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Doubles positioning

Pickleball / Popular

Move as a pair, cover the middle and hold the line.

What coaches agree on

  • When the ball is hit straight at you, hold your own line and let your partner shift in to cover the middle; when it's hit to your partner instead, you're the one who shifts in for the middle. It's the ball's angle that decides this, not simply who has the forehand.
  • Read your partner's shot as it comes off the paddle: move in behind one that's low and under control, and take a step back to buy yourself time behind one that pops up high.
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Common mistakes

  • A common mistake is returning serve and then stalling near the baseline instead of continuing forward, so one partner ends up at the kitchen line while the other is still stuck back, handing the position advantage straight back to the opponents.
  • Another is planting in place right after hitting a shot instead of shifting sideways with the ball, which leaves the middle, or the side just vacated, wide open for opponents to attack.
  • The third is staying silent when a ball is heading down the middle: with neither partner calling it, you either collide going for the same ball or both leave it, and the opponents win the point either way.