Pickleball doubles strategy: third shot, dinks, positioning

Once you know the rules of pickleball, the next question arrives: how do you actually win? At first almost everyone plays the same way, from the baseline, hitting hard and waiting for the other side to miss. It works for a few weeks. Then you meet a pair who move up to the kitchen, send everything back softly at your feet and beat you without breaking a sweat. This guide explains basic doubles strategy, which is how the vast majority of matches are played, so you understand what is going on and start playing with a plan.

Everything below starts from USA Pickleball's official rules: the underhand, diagonal serve, the non-volley zone (the kitchen) and the two-bounce rule. If any of them sounds new, review it first; pickleball strategy comes straight out of those rules.

The core idea: whoever owns the kitchen line owns the point

In doubles, the strongest position is with both players standing just behind the kitchen line, side by side. From there you cover almost the full width of the court, you can volley before the ball drops, and you force your opponents to hit upwards. The team that reaches that line first, and stays there, wins most of the points.

Almost all of pickleball strategy boils down to two jobs: get to the kitchen line as soon as you can, and do not let the other team get there comfortably.

Why the serve does not let you move up straight away

The two-bounce rule makes the return bounce before it is played, and the third shot bounce as well. That changes where each player stands at the start of the point:

• Serving team: both players stay back. The server serves and waits, because the return will bounce on their side and must be allowed to bounce.
• Receiving team: the receiver's partner can already be at the kitchen line. The receiver returns and moves up to the line.

The result: the receiving team has a positional advantage from the first shot. That is why serving is less of an edge in pickleball than in tennis, and why the third shot matters so much.

Serve and return: depth before power

The serve. Its only job is to go in and not be attackable. A deep serve, near the baseline, keeps the receiver back. Hitting hard and missing gives the serve away; remember that under traditional scoring only the serving team scores points.

The return. Here is the first key to strategy: return deep and high, to the back of the opposing court, and move up to the kitchen while the ball is travelling. A long return gives you time to reach the line and keeps the serving team away from the net. A short, hard return leaves you halfway and hands your opponent an easy ball.

The third shot: the play that shapes the point

The serving team is back, the opponents are already at the kitchen line. How do you get forward? With the third shot, which is usually one of two:

• The drop. A soft, arcing shot that lands in the opponents' kitchen. Because the ball drops at their feet, they cannot attack it and have to return it softly. That moment is when you move towards the net.
• The drive. A flat, hard shot low over the net. It works if the opponents did not reach the line in time, or if the return was short and high.

To start with, practise the drop. It is harder than it looks and you will miss plenty, but it is the shot that takes you from playing at the back to playing at the net. If your drop sits up, do not advance: stay put and try again on the next shot.

The transition zone: do not get stuck in the middle

Between the baseline and the kitchen there is a strip called the transition zone, which many players call no man's land. If you stop there, the ball arrives at your feet and you can neither attack nor defend it well. The practical rule: move forward when your shot was good, stop with your feet set just before the opponent hits, and keep moving forward with the next good shot. Reaching the kitchen line in two or three steps is normal.

The dink: patience at the net

When all four players are at the kitchen line, the point becomes an exchange of dinks: soft shots that bounce in the opponents' kitchen. The goal is not to win with the dink, but to wait for a ball that sits up so you can attack it.

• Dink crosscourt most of the time: the net is lower in the middle, the distance is longer and you have more margin.
• Keep the ball low. A dink that rises above the net invites your opponent's smash.
• Attack only the high ball. If it comes to you above the net, volley it down, at the opponent's feet or body. If it comes low, dink again.

Many points between beginners are lost by attacking a low ball. Waiting is part of the game.

Moving as a pair

In doubles, the two players move as if tied together by a rope about three metres long. If the ball goes right, you both shift right; if your partner moves up, you move up. A big gap between you is every opponent's favourite target.

The ball down the middle is the one that gives away the most points. Agree a rule before you start; the most common is that the player with it on their forehand takes it. It also helps to call every ball out loud: "mine", "yours", "out". In matches without a referee, each team calls the balls that land on its own side of the court, and any doubt goes in the opponent's favour.

Common tactical mistakes

• Staying at the baseline all match. You can win some points, but against a pair who move up you will lose most of them.
• Moving up after a bad shot. If your drop sat up, advancing only brings you closer to the smash.
• Hitting hard from below the net. A low ball hit hard goes long or into the net.
• Stepping into the kitchen on a volley. Volleying with a foot in the kitchen, or falling into it from momentum, is a fault.
• Not talking to your partner. Two silent players let balls through the middle.

How to practise this strategy

Three simple drills for four players: crosscourt dinks from the kitchen line, counting how many in a row you manage without the ball rising; drops from the baseline with two players at the net who only return softly; and points that start with a serve where the receiving team can only win from the kitchen line. Within a few sessions you will notice the match looks different: slower at first, but much more yours.