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Lesson #3 Thoughts On Playing Better Doubles |
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Building a solid, reliable, portable game is simple....not easy. It takes time, energy, and practice.....lots of practice.
Below are a few tips that can make a real difference in your doubles game. They may seem trivial at first, but their effect is cumulative.
- Silence is not golden. The most effective doubles partners play well together because they talk to each other..... a lot. At a minimum, sort out a few basic housekeeping roles and terms you can use to coordinate important elements of your play.....together).
- Spaces not faces. Shot placement is like merging into traffic. We think (incorrectly) we are looking at the other cars. In reality we are looking for a space to place our car. Do the same with your shots.
- Air Time Is Travel Time. When we hit a hard driving shot it may feel great....but in doing so we run the risk of losing the opportunity to make our move to the non-volley zone. You also make it really tough on your partner who is already at the NVZ.
- Challenging the lines is a really bad habit. The court boundaries have a nasty habit of turning your otherwise routine shot into an unforced error. Create a new mental model with court boundaries 2' inside the lines. This becomes your target "box", now with a 2' cushion along both sides and the baseline. (Yes...you can challenge the lines.....just don't make it a habit.)
- Serve: The serve is the price of admission to every point. Since your team only gets points when serving it is essential to develop a go-to, reliable-consistent serve. Both the traditional Volley serve and the more recent Drop serve can provide the options you need to keep your opponent off guard without you taking much risk.
- Return of Serve: Most of us learned to return serves as deep as possible. What if what we were told is not necessarily the wisest choice? Video
- Third Shot: Is it a drop or a drive? Few topics (and partner miscues) generate as much conversation. Here are some things to consider: Video
- Own the Net: It's pretty simple. The Non-Volley Zone is the most valuable real estate on the court. Period. The team that gets there first can begin to shape and take control of the point. So, why is it so important? Video
- Make the game "small." Keep the game in front of you, take the ball in front of you....lean-in both mentally and physically. Despite occasional shots to the contrary, pickleball is a game of finesse, not brute strength and heroics.
- Dinking: The dink shot is both a sword and a shield. It can be used to influence the movement of your opponents' and it can be used to buy time or reset the point when you get in trouble. More Info + Drills.
- Lob Returns: A lob is an intentional tool a team can use to buy time, reset the point, and get out of a jam. The return of a lob can be an equally impactful tool when done properly. More Info + Drills
- Be disruptive: If your opponent doesn’t change their game they are vulnerable. The same applies to your game. Never let your opponent get comfortable. Hit the "right" shot most of the time, but throw in a "wrong" shot often enough to keep them guessing. You can be consistent without being predictable.
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