In pickleball, player position matters almost as much as your skill with the paddle. When you’re out of position on the pickleball court, you risk off-balance shots, giving your opponent too much room to attack. When you’re in the right position, you can give yourself a chance to employ your pickleball strategy and to hit the return shot you want.

Today’s article discusses where to stand in pickleball as the serving team and as the return team in doubles pickleball.

Where To Stand In Pickleball As The Serving Team

In a pickleball game, when your team is serving the ball, the service area behind the baseline is where the server is required to stand. For the person not serving, different options exist.

Per pickleball rules, the server’s partner can stand wherever they want on their side of the court (when not serving). This can be close to the centerline, in front of or behind the service line, or eating nachos on the sideline.

Strategically, the best place to stand is in an area where the opposing team could hit a return. For instance, if your opponents like to return the serve deep (which most do), then standing just behind the baseline might be the best position for you. This allows you to be behind the ball and gives you plenty of room to let the ball bounce (which is required per the bounce rule and must be done before hitting it on the third shot).

However, if your opponents like to hit dinks or shallow drop shots on the return, standing slightly in front of the line might make more sense. This gives you a step on running up to the ball on your side of the net but doesn’t put you in a terribly risky position if the ball is hit a bit deeper.

There is a third place you could stand that some teams choose; off the sideline. This is seen more often in high-level professional matches and is an advanced strategy. It’s done by teams who like to “stack”. This means that the serving player serves from close to the middle of the baseline and is responsible for hitting the third shot no matter where it goes. The non-serving player, stands on the sideline and waits until the third shot is returned, then takes a position, most likely at the non-volley zone line.

For most pickleball players on the serving team, the court position taken will be in one of these three locations:

Behind the baseline
On the baseline
Slightly in front of the baseline

Where To Stand In Pickleball As The Return Team

As the return team, things change a bit. Sure, the receiving team can stand at the baseline, but it’s more likely that one of the players (the person responsible for returning the serve) will stand toward the baseline, and the other player will be at the kitchen line.

Per the rules, the baseline player must return the serve and they need to be prepared for a deep or shallow serve. Once the ball hits the ground in the correct service court, they are allowed to hit a return. So, the three options for the returner are the same as the options for the team serving; on the baseline, in front of the baseline, or behind the baseline.

The player who is not responsible for the return can choose to stand where they want. More often than not, the player will stand at the kitchen line and wait for the third or fourth shot to hop into action. Since they no longer have to let the ball bounce before hitting it after the third shot, there is no rule keeping them from getting as close to the kitchen line as possible.

Of course, like everything else in pickleball, there are nuances and slight changes that can be altered according to the strength of the team or team strategies.

Let’s say the first server from the serving team likes to hit high lobs to the baseline on their third shot. This can put your team in a pickle if you’re both standing near the kitchen line after the return. If you notice the other team doing this often, you may want to back up to the baseline or give your partner space to return the high lob from directly behind you.

In returning the serve, the non-returning player, needs to provide their team with enough space to get to any ball or to return drives that may come straight ahead. Standing at the kitchen line, between the middle line and the sideline, is often the best ready position and is recommended most in beginner’s guides.

As the return-of-serve player, it is often best to sit back after returning the ball unless your opponent is forced to stay back. In that case, meeting your partner at the kitchen line is likely the best place to go.

Conclusion

There are no hard and fast rules when it comes to positioning–other than the serving player must be behind the baseline when they serve.

There is often a lot of posturing when choosing positions, and this may vary according to the team’s score. Most matches are wide open for translation. Ultimately, you want to ensure that you and your partner are in the best position possible to start each round and able to move freely as the round progresses.