Prefer to watch the video on this topic instead of reading it? Here’s the link to the YouTube video version.

(1) Return & Run

Let’s hop right into the 1st Pickleball doubles strategy, which is the Return & Run. 

Repeat after me: “You are MOST DANGEROUS at the Kitchen line, not back when baseline.”

So when you return the serve, run up to the kitchen line immediately. 

If you return the ball and stay, you put yourself at a major disadvantage because you’re not in a threatening position ready to receive the next ball.  

And if you do that, your opponents will keep gunning for the person who’s hanging out in the baseline because they’re in a weak court position.

Moral of the Story: After you hit your return, run to the kitchen line and prepare to battle.

(2) Stance & Punch

Onto the 2nd strategy, be in a Stance ready to Punch the ball if it’s hit hard at you.

This strategy is pretty simple but when it comes to gaining a competitive edge early in the rally, it’s crucial to master your 4th shot. The easiest way to do that is to follow these 3 steps after you return and run.

Stance:

Don’t plant your feet on the ground. Instead, It’s important to be in an active stance that keeps you light on your feet and prepared to handle the next shot!

Paddle Up: 

Keep your paddle position up in the air to help react faster to the balls that come in fast and direct. 

Short & Compact Swings:

One mistake beginners make is taking big swings when they’re at the kitchen line. If the ball is above your head, yes, swing as hard as possible. But if it’s at shoulder height or lower, a big swing is a recipe for disaster. 

So instead of swinging at the ball with your whole arm, try using a more compact, tight, shorter swing to be more effective when you’re up at the kitchen line. 

(3) Serve & Stay

Let’s talk about the 3rd strategy for Pickleball doubles victory. Serve & Stay.

When you’re serving, it’s important to remember the ball has to bounce on the court when it gets returned to you (which is the 2nd shot). Click here if you need a quick reminder of the general rules.

So if you serve and run, you’re setting yourself up for disaster. Because if your opponent hits a deep return, you’ll have to backpedal in order to let it bounce. And any time you’re moving backward in pickleball, that’s bad news. 

The reason is, you’ll be off balance and most likely, you’ll hit the ball up in the air (which will make for an easy smash) or you’ll miss altogether. 

So always best to serve, then stay back behind the line when waiting for the returning shot.

(4) Third Shot Tactics

Would you look at that… We’re halfway through the 6 must-know doubles strategies in Pickleball.

As a special bonus for making it this far, I wanted to go over not one, but two third-shot tactics you can use to apply more pressure on your opponents!

Drive the ball:

The most common beginner tactic used for the 3rd shot is to drive the ball. (In simple terms, this means to hit the ball hard). 

Now, when you’re planning to hit a drive in pickleball, aim at the person hitting the return because it’s harder to hit the ball accurately while they’re on the run into the kitchen (remember return and run?). 

And while this can be a useful tactic, it’s not the ONLY card you can play.👇

3rd Shot Drop:

When it comes to dropping the ball, the goal is to create more time to get to the kitchen line and apply pressure. 

With that said, don’t prioritize power. The harder you hit your shot, the faster it’s coming back. So that doesn’t give you more time, it gives you less.

Instead, emphasize a soft shot with a higher trajectory that will bounce into the opponent's kitchen.

If you’re a pickleball beginner, I recommend aiming your 3rd shot drop for the middle of the court. You have a bit more room for error and the other team won’t have as many good attacking angles from the center of the court. 

(5) Hold The Line 

Next up on the Pickleball doubles strategies list, Hold the line.

Albeit if you’re a beginner, you more than likely won’t be in many “dink rallies.” This is when all 4 players are standing at the kitchen line hitting soft to each other. 

Here’s the gist. The mistake is…

Being scattered and frantic at the line. 

Moving backward, then forward, then sideways, then backward. Ahhh. This leads to getting off-balanced. And when you get off-balanced, bad things happen. You miss or pop balls up into the air your opponents will smash! Instead. Stay calm and hold the line.  

Here’s two benefits to holding the line: 

1. You stay on balance.
2. You keep yourself in a dangerous position, ready to attack any high balls your opponents give you.

In addition, a quick tip. I like two footwork variations when dinking. 

1. Side-step (left image). Stay down in a stance and take a side step to get the ball. 
2. Drop-step (right image). Occasionally, your opponent will hit a ball to you that pushes you back slightly. Don’t panic. That’s okay. Be okay with taking a drop step to hit the ball. 

On both steps, it’s important to remember:

1. Stay on balance.
2. After you hit the ball, get back up to the kitchen line with your paddle up ready for anything that comes your way.  

(6) Dink To Backhand

Onto the 6th and final pickleball doubles strategy. 

This concept is simple, but not easy. It calls for more control and accuracy. 

Here it is:

Dink to the left side player's backhand. That’s it. 

You’d be surprised how many Pickleball players have a terrible backhand. And just by hitting the ball to that location, they’ll pop balls up you can get aggressive and smash. 

New Pickleball Doubles Strategies: *Now Unlocked*

You may have learned the ways of Pickleball doubles mastery, but the important part of your training has yet to be completed.

In order to truly turn these strategies, you have to get out there and practice!

And if you’re looking to build a stronger defense, especially in those more intense moments of the game, like when you’re in a dink rally...

Click here to check out to not get absolutely demolished in the kitchen!