Pickleball Doubles Strategy: How to Play Doubles when the Opponents are picking on your Partner

[@BestPickleballCoach]

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[@mikeoliver861]

Great advice! I'm going to watch this several times.

[@BestPickleballCoach]

Ty Mike

[@vincevita6872]

Great strategy info. As a lefty, which should be my favorite side? [ right side] protect middle .. use my forehand to partners forehand righthanded ... or [left side] and position myself more to the mid court?... just a mid 3. player learning at a young 72...lol Thanks... Vince

[@BestPickleballCoach]

Generally put strength in the middle. But there are times to put it on the outside

[@topglobalbane8910]

That board is very useful. Thank you 😇

[@BestPickleballCoach]

Thank you for the feedback.

[@huynh9883]

Thank you great strategy for me to work

[@BestPickleballCoach]

👍

[@randallkadish5663]

Great video. Sadly, where I play rec ball, weaker players are almost always targeted, which I think is bad manners. I will use the first few techniques, but I am not comfortable hogging the court in rec play. If I were to do so, it might hurt my partner's self image and also prevent him/her from improving. To me, and I am in the minority, rec play should not be about winning, but about trying to improve my technique and helping my partner feel good.

[@BestPickleballCoach]

Good stuff. The "hogging" techniques are only for tournament or competitive matches where your partner is on board with it. Keep working at it.

[@jeffw3776]

I was just about to make this exact comment Randall. I am one of three of the better players in our club and uneven targeted all the time. Poaching is not really what I like to do in rec play. It just doesn’t make sense. If I can’t get in a competitive match at this point of my pickelball play honestly it’s just not fun. So I wait for a game that is , thus to some I look like a pickelball stuck up kinda guy. It’s a difficult situation in our club. Not sure what the answer is. Any suggestions Randall?

[@randallkadish5663]

@@jeffw3776 I just read Mark Friedenberg's book, and he suggests that playing with a weak partner can be a learning opportunity as we will get a lot of practice returning smashed balls.

[@jeffw3776]

@@randallkadish5663 if the ball even comes my direction....doh...Or I just keep poaching which isn’t really PLAYING THE GAME

[@randallkadish5663]

@@jeffw3776 I find it sad that in recreational pickleball some folks want to win so badly they feel compelled to pick on weaker players. Still, I try to practice checking my opponents position on the court and finding opening, and also following the ball, which is good eye exercise.

[@solutionbox]

started slow but i got a FF button. glad I stuck with it - very good content. I notice you didn't mention another reason for crowding the middle is if one player has a stronger forehand - even if a player is not being targeted? Or am I wrong - because a stronger forehand, standing in the middle, makes it easier for them to send it to your backhand? So would the rule be - crowd the middle if the stakes are high and you're the stronger player?

[@BestPickleballCoach]

If you’re the stronger player you want to try to insert yourself into the game.

[@donreinholz8121]

Another great video Tony. I will try this out if my partner is being targeted. Good stuff. Happens all the time.

[@BestPickleballCoach]

Let us know how it works.

[@felinegood-livingtheferall4340]

Thank you for addressing this PB doubles issue. It has been said that the mid court line means nothing after the opposing side serves the ball. Yet many Open Players feel that balls sent to the L & R of the center mid court line divides the court into MY shots & Your shots to address. Of course the "Poach" shot exists at ALL levels, yet many players can get very territorial about "their" half of the court. Would you please provide (or create) a KZbin video that addresses this subject. BTW ... territorial play is a mind set and not necessarily a weaker vs stronger player thing. Thank you in advance.

[@BestPickleballCoach]

Video is done already. :) Here you go kzbin.info/www/bejne/oZC9hIRsmLmieKM

[@godgunsandgoldens]

A lot of weaker players are slow to advance to line so it can seem like he’s being targeted but opponents aren’t even thinking about it. Poaching takes the pressure off players slow to advance so some may appreciate it. Ben Johns said recreational players are ecstatic to play with him but target his teammate keeping ball from him. Why? You want to experience what it’s like to play against the best but then refuse to include him in game? Makes no sense.

[@technicaltrader7413]

Great explanation! 👍

[@BestPickleballCoach]

Thanks

[@margaretdunbar6642]

Thank you for this Video. I had to watch it several times to get a feeling for it. I have a age grouped tournament tomorrow where my partner is a 4-0 and I am a 3-5 and most of the opponents are 4-0 and above. We will see how it goes.

[@BestPickleballCoach]

Let us know how it goes with the strategy.

[@margaretdunbar6642]

@@BestPickleballCoach I took home a bronze. I had to really concentrate on where I was hitting the ball, every point, but it worked. I was the weaker player.

[@BestPickleballCoach]

@@margaretdunbar6642 congratulations. Glad the techniques worked for you!

[@TennisCoachChip]

What about the “I” formation? I just started playing pickle ball and I’m wondering why I never see it. I see stacking but never really an I formation. It’s used in tennis all the time.

[@BestPickleballCoach]

That’s a good question. Only the Waters have used it so far. We developed a strategy called the Shadow Shift. Let me know if you cannot find it. Appreciate the conversation.

[@TennisCoachChip]

@@BestPickleballCoach Just watched that video. That’s exactly what I meant! I would call that a “2 back” I formation. I’ve actually done that in a tennis match when I was serving and my partner had weak volleys, strong ground strokes, and was getting targeted.

[@BestPickleballCoach]

@@TennisCoachChip cool stuff. We are always trying to think of ways to bring strategy to bear on the court. Thanks for sharing the tennis perspective on it.

[@ArizonaGunsDave]

I just got into pickleball and I don't like the idea of a player being allowed to essentially handicap their teammate by taking shots on her side of the court. Players should stay on their side in my opinion and if a player gets targeted well then, just get better. Keep practicing. I suck at pickleball but I don't want my teammate jumping in front of me and taking my shot, that's how you get better and that's how you learn. If I suck and our team loses it's pickleball at the end of the day it shouldn't be a big deal to anyone.

[@BestPickleballCoach]

Agree that a player in rec should not just take all the balls away from a player who is working to get better. This concept is intended to be an optimal overall strategy to give greatest chance for success. Welcome to the sport.

[@jeffw3776]

So commonly I am targeted at our rec play club as i am one of the better skilled players. Tony, any suggestions on how our club president who happens to be one of the better players can address this without hurting feelings. We have limited courts so uneven matchups happen all the time with less beginners and better skilled players involved. Other clubs I have been to have different level courts for ability matching strongly suggested. Of course they have more courts to allow for this.....What do you think?

[@BestPickleballCoach]

Hi Jeff I have been getting this question a lot. I will put together a video with several different ideas that you can try out at the facility. None of them are perfect and they all involve some level of bruised feelings and human politics, but perhaps one of them will offer a solution.

[@jeffw3776]

@@BestPickleballCoach I reread my comment above. What I meant to say, my much weaker partner is targeted...doh

[@BestPickleballCoach]

@@jeffw3776 I must have auto corrected in my mind because that is how I understood it.

[@charleszook7873]

Not even mentioning stacking as a strategic balancing of power seems like a unforced error. Without stacking, weaker player will wind up on left side and will get their backhand beat up. With stacking you can keep weaker player on right side, opponents now only have their forehand to beat on. Stacking becomes essential for so many reasons.

[@BestPickleballCoach]

Great suggestion. Stacking can be used effectively to help shield the weaker side of a player for sure. Appreciate the share.

[@dalevoigt8612]

I am not sure about the dinking straight across strategy. While it is the harder dink to execute; it is also putting extra pressure on the picked on the player who is already struggling. It also my be the exact strategy your opponents are using to isolate the weakest player.

[@BestPickleballCoach]

The shots we were talking about were shots being hit by the stronger player. Return of serve and dinks by the stronger player. Once the ball goes to the weaker player, that player should hit the ball wherever is least likely to result in an error.

[@davidaronson9475]

If people in your group are consistently targeting the weaker player in rec play, TALK TO THEM. Communication is key. That and balance. Whole life, balance.

[@BestPickleballCoach]

Big fan of communication and balance. Thanks for sharing

[@fairx]

interesting....let's say this is a tournament. and your partner, as the weakest player on the court, is being targeted. I would stack the stronger player on the Left side, at least On Serve. The left side player has a great opportunity to influence play generally. I would instruct the weaker player to Return cross court, or in front of his stronger partner. this forces the third shot to go Cross Court to the weaker player, giving the stronger player a chance to capture the ball as it crosses the court to the right (or left if not stacking) side weaker player. It's generally easier for the weaker player to execute a dink cross court than straight ahead. the weaker player going cross court allows the stronger player to get involved by squeezing the middle and capturing balls returned to the weaker player with his forehand if stacking. The stronger player can still squeeze the middle. If you're the weakest player, why go cross court? Generally a stronger player will win the 1 on 1 rally directly in front of him at least 2/3 against a weaker player, at the same time leaving the stronger opponent out in the cold. I got this concept from YODA's book. His philosophy is "get the ball off your side of the court" if you're the weaker player.

[@BestPickleballCoach]

I would agree that it is generally easier for a player to go cross court. That is why I suggest that the stronger player on the team go cross court to make it harder for the opponent to go to the weaker player (as that would be a straight on shot). Once it goes to the weaker player, then that player going cross court is fine.

[@SDPBALLCOACH]

No, just saw the screen shot but NO! NO ! NOE!! you'll get burned down the line.. Margaritas for EVERYONE!!

[@BestPickleballCoach]

You tell that to Simone :).

[@SDPBALLCOACH]

@@BestPickleballCoach Oh, ok, just saw the actual video...sorry, my bad. Back to Margheritas..

[@BestPickleballCoach]

@@SDPBALLCOACH I am going to need one here in a few :)

[@SDPBALLCOACH]

@@BestPickleballCoach So hot out here we drink em instead of 💧 water..

[@BestPickleballCoach]

@@SDPBALLCOACH That is my kind of pickleball

[@mikeoliver861]

Everybody I know targets the weakest opponent. I'm the only one I know that doesn't target the beginners. That often makes me lose, but I don't feel right picking on the weakest player.

[@BestPickleballCoach]

Couldn't agree more - what is the point of that right?

[@redelfpickleballfundamentals]

The better partner should get 65% of the shot including 3rd shot. And encourage the weaker player to be extra responsive, just keep the ball in play make decent returns...and the better player shall find ways steal shots, and outplay the other two opponents with placement shots and pressure shots to be able to score points.

[@BestPickleballCoach]

Some good ideas in there Timoti - assuming the weaker partner is in agreement with this arrangement.

[@redelfpickleballfundamentals]

...and constant communication during the game like instructing weaker partner "cover the middle" or call out "switch" when necessary once other gets out of position...and simple calls like "mine" or "yours" who to take the shot.

[@BestPickleballCoach]

@@redelfpickleballfundamentals definitely communication is a must. Thanks

[@dr3.02]

Maybe in rec play; if you're ever in a tournament with a weaker player, it should be 70/30, or even 80/20.

[@jeffw3776]

No way for me to avoid rec play targeting at our club. Not fun as I’ve stated before in other posts on this channel. So many “unbalanced” games. I know I can work on other parts of my game. Doh.......

[@BestPickleballCoach]

Hey Jeff. Targeting is a thing for sure. Not following the doh??

[@19battlehill]

REALLY -- just hit it at the weaker player -- over and over again. This is crap.

[@BestPickleballCoach]

Hi Kathleen. Targeting the weaker player in rec play is not a good approach but in a tournament it is not only ok - it is optimal strategy. Thanks for the comment.