you serve the ball and how you look while serving are incidental as long as you serve legally and successfully. Try several methods of serving until you find one that works for you.
When you play doubles, your position behind the baseline when serving is somewhat dependent on the type of serve that you plan to use. However, it's not wise to vary your position too much because it will telegraph to your opponents the type of serve that you plan to use. For example, if your intent is to hit a short crosscourt serve, you can get more of an angle on the hit ball if you stand close to the sideline rather than in the center of the court. Other than that, you should maintain a position behind your baseline in a position that enables you to cover your half of the court on the return of the serve.
When you play singles, the strongest position for serving is close to the center line. This puts you in a strong position from which to move either to the right or to the left to get to the return shot.
Save
Learn more about Pickleball Fundamentals.
Basic and Advanced Doubles Strategies
While the best players may use the strategies of the doubles game automatically now, they, too, were beginners at one time. Select one or two strategies to work on; when they become automatic to you and your partner, work on two more.
Basic Doubles Strategies
While the best players may use the strategies of the doubles game automatically now, they, too, were beginners at one time. Select one or two strategies to work on; when they become automatic to you and your partner, work on two more. Eventually your team will truly be one working together toward a common goal: success!
- Strive for 100 percent accuracy on serves. The serve is the only shot in the game that is uncontested - the receiving team must let the ball bounce before it can be hit (the double-bounce rule). Therefore, there is no excuse for not serving the ball over the net into the proper court. Your first objective should be to serve with 100 percent accuracy. Once you accomplish that, then you can focus on a more aggressive serve and placing the serve. Don't try to get too fancy with your serve too soon.
- The forehand player has the primary responsibility for balls down the middle. Even though, as Alex and Jennifer said, it's better for both players to go for the ball rather than neither one trying for it, balls down the middle are the primary responsibility of the player whose forehand is down the middle. Most forehands are stronger than backhands, so allowing the player whose forehand is in position to hit the ball will enable your team to return the ball with the strongest possible shot.
- Anticipate what the return shot will be and move into position to cover the possible angle of the return shot. The location of the opponents on the court, the paddle position and the body position of the player hitting the ball, and the possible angles for the return shot will tell you what the shot will probably be and where it will be hit. Be prepared to move into position for the return. For example, if you and your partner are at the net and one of you has executed a mis-hit that will be a setup for a smash, instead of maintaining your position at the net, both of you should move back with the hope that one of you will be able to get your paddle on the ball as it is smashed back across the net (figure 11.1).
Covering the angle of the return.
- Always face the ball on the other side of the net. Regardless of where you are on the court and where the ball is on the other side of the net, assume a position that is always facing the ball. In addition, always be prepared for the ball to be hit to you.
- Know where you are on the court and where the boundary lines are. Many beginners will hit any ball coming to them regardless of the flight of the oncoming ball and where they are standing on the court. Every time you hit a ball that would have gone out of bounds, you're extending the rally when, had you let the ball hit the ground first, you would have won the rally.
- Always strive for placement and control rather than speed when you hit the ball. The more games that you play, the better you will be able to see where your opponents are on the court. As the ball is coming to you, note where your opponents are and in what direction they're moving (if they're moving). Then place the ball behind them or in an open space on their court.
Advanced Doubles Strategies
When you and your partner both feel confident that you're playing a smart game and you're satisfied with your play together as a team, you can start thinking about using more advanced strategies, such as poaching, stacking, and putting spin on the ball. Don't force their use, but when the opportunity to use them arises, give them a try.
Poaching
If one partner is already at the net - especially on the left side while facing the net - and the other partner is coming to the net but is not there yet, and the opposing team is pretty predictable about where their groundstroke is going, the net player can poach by moving across in front of the partner staying behind the non-volley zone line and hitting the ball just after it crosses the net (R2 in figure 11.2). Normally a shot hit by a player poaching will be a winner, but in the event it isn't, R1 switching to the side vacated by his partner ensures that their court is covered. The advantage of poaching is that the ball is returned quicker than it would be if it were allowed to continue on to the partner who is still advancing toward the non-volley zone line. The disadvantage of poaching is that if the opposing team suspects that the net player is going to move across to poach, they will hit a line shot behind the poaching player. Poaching can occur on either side, but is usually a stronger shot if the ball is hit by the forehand of the player poaching.
Poaching.
Stacking
Every year, there are more players of all ages interested in competing against others in local, regional, national, and international tournaments. In preparation for that competition, players are exploring ways of improving their chances of winning. One of those is to use stacking. Simply put, stacking means that during the serve, the stronger player, whose forehand should be down the middle, lines up either at the baseline or at the non-volley zone line to the left (facing the net) of his partner. If the doubles team consists of one right-hand player and one left-hand player, the right-hand player would always line up to the left of his left-hand partner.
Jim Hackenberg, winner of multiple gold medals in men's doubles and mixed doubles, notes that more pickleball doubles teams are stacking and explains two situations in which it is particularly beneficial:
The first relates to a doubles team that consists of a left-hand player and a right-hand player. Stacking allows them to keep both of their forehands down the middle. As most players know, hitting the ball down the middle of the court is one of the best shots. The net is lower in the middle so there's a higher margin for error if you mis-hit the shot and there is the possibility of confusion about who should take the shot by the opposing team.
Stacking also can be an advantage to a doubles team that consists of one player who is more dominant - quicker, stronger, and more consistent - than his partner. Mixed-doubles teams that consist of a player who is stronger than the other often use stacking so that the stronger player's forehand is covering all middle shots.
The rules pertaining to the serve and the return of the serve apply to the two players involved in the serve action, not their partners. So while the server must stand behind the baseline and behind the proper service court, the server's partner can stand anywhere. Similarly, the player receiving the serve should be in a position that will allow for a return of serve, but the receiving player's partner can be anywhere on or just off of their court.
Jim considers that there are a full stack, a 75 percent stack, and a serving (defensive) stack. For a 75 percent stack, your team would stack in all instances except when the weaker player is receiving the serve behind the left service court. If your team chose to use a serving (defensive) stack, you would stack only when your team is serving; with this option, both players would receive serves normally.
Figure 11.3 illustrates the way players would stack in various situations.
Stacking chart.
Jim offers this advice to players who are considering stacking:
The advantages of stacking are fairly easy to identify - both players hit more shots with their forehands, and the dominant player has more opportunities to cover a larger area of the court. The disadvantages are also pretty simple to identify - teams forget where they are supposed to be! Nothing is worse than losing a point by being out of position. Never enter a tournament and try to stack if you haven't practiced it several times with your partner. Just as you need to practice the skills of the game, you also need to practice stacking. Have the first server wear a red wristband just like in a tournament. After a rally, ask yourself what your score is. The answer will tell you which partner is where. Your first server will be behind the right service court (facing the net) any time your score is even and behind the left service court when your score is odd. With practice, stacking becomes a valuable tool.
Putting Spin on the Ball
Once your pickleball game becomes consistent and you feel confident that you can control the speed and direction of the ball coming off of your paddle, then you might want to experiment with putting spin on the ball. A topspin or a backspin on groundstrokes, a sidespin on a serve, and a backspin on dinks can be very effective. (See the More to Choose and Use section in chapter 3 for details on applying spin.)
Save
Learn more about Pickleball Fundamentals.
Forehand and Backhand Serves
Most commonly used is a forehand drive serve. Stand in a forward stride position behind the baseline with your left shoulder pointing toward the target and your weight on your back foot. The ball is in your left hand, and that arm is extended toward the net.
Forehand Serve
Most commonly used is a forehand drive serve. Stand in a forward stride position behind the baseline with your left shoulder pointing toward the target and your weight on your back foot. The ball is in your left hand, and that arm is extended toward the net. Bend at the waist, take your paddle arm back, drop or toss the ball between you and the target (figure 4.3a), swing your paddle arm forward in an underhand motion, and contact the ball below your waist (4.3b). After ball contact, follow through by bringing your arm up and toward the target (4.3c).
The forehand drive serve: (a) preparation, (b) contact, and (c) follow-through.
Another serve option is a short crosscourt one that lands just beyond the non-volley line. After a series of deep serves, the opponent will likely not expect a short crosscourt serve, which may lead to an easy point.
A third option of serving and perhaps the easiest to execute is the lob serve. When executing a lob serve, stand in a balanced upright position with your body facing the net and your left foot slightly ahead of the right foot. The paddle arm hangs loosely at your side with the paddle in a backward cocked position. Hold the ball in your left hand with that arm in line with the target (figure 4.4a). Drop the ball, swing the paddle arm forward, and make contact with the face of the paddle behind and below the ball (4.4b). Follow through up and toward the target (4.4c). The ball should be lofted and land deep in the intended service court. A lob serve is an excellent serve to mix in with a forehand drive serve. The slow speed of the ball as well as the high bounce often throw off the timing of the receiving player.
The lob serve: (a) preparation, (b) contact, and (c) follow-through.
So off of the forehand are three possible choices of serve: a hard-driven serve, a shallow crosscourt serve, and a lofted lob serve. Your decision about which serve to use depends on the position of the player receiving the serve and also how that player tends to react to and handle each kind of serve.
Backhand Serve
Players who cannot control the flight of the ball when using a forehand serve may find that a backhand serve works better. Some players who excel in using a forehand serve also find it useful to have the backhand serve in their arsenals. Just as there are variations of the forehand serve, there are variations of the backhand serve. Most common is for a right-hand player to assume a side-stride position behind the baseline with the right side toward the net. The right foot points to a spot between the net and the left sideline (figure 4.5a). The ball is in the left hand, and the arms are crossed in front of the body. The ball is dropped in line with the intended target, and the paddle arm swings forward and contacts the ball as it travels downward (4.5b). The swinging arm continues in a follow-through motion toward the target (4.5c). This serve is easy to execute because only the upper body of the server moves. It is also deceiving to the receiver and difficult to return because of a natural sidespin on the ball.
The backhand serve: (a) preparation, (b) contact, and (c) follow-through.
How you serve the ball and how you look while serving are incidental as long as you serve legally and successfully. Try several methods of serving until you find one that works for you.
When you play doubles, your position behind the baseline when serving is somewhat dependent on the type of serve that you plan to use. However, it's not wise to vary your position too much because it will telegraph to your opponents the type of serve that you plan to use. For example, if your intent is to hit a short crosscourt serve, you can get more of an angle on the hit ball if you stand close to the sideline rather than in the center of the court. Other than that, you should maintain a position behind your baseline in a position that enables you to cover your half of the court on the return of the serve.
When you play singles, the strongest position for serving is close to the center line. This puts you in a strong position from which to move either to the right or to the left to get to the return shot.
Save
Learn more about Pickleball Fundamentals.
Basic and Advanced Doubles Strategies
While the best players may use the strategies of the doubles game automatically now, they, too, were beginners at one time. Select one or two strategies to work on; when they become automatic to you and your partner, work on two more.
Basic Doubles Strategies
While the best players may use the strategies of the doubles game automatically now, they, too, were beginners at one time. Select one or two strategies to work on; when they become automatic to you and your partner, work on two more. Eventually your team will truly be one working together toward a common goal: success!
- Strive for 100 percent accuracy on serves. The serve is the only shot in the game that is uncontested - the receiving team must let the ball bounce before it can be hit (the double-bounce rule). Therefore, there is no excuse for not serving the ball over the net into the proper court. Your first objective should be to serve with 100 percent accuracy. Once you accomplish that, then you can focus on a more aggressive serve and placing the serve. Don't try to get too fancy with your serve too soon.
- The forehand player has the primary responsibility for balls down the middle. Even though, as Alex and Jennifer said, it's better for both players to go for the ball rather than neither one trying for it, balls down the middle are the primary responsibility of the player whose forehand is down the middle. Most forehands are stronger than backhands, so allowing the player whose forehand is in position to hit the ball will enable your team to return the ball with the strongest possible shot.
- Anticipate what the return shot will be and move into position to cover the possible angle of the return shot. The location of the opponents on the court, the paddle position and the body position of the player hitting the ball, and the possible angles for the return shot will tell you what the shot will probably be and where it will be hit. Be prepared to move into position for the return. For example, if you and your partner are at the net and one of you has executed a mis-hit that will be a setup for a smash, instead of maintaining your position at the net, both of you should move back with the hope that one of you will be able to get your paddle on the ball as it is smashed back across the net (figure 11.1).
Covering the angle of the return.
- Always face the ball on the other side of the net. Regardless of where you are on the court and where the ball is on the other side of the net, assume a position that is always facing the ball. In addition, always be prepared for the ball to be hit to you.
- Know where you are on the court and where the boundary lines are. Many beginners will hit any ball coming to them regardless of the flight of the oncoming ball and where they are standing on the court. Every time you hit a ball that would have gone out of bounds, you're extending the rally when, had you let the ball hit the ground first, you would have won the rally.
- Always strive for placement and control rather than speed when you hit the ball. The more games that you play, the better you will be able to see where your opponents are on the court. As the ball is coming to you, note where your opponents are and in what direction they're moving (if they're moving). Then place the ball behind them or in an open space on their court.
Advanced Doubles Strategies
When you and your partner both feel confident that you're playing a smart game and you're satisfied with your play together as a team, you can start thinking about using more advanced strategies, such as poaching, stacking, and putting spin on the ball. Don't force their use, but when the opportunity to use them arises, give them a try.
Poaching
If one partner is already at the net - especially on the left side while facing the net - and the other partner is coming to the net but is not there yet, and the opposing team is pretty predictable about where their groundstroke is going, the net player can poach by moving across in front of the partner staying behind the non-volley zone line and hitting the ball just after it crosses the net (R2 in figure 11.2). Normally a shot hit by a player poaching will be a winner, but in the event it isn't, R1 switching to the side vacated by his partner ensures that their court is covered. The advantage of poaching is that the ball is returned quicker than it would be if it were allowed to continue on to the partner who is still advancing toward the non-volley zone line. The disadvantage of poaching is that if the opposing team suspects that the net player is going to move across to poach, they will hit a line shot behind the poaching player. Poaching can occur on either side, but is usually a stronger shot if the ball is hit by the forehand of the player poaching.
Poaching.
Stacking
Every year, there are more players of all ages interested in competing against others in local, regional, national, and international tournaments. In preparation for that competition, players are exploring ways of improving their chances of winning. One of those is to use stacking. Simply put, stacking means that during the serve, the stronger player, whose forehand should be down the middle, lines up either at the baseline or at the non-volley zone line to the left (facing the net) of his partner. If the doubles team consists of one right-hand player and one left-hand player, the right-hand player would always line up to the left of his left-hand partner.
Jim Hackenberg, winner of multiple gold medals in men's doubles and mixed doubles, notes that more pickleball doubles teams are stacking and explains two situations in which it is particularly beneficial:
The first relates to a doubles team that consists of a left-hand player and a right-hand player. Stacking allows them to keep both of their forehands down the middle. As most players know, hitting the ball down the middle of the court is one of the best shots. The net is lower in the middle so there's a higher margin for error if you mis-hit the shot and there is the possibility of confusion about who should take the shot by the opposing team.
Stacking also can be an advantage to a doubles team that consists of one player who is more dominant - quicker, stronger, and more consistent - than his partner. Mixed-doubles teams that consist of a player who is stronger than the other often use stacking so that the stronger player's forehand is covering all middle shots.
The rules pertaining to the serve and the return of the serve apply to the two players involved in the serve action, not their partners. So while the server must stand behind the baseline and behind the proper service court, the server's partner can stand anywhere. Similarly, the player receiving the serve should be in a position that will allow for a return of serve, but the receiving player's partner can be anywhere on or just off of their court.
Jim considers that there are a full stack, a 75 percent stack, and a serving (defensive) stack. For a 75 percent stack, your team would stack in all instances except when the weaker player is receiving the serve behind the left service court. If your team chose to use a serving (defensive) stack, you would stack only when your team is serving; with this option, both players would receive serves normally.
Figure 11.3 illustrates the way players would stack in various situations.
Stacking chart.
Jim offers this advice to players who are considering stacking:
The advantages of stacking are fairly easy to identify - both players hit more shots with their forehands, and the dominant player has more opportunities to cover a larger area of the court. The disadvantages are also pretty simple to identify - teams forget where they are supposed to be! Nothing is worse than losing a point by being out of position. Never enter a tournament and try to stack if you haven't practiced it several times with your partner. Just as you need to practice the skills of the game, you also need to practice stacking. Have the first server wear a red wristband just like in a tournament. After a rally, ask yourself what your score is. The answer will tell you which partner is where. Your first server will be behind the right service court (facing the net) any time your score is even and behind the left service court when your score is odd. With practice, stacking becomes a valuable tool.
Putting Spin on the Ball
Once your pickleball game becomes consistent and you feel confident that you can control the speed and direction of the ball coming off of your paddle, then you might want to experiment with putting spin on the ball. A topspin or a backspin on groundstrokes, a sidespin on a serve, and a backspin on dinks can be very effective. (See the More to Choose and Use section in chapter 3 for details on applying spin.)
Save
Learn more about Pickleball Fundamentals.
Forehand and Backhand Serves
Most commonly used is a forehand drive serve. Stand in a forward stride position behind the baseline with your left shoulder pointing toward the target and your weight on your back foot. The ball is in your left hand, and that arm is extended toward the net.
Forehand Serve
Most commonly used is a forehand drive serve. Stand in a forward stride position behind the baseline with your left shoulder pointing toward the target and your weight on your back foot. The ball is in your left hand, and that arm is extended toward the net. Bend at the waist, take your paddle arm back, drop or toss the ball between you and the target (figure 4.3a), swing your paddle arm forward in an underhand motion, and contact the ball below your waist (4.3b). After ball contact, follow through by bringing your arm up and toward the target (4.3c).
The forehand drive serve: (a) preparation, (b) contact, and (c) follow-through.
Another serve option is a short crosscourt one that lands just beyond the non-volley line. After a series of deep serves, the opponent will likely not expect a short crosscourt serve, which may lead to an easy point.
A third option of serving and perhaps the easiest to execute is the lob serve. When executing a lob serve, stand in a balanced upright position with your body facing the net and your left foot slightly ahead of the right foot. The paddle arm hangs loosely at your side with the paddle in a backward cocked position. Hold the ball in your left hand with that arm in line with the target (figure 4.4a). Drop the ball, swing the paddle arm forward, and make contact with the face of the paddle behind and below the ball (4.4b). Follow through up and toward the target (4.4c). The ball should be lofted and land deep in the intended service court. A lob serve is an excellent serve to mix in with a forehand drive serve. The slow speed of the ball as well as the high bounce often throw off the timing of the receiving player.
The lob serve: (a) preparation, (b) contact, and (c) follow-through.
So off of the forehand are three possible choices of serve: a hard-driven serve, a shallow crosscourt serve, and a lofted lob serve. Your decision about which serve to use depends on the position of the player receiving the serve and also how that player tends to react to and handle each kind of serve.
Backhand Serve
Players who cannot control the flight of the ball when using a forehand serve may find that a backhand serve works better. Some players who excel in using a forehand serve also find it useful to have the backhand serve in their arsenals. Just as there are variations of the forehand serve, there are variations of the backhand serve. Most common is for a right-hand player to assume a side-stride position behind the baseline with the right side toward the net. The right foot points to a spot between the net and the left sideline (figure 4.5a). The ball is in the left hand, and the arms are crossed in front of the body. The ball is dropped in line with the intended target, and the paddle arm swings forward and contacts the ball as it travels downward (4.5b). The swinging arm continues in a follow-through motion toward the target (4.5c). This serve is easy to execute because only the upper body of the server moves. It is also deceiving to the receiver and difficult to return because of a natural sidespin on the ball.
The backhand serve: (a) preparation, (b) contact, and (c) follow-through.
How you serve the ball and how you look while serving are incidental as long as you serve legally and successfully. Try several methods of serving until you find one that works for you.
When you play doubles, your position behind the baseline when serving is somewhat dependent on the type of serve that you plan to use. However, it's not wise to vary your position too much because it will telegraph to your opponents the type of serve that you plan to use. For example, if your intent is to hit a short crosscourt serve, you can get more of an angle on the hit ball if you stand close to the sideline rather than in the center of the court. Other than that, you should maintain a position behind your baseline in a position that enables you to cover your half of the court on the return of the serve.
When you play singles, the strongest position for serving is close to the center line. This puts you in a strong position from which to move either to the right or to the left to get to the return shot.
Save
Learn more about Pickleball Fundamentals.
Basic and Advanced Doubles Strategies
While the best players may use the strategies of the doubles game automatically now, they, too, were beginners at one time. Select one or two strategies to work on; when they become automatic to you and your partner, work on two more.
Basic Doubles Strategies
While the best players may use the strategies of the doubles game automatically now, they, too, were beginners at one time. Select one or two strategies to work on; when they become automatic to you and your partner, work on two more. Eventually your team will truly be one working together toward a common goal: success!
- Strive for 100 percent accuracy on serves. The serve is the only shot in the game that is uncontested - the receiving team must let the ball bounce before it can be hit (the double-bounce rule). Therefore, there is no excuse for not serving the ball over the net into the proper court. Your first objective should be to serve with 100 percent accuracy. Once you accomplish that, then you can focus on a more aggressive serve and placing the serve. Don't try to get too fancy with your serve too soon.
- The forehand player has the primary responsibility for balls down the middle. Even though, as Alex and Jennifer said, it's better for both players to go for the ball rather than neither one trying for it, balls down the middle are the primary responsibility of the player whose forehand is down the middle. Most forehands are stronger than backhands, so allowing the player whose forehand is in position to hit the ball will enable your team to return the ball with the strongest possible shot.
- Anticipate what the return shot will be and move into position to cover the possible angle of the return shot. The location of the opponents on the court, the paddle position and the body position of the player hitting the ball, and the possible angles for the return shot will tell you what the shot will probably be and where it will be hit. Be prepared to move into position for the return. For example, if you and your partner are at the net and one of you has executed a mis-hit that will be a setup for a smash, instead of maintaining your position at the net, both of you should move back with the hope that one of you will be able to get your paddle on the ball as it is smashed back across the net (figure 11.1).
Covering the angle of the return.
- Always face the ball on the other side of the net. Regardless of where you are on the court and where the ball is on the other side of the net, assume a position that is always facing the ball. In addition, always be prepared for the ball to be hit to you.
- Know where you are on the court and where the boundary lines are. Many beginners will hit any ball coming to them regardless of the flight of the oncoming ball and where they are standing on the court. Every time you hit a ball that would have gone out of bounds, you're extending the rally when, had you let the ball hit the ground first, you would have won the rally.
- Always strive for placement and control rather than speed when you hit the ball. The more games that you play, the better you will be able to see where your opponents are on the court. As the ball is coming to you, note where your opponents are and in what direction they're moving (if they're moving). Then place the ball behind them or in an open space on their court.
Advanced Doubles Strategies
When you and your partner both feel confident that you're playing a smart game and you're satisfied with your play together as a team, you can start thinking about using more advanced strategies, such as poaching, stacking, and putting spin on the ball. Don't force their use, but when the opportunity to use them arises, give them a try.
Poaching
If one partner is already at the net - especially on the left side while facing the net - and the other partner is coming to the net but is not there yet, and the opposing team is pretty predictable about where their groundstroke is going, the net player can poach by moving across in front of the partner staying behind the non-volley zone line and hitting the ball just after it crosses the net (R2 in figure 11.2). Normally a shot hit by a player poaching will be a winner, but in the event it isn't, R1 switching to the side vacated by his partner ensures that their court is covered. The advantage of poaching is that the ball is returned quicker than it would be if it were allowed to continue on to the partner who is still advancing toward the non-volley zone line. The disadvantage of poaching is that if the opposing team suspects that the net player is going to move across to poach, they will hit a line shot behind the poaching player. Poaching can occur on either side, but is usually a stronger shot if the ball is hit by the forehand of the player poaching.
Poaching.
Stacking
Every year, there are more players of all ages interested in competing against others in local, regional, national, and international tournaments. In preparation for that competition, players are exploring ways of improving their chances of winning. One of those is to use stacking. Simply put, stacking means that during the serve, the stronger player, whose forehand should be down the middle, lines up either at the baseline or at the non-volley zone line to the left (facing the net) of his partner. If the doubles team consists of one right-hand player and one left-hand player, the right-hand player would always line up to the left of his left-hand partner.
Jim Hackenberg, winner of multiple gold medals in men's doubles and mixed doubles, notes that more pickleball doubles teams are stacking and explains two situations in which it is particularly beneficial:
The first relates to a doubles team that consists of a left-hand player and a right-hand player. Stacking allows them to keep both of their forehands down the middle. As most players know, hitting the ball down the middle of the court is one of the best shots. The net is lower in the middle so there's a higher margin for error if you mis-hit the shot and there is the possibility of confusion about who should take the shot by the opposing team.
Stacking also can be an advantage to a doubles team that consists of one player who is more dominant - quicker, stronger, and more consistent - than his partner. Mixed-doubles teams that consist of a player who is stronger than the other often use stacking so that the stronger player's forehand is covering all middle shots.
The rules pertaining to the serve and the return of the serve apply to the two players involved in the serve action, not their partners. So while the server must stand behind the baseline and behind the proper service court, the server's partner can stand anywhere. Similarly, the player receiving the serve should be in a position that will allow for a return of serve, but the receiving player's partner can be anywhere on or just off of their court.
Jim considers that there are a full stack, a 75 percent stack, and a serving (defensive) stack. For a 75 percent stack, your team would stack in all instances except when the weaker player is receiving the serve behind the left service court. If your team chose to use a serving (defensive) stack, you would stack only when your team is serving; with this option, both players would receive serves normally.
Figure 11.3 illustrates the way players would stack in various situations.
Stacking chart.
Jim offers this advice to players who are considering stacking:
The advantages of stacking are fairly easy to identify - both players hit more shots with their forehands, and the dominant player has more opportunities to cover a larger area of the court. The disadvantages are also pretty simple to identify - teams forget where they are supposed to be! Nothing is worse than losing a point by being out of position. Never enter a tournament and try to stack if you haven't practiced it several times with your partner. Just as you need to practice the skills of the game, you also need to practice stacking. Have the first server wear a red wristband just like in a tournament. After a rally, ask yourself what your score is. The answer will tell you which partner is where. Your first server will be behind the right service court (facing the net) any time your score is even and behind the left service court when your score is odd. With practice, stacking becomes a valuable tool.
Putting Spin on the Ball
Once your pickleball game becomes consistent and you feel confident that you can control the speed and direction of the ball coming off of your paddle, then you might want to experiment with putting spin on the ball. A topspin or a backspin on groundstrokes, a sidespin on a serve, and a backspin on dinks can be very effective. (See the More to Choose and Use section in chapter 3 for details on applying spin.)
Save
Learn more about Pickleball Fundamentals.
Forehand and Backhand Serves
Most commonly used is a forehand drive serve. Stand in a forward stride position behind the baseline with your left shoulder pointing toward the target and your weight on your back foot. The ball is in your left hand, and that arm is extended toward the net.
Forehand Serve
Most commonly used is a forehand drive serve. Stand in a forward stride position behind the baseline with your left shoulder pointing toward the target and your weight on your back foot. The ball is in your left hand, and that arm is extended toward the net. Bend at the waist, take your paddle arm back, drop or toss the ball between you and the target (figure 4.3a), swing your paddle arm forward in an underhand motion, and contact the ball below your waist (4.3b). After ball contact, follow through by bringing your arm up and toward the target (4.3c).
The forehand drive serve: (a) preparation, (b) contact, and (c) follow-through.
Another serve option is a short crosscourt one that lands just beyond the non-volley line. After a series of deep serves, the opponent will likely not expect a short crosscourt serve, which may lead to an easy point.
A third option of serving and perhaps the easiest to execute is the lob serve. When executing a lob serve, stand in a balanced upright position with your body facing the net and your left foot slightly ahead of the right foot. The paddle arm hangs loosely at your side with the paddle in a backward cocked position. Hold the ball in your left hand with that arm in line with the target (figure 4.4a). Drop the ball, swing the paddle arm forward, and make contact with the face of the paddle behind and below the ball (4.4b). Follow through up and toward the target (4.4c). The ball should be lofted and land deep in the intended service court. A lob serve is an excellent serve to mix in with a forehand drive serve. The slow speed of the ball as well as the high bounce often throw off the timing of the receiving player.
The lob serve: (a) preparation, (b) contact, and (c) follow-through.
So off of the forehand are three possible choices of serve: a hard-driven serve, a shallow crosscourt serve, and a lofted lob serve. Your decision about which serve to use depends on the position of the player receiving the serve and also how that player tends to react to and handle each kind of serve.
Backhand Serve
Players who cannot control the flight of the ball when using a forehand serve may find that a backhand serve works better. Some players who excel in using a forehand serve also find it useful to have the backhand serve in their arsenals. Just as there are variations of the forehand serve, there are variations of the backhand serve. Most common is for a right-hand player to assume a side-stride position behind the baseline with the right side toward the net. The right foot points to a spot between the net and the left sideline (figure 4.5a). The ball is in the left hand, and the arms are crossed in front of the body. The ball is dropped in line with the intended target, and the paddle arm swings forward and contacts the ball as it travels downward (4.5b). The swinging arm continues in a follow-through motion toward the target (4.5c). This serve is easy to execute because only the upper body of the server moves. It is also deceiving to the receiver and difficult to return because of a natural sidespin on the ball.
The backhand serve: (a) preparation, (b) contact, and (c) follow-through.
How you serve the ball and how you look while serving are incidental as long as you serve legally and successfully. Try several methods of serving until you find one that works for you.
When you play doubles, your position behind the baseline when serving is somewhat dependent on the type of serve that you plan to use. However, it's not wise to vary your position too much because it will telegraph to your opponents the type of serve that you plan to use. For example, if your intent is to hit a short crosscourt serve, you can get more of an angle on the hit ball if you stand close to the sideline rather than in the center of the court. Other than that, you should maintain a position behind your baseline in a position that enables you to cover your half of the court on the return of the serve.
When you play singles, the strongest position for serving is close to the center line. This puts you in a strong position from which to move either to the right or to the left to get to the return shot.
Save
Learn more about Pickleball Fundamentals.
Basic and Advanced Doubles Strategies
While the best players may use the strategies of the doubles game automatically now, they, too, were beginners at one time. Select one or two strategies to work on; when they become automatic to you and your partner, work on two more.
Basic Doubles Strategies
While the best players may use the strategies of the doubles game automatically now, they, too, were beginners at one time. Select one or two strategies to work on; when they become automatic to you and your partner, work on two more. Eventually your team will truly be one working together toward a common goal: success!
- Strive for 100 percent accuracy on serves. The serve is the only shot in the game that is uncontested - the receiving team must let the ball bounce before it can be hit (the double-bounce rule). Therefore, there is no excuse for not serving the ball over the net into the proper court. Your first objective should be to serve with 100 percent accuracy. Once you accomplish that, then you can focus on a more aggressive serve and placing the serve. Don't try to get too fancy with your serve too soon.
- The forehand player has the primary responsibility for balls down the middle. Even though, as Alex and Jennifer said, it's better for both players to go for the ball rather than neither one trying for it, balls down the middle are the primary responsibility of the player whose forehand is down the middle. Most forehands are stronger than backhands, so allowing the player whose forehand is in position to hit the ball will enable your team to return the ball with the strongest possible shot.
- Anticipate what the return shot will be and move into position to cover the possible angle of the return shot. The location of the opponents on the court, the paddle position and the body position of the player hitting the ball, and the possible angles for the return shot will tell you what the shot will probably be and where it will be hit. Be prepared to move into position for the return. For example, if you and your partner are at the net and one of you has executed a mis-hit that will be a setup for a smash, instead of maintaining your position at the net, both of you should move back with the hope that one of you will be able to get your paddle on the ball as it is smashed back across the net (figure 11.1).
Covering the angle of the return.
- Always face the ball on the other side of the net. Regardless of where you are on the court and where the ball is on the other side of the net, assume a position that is always facing the ball. In addition, always be prepared for the ball to be hit to you.
- Know where you are on the court and where the boundary lines are. Many beginners will hit any ball coming to them regardless of the flight of the oncoming ball and where they are standing on the court. Every time you hit a ball that would have gone out of bounds, you're extending the rally when, had you let the ball hit the ground first, you would have won the rally.
- Always strive for placement and control rather than speed when you hit the ball. The more games that you play, the better you will be able to see where your opponents are on the court. As the ball is coming to you, note where your opponents are and in what direction they're moving (if they're moving). Then place the ball behind them or in an open space on their court.
Advanced Doubles Strategies
When you and your partner both feel confident that you're playing a smart game and you're satisfied with your play together as a team, you can start thinking about using more advanced strategies, such as poaching, stacking, and putting spin on the ball. Don't force their use, but when the opportunity to use them arises, give them a try.
Poaching
If one partner is already at the net - especially on the left side while facing the net - and the other partner is coming to the net but is not there yet, and the opposing team is pretty predictable about where their groundstroke is going, the net player can poach by moving across in front of the partner staying behind the non-volley zone line and hitting the ball just after it crosses the net (R2 in figure 11.2). Normally a shot hit by a player poaching will be a winner, but in the event it isn't, R1 switching to the side vacated by his partner ensures that their court is covered. The advantage of poaching is that the ball is returned quicker than it would be if it were allowed to continue on to the partner who is still advancing toward the non-volley zone line. The disadvantage of poaching is that if the opposing team suspects that the net player is going to move across to poach, they will hit a line shot behind the poaching player. Poaching can occur on either side, but is usually a stronger shot if the ball is hit by the forehand of the player poaching.
Poaching.
Stacking
Every year, there are more players of all ages interested in competing against others in local, regional, national, and international tournaments. In preparation for that competition, players are exploring ways of improving their chances of winning. One of those is to use stacking. Simply put, stacking means that during the serve, the stronger player, whose forehand should be down the middle, lines up either at the baseline or at the non-volley zone line to the left (facing the net) of his partner. If the doubles team consists of one right-hand player and one left-hand player, the right-hand player would always line up to the left of his left-hand partner.
Jim Hackenberg, winner of multiple gold medals in men's doubles and mixed doubles, notes that more pickleball doubles teams are stacking and explains two situations in which it is particularly beneficial:
The first relates to a doubles team that consists of a left-hand player and a right-hand player. Stacking allows them to keep both of their forehands down the middle. As most players know, hitting the ball down the middle of the court is one of the best shots. The net is lower in the middle so there's a higher margin for error if you mis-hit the shot and there is the possibility of confusion about who should take the shot by the opposing team.
Stacking also can be an advantage to a doubles team that consists of one player who is more dominant - quicker, stronger, and more consistent - than his partner. Mixed-doubles teams that consist of a player who is stronger than the other often use stacking so that the stronger player's forehand is covering all middle shots.
The rules pertaining to the serve and the return of the serve apply to the two players involved in the serve action, not their partners. So while the server must stand behind the baseline and behind the proper service court, the server's partner can stand anywhere. Similarly, the player receiving the serve should be in a position that will allow for a return of serve, but the receiving player's partner can be anywhere on or just off of their court.
Jim considers that there are a full stack, a 75 percent stack, and a serving (defensive) stack. For a 75 percent stack, your team would stack in all instances except when the weaker player is receiving the serve behind the left service court. If your team chose to use a serving (defensive) stack, you would stack only when your team is serving; with this option, both players would receive serves normally.
Figure 11.3 illustrates the way players would stack in various situations.
Stacking chart.
Jim offers this advice to players who are considering stacking:
The advantages of stacking are fairly easy to identify - both players hit more shots with their forehands, and the dominant player has more opportunities to cover a larger area of the court. The disadvantages are also pretty simple to identify - teams forget where they are supposed to be! Nothing is worse than losing a point by being out of position. Never enter a tournament and try to stack if you haven't practiced it several times with your partner. Just as you need to practice the skills of the game, you also need to practice stacking. Have the first server wear a red wristband just like in a tournament. After a rally, ask yourself what your score is. The answer will tell you which partner is where. Your first server will be behind the right service court (facing the net) any time your score is even and behind the left service court when your score is odd. With practice, stacking becomes a valuable tool.
Putting Spin on the Ball
Once your pickleball game becomes consistent and you feel confident that you can control the speed and direction of the ball coming off of your paddle, then you might want to experiment with putting spin on the ball. A topspin or a backspin on groundstrokes, a sidespin on a serve, and a backspin on dinks can be very effective. (See the More to Choose and Use section in chapter 3 for details on applying spin.)
Save
Learn more about Pickleball Fundamentals.
Forehand and Backhand Serves
Most commonly used is a forehand drive serve. Stand in a forward stride position behind the baseline with your left shoulder pointing toward the target and your weight on your back foot. The ball is in your left hand, and that arm is extended toward the net.
Forehand Serve
Most commonly used is a forehand drive serve. Stand in a forward stride position behind the baseline with your left shoulder pointing toward the target and your weight on your back foot. The ball is in your left hand, and that arm is extended toward the net. Bend at the waist, take your paddle arm back, drop or toss the ball between you and the target (figure 4.3a), swing your paddle arm forward in an underhand motion, and contact the ball below your waist (4.3b). After ball contact, follow through by bringing your arm up and toward the target (4.3c).
The forehand drive serve: (a) preparation, (b) contact, and (c) follow-through.
Another serve option is a short crosscourt one that lands just beyond the non-volley line. After a series of deep serves, the opponent will likely not expect a short crosscourt serve, which may lead to an easy point.
A third option of serving and perhaps the easiest to execute is the lob serve. When executing a lob serve, stand in a balanced upright position with your body facing the net and your left foot slightly ahead of the right foot. The paddle arm hangs loosely at your side with the paddle in a backward cocked position. Hold the ball in your left hand with that arm in line with the target (figure 4.4a). Drop the ball, swing the paddle arm forward, and make contact with the face of the paddle behind and below the ball (4.4b). Follow through up and toward the target (4.4c). The ball should be lofted and land deep in the intended service court. A lob serve is an excellent serve to mix in with a forehand drive serve. The slow speed of the ball as well as the high bounce often throw off the timing of the receiving player.
The lob serve: (a) preparation, (b) contact, and (c) follow-through.
So off of the forehand are three possible choices of serve: a hard-driven serve, a shallow crosscourt serve, and a lofted lob serve. Your decision about which serve to use depends on the position of the player receiving the serve and also how that player tends to react to and handle each kind of serve.
Backhand Serve
Players who cannot control the flight of the ball when using a forehand serve may find that a backhand serve works better. Some players who excel in using a forehand serve also find it useful to have the backhand serve in their arsenals. Just as there are variations of the forehand serve, there are variations of the backhand serve. Most common is for a right-hand player to assume a side-stride position behind the baseline with the right side toward the net. The right foot points to a spot between the net and the left sideline (figure 4.5a). The ball is in the left hand, and the arms are crossed in front of the body. The ball is dropped in line with the intended target, and the paddle arm swings forward and contacts the ball as it travels downward (4.5b). The swinging arm continues in a follow-through motion toward the target (4.5c). This serve is easy to execute because only the upper body of the server moves. It is also deceiving to the receiver and difficult to return because of a natural sidespin on the ball.
The backhand serve: (a) preparation, (b) contact, and (c) follow-through.
How you serve the ball and how you look while serving are incidental as long as you serve legally and successfully. Try several methods of serving until you find one that works for you.
When you play doubles, your position behind the baseline when serving is somewhat dependent on the type of serve that you plan to use. However, it's not wise to vary your position too much because it will telegraph to your opponents the type of serve that you plan to use. For example, if your intent is to hit a short crosscourt serve, you can get more of an angle on the hit ball if you stand close to the sideline rather than in the center of the court. Other than that, you should maintain a position behind your baseline in a position that enables you to cover your half of the court on the return of the serve.
When you play singles, the strongest position for serving is close to the center line. This puts you in a strong position from which to move either to the right or to the left to get to the return shot.
Save
Learn more about Pickleball Fundamentals.
Basic and Advanced Doubles Strategies
While the best players may use the strategies of the doubles game automatically now, they, too, were beginners at one time. Select one or two strategies to work on; when they become automatic to you and your partner, work on two more.
Basic Doubles Strategies
While the best players may use the strategies of the doubles game automatically now, they, too, were beginners at one time. Select one or two strategies to work on; when they become automatic to you and your partner, work on two more. Eventually your team will truly be one working together toward a common goal: success!
- Strive for 100 percent accuracy on serves. The serve is the only shot in the game that is uncontested - the receiving team must let the ball bounce before it can be hit (the double-bounce rule). Therefore, there is no excuse for not serving the ball over the net into the proper court. Your first objective should be to serve with 100 percent accuracy. Once you accomplish that, then you can focus on a more aggressive serve and placing the serve. Don't try to get too fancy with your serve too soon.
- The forehand player has the primary responsibility for balls down the middle. Even though, as Alex and Jennifer said, it's better for both players to go for the ball rather than neither one trying for it, balls down the middle are the primary responsibility of the player whose forehand is down the middle. Most forehands are stronger than backhands, so allowing the player whose forehand is in position to hit the ball will enable your team to return the ball with the strongest possible shot.
- Anticipate what the return shot will be and move into position to cover the possible angle of the return shot. The location of the opponents on the court, the paddle position and the body position of the player hitting the ball, and the possible angles for the return shot will tell you what the shot will probably be and where it will be hit. Be prepared to move into position for the return. For example, if you and your partner are at the net and one of you has executed a mis-hit that will be a setup for a smash, instead of maintaining your position at the net, both of you should move back with the hope that one of you will be able to get your paddle on the ball as it is smashed back across the net (figure 11.1).
Covering the angle of the return.
- Always face the ball on the other side of the net. Regardless of where you are on the court and where the ball is on the other side of the net, assume a position that is always facing the ball. In addition, always be prepared for the ball to be hit to you.
- Know where you are on the court and where the boundary lines are. Many beginners will hit any ball coming to them regardless of the flight of the oncoming ball and where they are standing on the court. Every time you hit a ball that would have gone out of bounds, you're extending the rally when, had you let the ball hit the ground first, you would have won the rally.
- Always strive for placement and control rather than speed when you hit the ball. The more games that you play, the better you will be able to see where your opponents are on the court. As the ball is coming to you, note where your opponents are and in what direction they're moving (if they're moving). Then place the ball behind them or in an open space on their court.
Advanced Doubles Strategies
When you and your partner both feel confident that you're playing a smart game and you're satisfied with your play together as a team, you can start thinking about using more advanced strategies, such as poaching, stacking, and putting spin on the ball. Don't force their use, but when the opportunity to use them arises, give them a try.
Poaching
If one partner is already at the net - especially on the left side while facing the net - and the other partner is coming to the net but is not there yet, and the opposing team is pretty predictable about where their groundstroke is going, the net player can poach by moving across in front of the partner staying behind the non-volley zone line and hitting the ball just after it crosses the net (R2 in figure 11.2). Normally a shot hit by a player poaching will be a winner, but in the event it isn't, R1 switching to the side vacated by his partner ensures that their court is covered. The advantage of poaching is that the ball is returned quicker than it would be if it were allowed to continue on to the partner who is still advancing toward the non-volley zone line. The disadvantage of poaching is that if the opposing team suspects that the net player is going to move across to poach, they will hit a line shot behind the poaching player. Poaching can occur on either side, but is usually a stronger shot if the ball is hit by the forehand of the player poaching.
Poaching.
Stacking
Every year, there are more players of all ages interested in competing against others in local, regional, national, and international tournaments. In preparation for that competition, players are exploring ways of improving their chances of winning. One of those is to use stacking. Simply put, stacking means that during the serve, the stronger player, whose forehand should be down the middle, lines up either at the baseline or at the non-volley zone line to the left (facing the net) of his partner. If the doubles team consists of one right-hand player and one left-hand player, the right-hand player would always line up to the left of his left-hand partner.
Jim Hackenberg, winner of multiple gold medals in men's doubles and mixed doubles, notes that more pickleball doubles teams are stacking and explains two situations in which it is particularly beneficial:
The first relates to a doubles team that consists of a left-hand player and a right-hand player. Stacking allows them to keep both of their forehands down the middle. As most players know, hitting the ball down the middle of the court is one of the best shots. The net is lower in the middle so there's a higher margin for error if you mis-hit the shot and there is the possibility of confusion about who should take the shot by the opposing team.
Stacking also can be an advantage to a doubles team that consists of one player who is more dominant - quicker, stronger, and more consistent - than his partner. Mixed-doubles teams that consist of a player who is stronger than the other often use stacking so that the stronger player's forehand is covering all middle shots.
The rules pertaining to the serve and the return of the serve apply to the two players involved in the serve action, not their partners. So while the server must stand behind the baseline and behind the proper service court, the server's partner can stand anywhere. Similarly, the player receiving the serve should be in a position that will allow for a return of serve, but the receiving player's partner can be anywhere on or just off of their court.
Jim considers that there are a full stack, a 75 percent stack, and a serving (defensive) stack. For a 75 percent stack, your team would stack in all instances except when the weaker player is receiving the serve behind the left service court. If your team chose to use a serving (defensive) stack, you would stack only when your team is serving; with this option, both players would receive serves normally.
Figure 11.3 illustrates the way players would stack in various situations.
Stacking chart.
Jim offers this advice to players who are considering stacking:
The advantages of stacking are fairly easy to identify - both players hit more shots with their forehands, and the dominant player has more opportunities to cover a larger area of the court. The disadvantages are also pretty simple to identify - teams forget where they are supposed to be! Nothing is worse than losing a point by being out of position. Never enter a tournament and try to stack if you haven't practiced it several times with your partner. Just as you need to practice the skills of the game, you also need to practice stacking. Have the first server wear a red wristband just like in a tournament. After a rally, ask yourself what your score is. The answer will tell you which partner is where. Your first server will be behind the right service court (facing the net) any time your score is even and behind the left service court when your score is odd. With practice, stacking becomes a valuable tool.
Putting Spin on the Ball
Once your pickleball game becomes consistent and you feel confident that you can control the speed and direction of the ball coming off of your paddle, then you might want to experiment with putting spin on the ball. A topspin or a backspin on groundstrokes, a sidespin on a serve, and a backspin on dinks can be very effective. (See the More to Choose and Use section in chapter 3 for details on applying spin.)
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