5 Tips for Getting the Best from Your Pickleball Partner
Playing doubles during drop in play can be a challenge, as you may not even know your partner. Even if you have played with a partner before or competed in a tournament with them, it can still be challenging on court if things are not going well. In talking with senior pro Scott Fliegelman on the Pickleball Fire podcast, he shared some great tips on how to get the best from your pickleball doubles partner.
This tip is for the situation where you are playing with a person for the first time. Scott said, “Before we even begin the match, I say could we get the preemptive sorries out of the way now? And usually I get a little chuckle. I say, look we're both going to dump balls into the net. We're both going to hit a couple of stupid shots. So why don't we just say sorry now to each other. And then we can just skip that the rest of the day.” Scott says this really helps to keep things positive on the court if you can set the tone early.
When your regular partner makes a mistake, be sure to give them positive encouragement if they miss a put away a couple of inches long. Say, “I know you usually make nine out of ten of those. Keep hitting them and they'll land in court.” By giving them words of confidence, it will help them know their play is just an aberration.
In situations where your partner is hitting many of his or her third shot drops into the net, suggest a new strategy. Scott says to hit the ball higher, knowing that the team will need to play some scrappy defense. You can then move up to the kitchen line on the fifth or seventh shot drop. So, talking to your partner about not needing to hit a perfect third shot drop can help relieve the pressure.
Be sure to tap paddles between points. This helps to bring you and your partner together. You can talk strategy or give each other some encouragement. Check out this video to see how senior professionals Dayne Gingrich and Dave Weinbach come together after every point.
Finally, if you are playing in a tournament and things are not going well, be sure to use your time outs. Again, this gives you and your partner a chance to get together to discuss the game and bring some positivity to the situation.
