Pickleball Doubles Strategy for Beginners

Good pickleball doubles strategy comes down to one goal: get both partners to the kitchen line and keep your opponents away from it. Almost every other piece of standard doubles advice (deep serves, deep returns, soft third shots, moving together) exists to make that goal easier.

This guide walks through the fundamentals in the order a rally unfolds. If any of the rules below are new to you, start with the basic rules of pickleball first.

Why the Kitchen Line Wins Points

The non-volley zone, better known as the kitchen, is the 7-foot area on each side of the net where you may not volley. The line at the back of that zone is the strongest position on the court. A team standing just behind it can volley balls out of the air, hit down at the opponents' feet and cut off angles. A team stuck near the baseline has to hit up over the net from far away.

That is why doubles is often described as a race to the net. You do not have to win the race on every point, but your shot choices should always be helping you move forward or keeping the other team back. The kitchen rules explain exactly what you can and cannot do once you get there.

Serve and Return Depth

The serve

The serving team starts at a disadvantage. Because of the two-bounce rule, the serve must bounce and then the return of serve must bounce before anyone can volley. That means both servers have to stay back until the return lands, while the receiving team gets a head start toward the net.

The server's job is simple: get the ball in, and get it deep. A deep serve pushes the receiver behind the baseline, which makes it harder for them to hit a strong return and follow it forward. A missed serve gives away the chance to score, so consistency comes first and depth second. Power and spin are a distant third. The full list of legal motions is in the serving rules guide.

The return

The return of serve is the receiving team's best chance to lock in their advantage. Standard coaching advice has three parts:

• Hit it deep. A deep return keeps both servers pinned near the baseline for their third shot.
• Hit it with enough height and time. A return with a little arc gives you time to move forward. A flat, hard return that lands short does the opposite.
• Follow it to the kitchen line. The receiver's partner already starts at the line. The receiver should join them right away, so both players are set before the third shot arrives.

The third shot

Once the return bounces, the serving team has to find a way forward. The two standard options are a third shot drop, a soft shot that lands in the opponents' kitchen so it cannot be attacked, or a drive, a low, hard shot that is best used when the return lands short and sits up. After either one, move forward together as far as the quality of the shot allows.

Moving as a Pair

Two players cannot cover a 20-foot-wide court if they move independently. The standard picture coaches use is a rope tying the partners together, a few steps apart. When one moves, the other moves the same way.

• Move up and back together. If one partner is at the kitchen line and the other is at the baseline, there is a large diagonal gap between them that opponents can hit through. Aim to reach the line side by side.
• Slide side to side with the ball. When the ball goes wide to your partner's sideline, your partner covers the line and you shift toward the middle. The far sideline is left open on purpose, because it is the hardest shot for the opponent to hit.
• Stop before the opponent hits. While moving forward through the middle of the court (often called the transition zone), pause in a balanced ready position each time the other team makes contact, then keep advancing after you play the ball.

Once all four players are at the kitchen line, the rally usually turns into a dinking exchange, where both teams hit soft shots into the kitchen and wait for a ball they can attack.

Targeting: Where to Aim

Beginners often aim for the sidelines, where the margin for error is smallest. Standard doubles targeting is more conservative:

USA Pickleball's coaching guidance on drop placement makes the same point: when unsure, hit to the middle. It reduces the angles available to the other team and can create confusion between partners.

Communication

Doubles partners should talk before, during and between points. Standard habits include:

• Call the ball early. A quick "mine" or "yours" on any ball near the middle removes hesitation. Many teams agree that the player with the forehand in the middle takes those balls by default.
• Help with line calls. Calling "bounce it" or "no" tells your partner to let a ball go if it looks like it is sailing out. Under the rulebook, talk between partners while the ball is still in the air is player communication, not a line call.
• Announce movement. Say "switch" if you cross to cover a lob, so both of you know which side each player now owns.
• Agree on a plan. Between points, decide who takes lobs, who covers the middle and which opponent you are targeting.

Keeping track of the score and the server number is part of communication too. If you lose track often, review how to keep score in pickleball.

Stacking Explained Simply

In standard positioning, partners swap sides every time they win a point on serve. Stacking is a way to line up so each partner ends up on a preferred side for every rally instead. Teams usually stack to keep both forehands in the middle (common with one right-handed and one left-handed player) or to keep a stronger player on a particular side.

Stacking is legal because the rulebook only restricts two things: the correct server must serve from the correct serving area, and the correct receiver must return the serve. Everyone else may stand anywhere on their own side of the net.

Stacking on the serve. The server serves from whichever side the score requires. The partner stands next to the server, on the same half of the court or just outside the sideline. After the serve, both slide to their preferred sides.

Stacking on the return. The correct receiver returns from the required side while the partner waits at the kitchen line. After hitting the return, the receiver runs diagonally to the kitchen line on the opposite side, and the partner shifts over. This version takes more practice because the receiver has farther to travel.

Many teams start with a half stack: stacking only when serving and using standard positions when receiving.

Putting It Together

A simple checklist for every point covers most of doubles strategy:

1. Serve deep and stay back until the return bounces.
2. Return deep and follow the ball to the kitchen line.
3. On the serving side, use the third shot to earn your way forward.
4. Move with your partner, forward and sideways.
5. Aim for the middle and the feet until a ball sits up.
6. Talk on every ball that could belong to either of you.

Playing alone uses a different set of priorities, which are covered in the singles strategy guide.