Beginnerdoubles

Doubles: move as a pair, not as two singles players

Most pickleball is doubles, and most early doubles mistakes are positioning mistakes, not shot mistakes. This lesson covers the handful of habits that make a new pair instantly harder to beat: getting to the kitchen line together, sliding as a unit, and agreeing in advance who takes the middle.

Watch: 6 Pickleball Doubles Strategies New Players MUST Know
11 min
Watch “6 Pickleball Doubles Strategies New Players MUST Know” ThatPickleballGuy - Kyle Koszuta · captions

Key takeaways

  • You and your partner are connected by an invisible rope: move up, back, and sideways together, keeping roughly a half-court gap.
  • The kitchen line is home base in doubles. Work your way there behind a good drop and hold it.
  • Middle balls cause the most arguments and the most losses. Default rule: forehand takes the middle, and say 'mine' early.
  • After the return, the returner's partner is already at the line, so the serving team starts the rally at a positional disadvantage. That's why the third shot matters.
  • Cover the line when the ball is on your side; shade toward the middle when it's on your partner's.

Drill to try

Shadow drill, no ball: with a partner, have a friend point left, right, up, or back. Move together keeping the gap constant for 2 minutes. Then repeat during a slow rally.

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