Pickleball isn’t all about your fitness level. There’s plenty of strategy to go around! And that goes for everyone. Even the best team can be bested by newcomers with the right strategy. Moreover, equally matched teams often find that strategy — not power — decides the winner.

In other words, every competitive pickleball player must know the basics of the game’s strategy. Once you’ve conquered the basic rules and know your shots, it’s time to tackle the question of control.

How can you dominate the court and overwhelm your opponent? How do you go from sweating it out at the non-volley line to controlling the game?

Today, we’re dedicating a blog post to these questions. More specifically, we’re talking about doubles pickleball and the strategic tips you must know to secure a win for your team!

What’s So Important About the “Third Shot?”

Let’s begin with a phrase you’ll hear a lot as you begin your strategic pickleball studies.

The third shot is the third hit of a match. It’s tied to the two-bounce rule (not to be confused with the “double-bounce rule”), which demands that both sides hit at least one groundstroke before volleying the ball. Don’t worry if that’s confusing! It’s easier to illustrate by listing things out in a nice, orderly way.

So, let’s start an imaginary pickleball game. And let’s say you’re on the receiving team. Each ”shot” is a step on the list. So, in order, we have…

1. After the initial serve, the ball lands on your side of the court. This is the first shot.
2. You hit it back! The ball lands on the serving team’s side. This is the second shot.
3. They hit it back. The ball is coming back to your side of the court, and this is that all-important third shot.

Notably, the serving team never gets this opportunity. The rule is, after all, meant to negate the inherent advantage of being the serving team!

Why You Should Care

Okay, so what’s so darn important about this hit?

At its core, this opening is an offensive opportunity. It’s a chance to turn the tide against a strong competitor. More importantly, it’s the perfect opportunity for a doubles team to reposition themselves.

Remember: After the third hit, you can start slamming out volleys!

You also have more space to breathe and move. Generally, the first two hits of a game will be middle shots. Now, you have two options.

The Third Shot Drop

The most common and widely-known move is a third shot drop. As you may have guessed, it’s a drop shot that pops over the net before dropping rapidly within or near the non-volley zone. Thus, it’s as much an offensive move as it is defensive.

The goal of this tactic is threefold:

• First, you want to gain control as the receiving team. As the main initial strategy of many pickleball games, drop shots force unprepared opponents forward and decrease their court coverage.
• Second, you’re looking to create an opening in the opposing team’s court position. Many inexperienced doubles teams rush forward together to snag drop shots, leaving plenty of room for your team to score a deep shot.
• Third, you’re playing defensively. A moving opponent is less likely to attack the ball. More importantly, drawing your opponents to the kitchen line robs them of the chance to attack your team.

The Third Shot Drive

Conversely, a third shot drive is a more aggressive hit. Unlike drop shots, drives focus on velocity and maintaining momentum. That’s not a free pass to smash the ball, though! Instead, focus on creating a fast, unpredictable shot hit to confuse the opposing team. Should they still manage to land a return, the spin and power of a drive will (hopefully!) cause the ball to pop out of bounds.

Notably, drives are not commonly used in casual doubles pickleball. The strategy relies on the inherent need to quickly pick a defensible spot, and having two people makes it easier to defend both the baseline and non-volley zone. Nonetheless, it’s a decent skill to know. Aside from varying your strategy, drives are ideal ways to respond to errant high hits and off-kilter drop shots.

Basic Strategy Tips for the Serving Team

You may have noticed that strategy tips for the serving team have been conspicuously absent thus far. That’s because players have different roles when serving the ball.

Generally, the receiving team is split in half. One partner stands at the baseline; the other takes the kitchen line. However, both players on the serving team generally stand at or behind the baseline. Thus, you need a different skill set to master the art of a successful serve.

The Deep Serve

If you want a tried-and-true tactic, you can never go wrong with the deep serve. Hit the ball with power and accuracy. You want to see the ball hit mid-court or beyond and — as a general rule — on the receiving team’s backhand side.

This tactic probably won’t earn you instant points, but it’s a decent way to nudge the opposing team into an optimal position for a drop shot.

Prepare for Hardcore Pickleball Play by Stacking

Another common serving side strategy is half-stacking, wherein both players stand on the same side of the court. The server takes the baseline while the other player waits on the corresponding sideline. After the return of serve, both teammates scatter to cover their respective sides.

(Note that you can also stack as a receiving team.)

This tactic promotes aggression and control, although it may be confusing for newcomers. Both players must be on the same page. Otherwise, you may inadvertently break the service sequence.

Teamwork Makes the Dream Work

Finally, we must emphasize something that many new pickleball players overlook.

You really, really have to master the art of communication. There’s a reason professional pickleball teams have a set roster. Pickleball doubles games are all about communication. Knowing the phrases and hand signals your partner uses to communicate makes all the difference.

This goes beyond basic court etiquette.

Knowing your partner’s weaknesses lets you compensate. We could name dozens of team-oriented positioning choices, but that’s not the point of today’s blog post. Still, allow us a moment to drive home the importance of teamwork. A deep bond with your teammate gives you plenty of space to put your opponents at a subtle disadvantage. To name a few examples, let’s say…

• The opposing team is constantly in no-man’s land. Your buddy is great at middle shots. Great news for you: It’s time for those drives to shine!
• You have a weaker backhand. Your partner can take over the left side, freeing you to conquer the forehand-heavy right service court.
• Your partner has mastered the art of a dink shot. Let them keep your opponents pinned at the kitchen line. You can take over the guarding position in the middle of the court.

Advanced Doubles Strategies for Receiving Teams

With the basics out of the way, let’s dig into the nitty-gritty stuff.

It’s time to investigate some advanced doubles strategies!

However, it would be confusing and inefficient to lump receiving tips with serving player pointers. Instead, we’ve split these concepts into two parts. We’ll keep the pattern going and start with strategy tips for the receiving team.

These concepts are great for the first few shots. However, once the game’s really burning up, both sides can use these tips!

Play #1: The Poach

When playing doubles pickleball, “poaching” doesn’t mean cooking an egg! A pickleball poach is when one partner intercepts a hit meant for the other partner. For example, the receiver on the left crosses the center line to return a shot on the right.

This strategy tip may seem strange, but it’s one of the best advanced strategies to set yourself up for killer returns!

Beyond being a high-powered offensive move, a proper poach has three critical benefits:

• It amps up the pressure by forcing opponents to refine their shots. Many poached shots are closer to the “bad” side of the spectrum.
• It confuses newcomers, placing the opponents at a tactical disadvantage.
• It speeds up the game. Taking a close shot meant for your partner is like sprinting ahead of the competition in a race. You’re breaking free of expectations and positioning your team as an offensive force.

However, you can’t try poaching without knowing your partner’s signals. Otherwise, you’ll be on a literal collision course! So, refine your teamwork before trying this tactic. As the saying goes, “Check yourself before you wreck yourself.”

Play #2: The Shake-and-Bake

Another teamwork-heavy tactic is the shake-and-bake.

Now, be aware that this strategy has more depth than others. You must have the proper setup. Otherwise, you’re putting yourself in a losing situation.

Nonetheless, this high-offense play has plenty of potential. It’s rooted in two defined roles: the ”shaker” and the ”baker.” Both must work in tandem to succeed. Moreover, this cannot be an early play. You need at least three shots to initiate a shake and bake.

So, how does it work? Well, you begin by watching the opposing team. When one player starts moving toward the net, set this three-step plan in motion:

1. First, the “shaker” must drive low, frontal return. You want the moving player to hit it back.
2. At the same time, the “baker” must also move forward and anticipate a non-volley zone shot or pop-off.
3. Finally, the “baker” drives a hard shot down the middle of the court or at the opponent’s feet.

As you may have guessed, this is a high-risk play. You must have impenetrable teamwork. Otherwise, you’re prepping your team for an embarrassing fault.

A Word of Advice for the Serving Team

Finally, we want to briefly cover the strategic side of serving.

Don’t just hit the ball. Plan your moves and think ahead!

That shake-and-bake is just one of many ways to set your opponents up for a fault!

More importantly…

Don’t Limit Yourself

Learn the full spectrum of pickleball serving tactics.

It’s easy to beat someone who can only hit drop shots. So, it stands to reason that a team that only knows how to serve deep will suffer a similar fate.

You can’t rely on the power of a serve return.

Vary your tactics. Keep your opponents guessing. This makes the game more interesting and ensures the other team is always scrambling after that ball bounce.

Learn More About Pickleball

That’s not all we have up our sleeves! Pickle Goddesses is dedicated to bringing you the best pickleball tips, tricks, and news. We love seeing people playing this amazing sport, and we want to spread the pickleball love!

Help us achieve our goal. Secure pickleball’s status as the fastest-growing sport by sharing this post and encouraging others to join the fun! And don’t forget that you can find more pickleball tips and tricks on the Pickle Goddesses blog.

Still apprehensive? Well, consider these handy pointers and news posts:

• Are you playing singles pickleball? Pickle Goddesses can help you learn the basics of a one-on-one pickleball game.
• Did you know pickleball has sparked town hall debates? Yep! Learn about the battle for pickleball courts.
• Florida will be home to the world’s first pickleball stadium! Learn how you can play at the world’s most expansive pickleball complex.
• Unsure of what some of the words in this post mean? Learn more pickleball vocabulary and discover the art of dinking.

There’s so much to learn, so stick with Pickle Goddesses and see how you can start dominating your opponent’s court.