Once pickleball players acquire the basic skills and knowledge, they soon realize there is more to the game than physical skills and knowledge of rules.  After learning the basics of pickleball, most players determine there is a need to understand and apply pickleball strategies and tactics. Regardless of your pickleball playing experience, below are several strategies all players can use to enhance their pickleball play.

Basic Strategy

In general, hit the pickleball over the net, between the lines, and mostly down the middle in doubles and down the sidelines in singles.  Whether you are playing doubles or singles, the key to winning is hitting the ball over the net and between the lines of the court one more time than your opponent.  Additionally, the middle part of the court provides you with the highest margin of error, as the net is at its lowest point and you can miss a little to the left or a little to the right while keeping the pickleball in play. Down the middle shots also are effective if there is a large gap between your doubles opponents, or if you can get your doubles opponents to debate with each other over who should take the down the middle shots. Below are additional tips to help you develop a successful pickleball strategy:

• Try to keep the ball as low as possible for as long as possible. Balls that are hit to a height of chest high or higher will set your opponent up for success.
• Hit your shots at the feet of your opponent, especially the foot on your opponent’s backhand side.
• In doubles, move to the non-volley line as soon as you can while trying to keep your opponent at their baseline for as long as possible.
• Use the dink shot as much as you can.  A well-hit dink will prevent your opponent from using most aggressive shots (i.e., drive and smash).  Additionally, consider hitting dinks cross-court.  A cross-court dink allows players to take advantage of the lowest part of the net in the center and provides a larger target on the other side of the net.

Doubles Shot Sequence

1st – The serve is the first and most important shot in pickleball.  Always hit the serve deep to the correct service court while aiming for the receiver’s backhand side.

2nd -The second shot in pickleball is the return of serve.  Try to return all serves with a slow, deep shot to the backhand side of the opponent with the weaker third shot.  In doubles, the low, deep return of serve will provide both players on the receiving team time to move up to the non-volley line. Video 7.1 demonstrates a deep serve followed by a deep return, while Video 7.2 illustrates how a short return on the second shot draws the opponent to the non-volley line.

Video 7.1

Video 7.2

3rd –The third shot in pickleball is hit by the serving team and is usually a drop shot (i.e., the third shot drop) or a drive hit down the centerline.

In Video 7.3, the shot sequence is demonstrated, highlighting the use of a drop shot on the third hit to allow the serving side to approach the non-volley line. Video 7.4 demonstrates the use of a drive on the third shot.

Video 7.3

Video 7.4

Court Positioning

Stacking is a strategy commonly used in doubles play to help teammates maximize their strengths and minimize weaknesses. In stacking, both players start on the same side of the court, whether serving or receiving and then quickly move to their preferred sides after the serve and return of serve. Benefits of stacking include positioning the forehands of a right-handed and left-handed player in the middle, which allows for more attacking opportunities. Additionally, it lets the player with a stronger forehand stay in a position where the forehand covers the middle of the court, creating more poaching opportunities while positioning a player with a weaker backhand in the court that reduces its exposure, Figure 7.1.

Singles Strategy

When playing singles, there are some similarities to the strategy used in doubles. For example, both the serve and return should be deep, aimed toward the back baseline of the court. However, there are key differences in shot selection. Singles play involves more groundstrokes and fewer drops and dinks compared to doubles. The main objective is to move your opponent laterally with deep shots to the back corners of the court. Another notable difference is player positioning. In singles, players generally stay in the back third of the court, unlike in doubles, where players often rush to the non-volley line. The exception occurs when you hit a deep shot to your opponent’s backcourt that prevents them from setting their feet for a good return. In this case, players should rush the kitchen line to gain position for an offensive attack. Below is a list of tips to develop a successful singles strategy:

• When serving, stand close to the centerline
• Hit low, hard groundstrokes to the corners to make returns more challenging for your opponent
• If your opponent rushes the non-volley line, use a lob or a hard passing shot down the sideline to catch them off guard