Doubles Play Partnering and Pickleball Strategy

It is the same in all sorts of relationships, be it a marriage, friendship, coworkers, or pickleball partners. There are basic guidelines in place to best support one another, to be able to live, and work well together.

It requires intention for any type of partnerships to truly thrive.

In Pickleball, the game is mostly played in pairs. On the courts together, yet separate entities. Knowing how to work together is key. Where to hit the ball, how to cover the court.

I meet a lot of players who say it feels like a mystery, and they are often going onto the courts and winging it. Covering what they can, “forehand gets the middle” and all that.

The dance of pickleball play happens when you know and can anticipate together the response, the position, who gets what shot.

This is part of the fun, the dance. Hit it where they’re not, at the foot line, angles, all come into play.

While it seems to make the most sense that forehand is a stronger shot, “forehand gets the middle” is not a great rule to live by. A forehand person may appear to be in just the right place at the right time, but like in any strategy, basing a decision on the outcome of that shot is smart play.

Helle Sparre’s Dynamite Doubles system utilizes the Blocker-Workhorse concept. The person at the net who is across from the ball covers the “Little V”. This is a 45-degree area in front of that player. Imagine your arms making a 45-degree angle, that is the area covered. This person is the Blocker, a.k.a. the attacker, taking shots within this smaller area, looking for ways to poach or make put aways.

The Workhorse is the one who is diagonally across from the ball. This person plays slightly back from their partner, angled toward the ball, covering a larger area, the “Big V”, with the same idea of 45-degree angle, but within a larger space. The Workhorse’s role is to set up shots for the Blocker to be able to make a winning shot, the put away.

The roles changes based on where the ball is on the court. Partners maintain their roles as they move about, whether at the back of the court, or at the net.

Positioning based on the “x-theory” is also valuable concept. Imagine drawing an x on the court, from the baselines. This is the “big x”, covering the whole court. The “little x”, is the same idea, drawn at the non-volley zone. The idea of the “x-theory” is that the person on the diagonal from the ball gets the shot coming in that direction, whether forehand or backhand, taking the shot coming on this diagonal.

Of course, there is “breaking the x”. When one partner takes the shot while in front of the person on the diagonal. Breaking the x is fine, although not always the best plan, not just because “the forehand person gets the middle”. This can cause problems.

If that person takes a ball that is going toward their partner on a diagonal (the x) it leaves this person, now facing the middle, with their back to a large open area of the court. The opponent can then hit it back into that open space, easy point.

Breaking the x is a strategy too, done, when there is a reason to do so, i.e. poaching in front of your partner on a ball hit high and to the middle “breaks the x” while at the NVZ. That is a strategy to employ, making that winner as the opportunity arises.

There is also the idea of being connected to one’s partner. Where one moves, the other, in tandem. Going way over to the edge of the court to make a shot from a ball hit on that angle can bring one partner off the court. The other partner needs to cover the space until you can reestablish position together. Judging where to cover based on the opponent’s paddle angle, player position, how deep and where the openings are, ready to block and retrieve as needed.

Having ideas in pickleball is the start, instead of hitting willy-nilly, wherever it goes! For beginning players, start to recognize that every shot has a purpose, hitting with intention rather than just reacting and seeing where the ball goes.

Suggestion for practice: It is always helpful to practice for consistency. Have a target. Be able to hit it where you intend. Can you land the ball where you want it to go? Great to work on, for any level player.

The paddle is your steering wheel. Physics does play into this. Consider trajectory. Where the paddle is angled upon contact is where the ball will go.

Have fun out there, that is the golden rule that keeps pickleball in our lives.

It is a game that combines physical skill, your mental skill, and some social interaction that offers your charm, charisma, and friendliness to show itself too!

Be encouraging out there, with yourself, your partner, and all the players. And that is another topic for next time.

Partner away!

Interested to elevate your partner play? Come and Synch Your Dink with us in Cancún December 2026 - call now to get a spot!