No matter how good you are at a Pickleball game, you cannot win a doubles game until you sync perfectly with your partner. Many excellent players give their best on the court and still lose the match. It happens due to the lack of strategy. If you wonder how to improve your game, you need to know some of the best pickleball doubles strategies.
It is critical to use the skill and energy of both players strategically to win the game. In this article, we have shared the 11 best pickleball doubles strategies. These are the 10 basic strategies that lay down the foundation for other plans and strategies. So let’s begin.
Contents
11 Best Pickleball Doubles Strategies
- Stay Close To Net
- Get Perfect With The Pickleball Serve
- Target Your Opponent’s Feet
- Learn How To Return A Serve
- Stay Away From Baseline While Returning A serve
- Move Together
- Communicate About Returning The Shots That Hit Down The Middle
- Be Consistent
- Be Patient
- Beginner’s Strategy
- Know The General Rules
1. Stay Close To Net
The team that stays close to the net has an upper hand and can easily win rallies and points. Positioning yourself close to the net will help you hit the deep shots in the opponent’s backcourt. Hit these shots consistently to prevent your opponent from advancing towards the net. If you are playing at the backcourt, don’t miss any opportunity to go close to the net.
2. Get Perfect With The Pickleball Serve
Serve is a shot on which you have complete control. A perfect serve will help you put your opponent on the back foot right from the beginning. You should practice the serve shot considering the strength of your team and the weaknesses of the opponent’s team. If the serve is in your favor, you can easily win the point. Unlike tennis, you have only one service attempt in the pickleball. Therefore, you need to practice a lot to minimize the service faults. Practice hard to make the serve land within the service box.
3. Target Your Opponent’s Feet
It is one of the most effective pickleball doubles strategies. Regardless of the place where your opponent is positioned, you should learn how to hit the ball in the opponent’s feet. It is pretty difficult to return the deep-down shots that are close to your feet. If you master to hit the ball to your opponent’s feet, the odds of winning a point will be stacked in your favor.
The best time to implement this plan is when you are close to the baseline. Also, you and your opponent should be working on the same strategy and hit back-to-back shots on your opponent’s feet. It will help you pin back your opponents, and after facing consecutive deep shots, they will surely hit a loose shot.
4. Learn How To Return A Serve
Serve is one of the most controlled shots from the opponent’s court, and it is critical to learn how to return a serve in your favor. In pickleball doubles, it is a smart strategy to hit back the serve deep and down. A deep-down serve will make your opponents come out of their comfort zone. Also, the deep down shot right in the beginning is difficult to return and execute perfectly. After hitting a perfect deep-down shot, you can expect a smash able loose shot from the other side, which you can hit with more power.
5. Stay Away From Baseline While Returning A serve
You may know how to return a serve effectively, but when you are playing in doubles, it requires you to change your strategy. To return the serve effectively, you should take the best position in the court. You and your partner should not stay close to the baseline to return a serve smartly.
Instead, you should stand 2-3 feet behind the baseline. It will provide you a considerable space for the footwork, and you can position yourself after judging the serve shot. Also, to return a deep serve, you will have enough space to run and bend your body.
6. Move Together
Moving together is a fundamental pickleball doubles strategy. If you don’t sync properly with your partner, you cannot win the game. Synchronized movements are key to winning rallies and points. Move up-down, left to right, and right to left as a team. If you fail to move together, your opponents will be able to identify your weak areas. The opponent team will find a lot of angles where they can hit the ball to score a point.
7. Communicate About Returning The Shots That Hit Down The Middle
Hit-down middle shots are pretty confusing and can make you lose points if you do not communicate with your partner. It is advised to devise a plan about returning the deep down middle shots. As a general rule of thumb, the player who is at the forehand of the shot will return it.
Also, it is critical to develop understanding between both partners during the practice sessions. You can continuously communicate throughout the matches by saying “mine” or yours. You need to be quick with communication to increase the chances of scoring.
8. Be Consistent
Consistency is another basic pickleball doubles strategy. Instead of trying a power shot every time you should try to keep control of the ball. According to International tournament statistics, 75% of rallies are won or lost due to errors. Try to hit the ball over the net and make it land within the legal boundaries.
Be consistent with your shots and let your opponent make a mistake. Wait for the loose shot to hit a power shot in return. Also, it is advised to stick to your current strategy and do not move to the next plan without communicating with your partner.
9. Be Patient
Playing smart, not hard, is key to winning a rally. You need to be patient and wait for your opponent to make a mistake. Do not use power and try to hit the shot deep and down. Avoid excessive running around the court. In this way, you will create more gaps for your opponent to hit the unplayable volleys.
Avoid hitting smash able shots. If the opponent has pushed you to the backcourt, do not try to advance towards the net in a hurry. Wait for the smash able shot and gradually advance towards the net. If the opponent team is playing an aggressive strategy, stick to the defensive play. Hit the conservative shots and make sure you hit the ball over the net every time.
10. Beginner’s Strategy
Play the easy shots with consistency if you are a beginner and cannot hit the smart volleys. If you cannot hit at the opponent’s feet, try to hit down and harder in the middle. Hitting down the middle can lead to confusion between the opponent team. Look for the gap and hit harder in the gap. A fast volley in the gap can easily win a point for you. Do not try volleys you have not mastered yet. Again try to stay close to the net, and do not change your position until you get a chance.
Also See: Advanced Pickleball Strategy
11. Know The General Rules
Knowing the general rules of the game is critical to winning the game. You should strictly follow the placement and position strategies of the game. Also, there are general rules of hitting the ball and moving around the court that are already established and it is advised to follow these rules. These are some basic rules you should follow to play an error-free game.
- The serving team should always be positioned behind the baseline and cannot change the position before hitting the second shot.
- The receiver can position himself/herself on the baseline or a few feet behind the baseline. It is advised to stand 3-4 feet behind the baseline to generate more room for footwork.
- When you are playing in the team, the hitting partner decides when and where the team will move.
- Wait for your partner to move and move in complete harmony with your partner.
FAQs
What are 3 strategies in pickleball?
The three fundamental strategies of pickleball are:
- Partners move in unison.
- Stay close to the net.
- Communicate with your partner.
What is the main initial strategy in doubles pickleball play?
The main initial strategy in pickleball doubles is to push your partner at the backcourt. Stay close to the net, and do not let your opponent advance to the net.
Wrapping Up
So these are some of the best pickleball doubles strategies you can adopt to win the game. Communication between the partners and being consistent are the two basic strategies you need to follow throughout the game. Also, you should learn how to serve and how to return a service to put your opponent on the backfoot.
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