This morning, I happened upon an article by Prem Carnot that got me to thinking about friendly versus serious practice (or tournament games).

Hitting to the Weaker Opponent
Prem talked about the tactic of hitting to the weaker partner when playing doubles. Conventional wisdom in pickleball says this makes sense. However, when he played doubles, Prem said he seldom participated in the rallies because the opponents never hit to him. His takeaway was that this is a sound strategy when trying to win, but it might not be the best strategy when trying to learn.

In a friendly game, it's bad form to completely avoid hitting to the better opponent. Not only will that person not enjoy the game, but you will miss out on the practice that playing with someone better gives. 

Beyond that, I began thinking about other tactics I've seen used in more serious play (or by more serious players in friendly games with each other). In a tournament, players do things they would not do in a friendly game. Besides the constant targeting of the weaker player, they poach their partner's shots, and they hit balls directly at their opponents. Serious players on the tournament circuit need to practice seriously, and they'll exploit any option that promotes a victory and isn't against the rules.

Tagging the Opponent
Purposely hitting your opponent with the ball (or "tagging") stirs up controversy and deep feelings. This tactic is not against the rules and can be effective when your opponent is at the net and drops the paddle below chest height. But if the game is purely social, and especially if levels are mixed, smacking a ball with a lot of force to any area above the chest is frowned upon and probably should be followed with an apology. 

Some players refuse to target others and instead aim at their opponent's feet or toward the hip or armpit area of the paddle-hand side, which are difficult to reach with ease. Yet competitive players at the non-volley zone line should expect to be hit and take measures to fend off the ball (keep your paddle at chest height), dodge it, or surrender by turning their back. Tagging, whether accidental or intentional, is part of the game.

I've been hit many times, and only once did I carry a mark afterward (a shot that smacked the bridge of my nose and my eye). In all cases, I continued playing and accepted that such things happen. (The opponent's apology went a long way to making the pain hurt less.)

Poaching 
The issues surrounding this tactic are reminiscent of hitting to the weaker opponent, above. Whether or not poaching is well received by a partner depends on whether you (as a team) have chosen to use it as a strategy or whether one of you is simply being bullied. Hopefully not the latter, and if so, I suggest you find another partner.

Poaching takes practice, so it's appropriate to include it in social games when it's decided together. An occasional unexpected poach is also fine, assuming the poacher makes the point! Otherwise, overzealous poaching during social games is also frowned upon. In competitive play or tournament practice, poaching can be a good tactic to surprise your opponent and ensure the ball is returned. 

How do you feel about playing keep away from the better opponent? What about tagging and poaching? When are these tactics appropriate and when are they not?

If you've had an opportunity to watch a tournament and saw stacking in action, you may have wondered why the players were moving around the court, standing together, or standing outside the court completely. If you're curious about stacking and how and when to incorporate it into your game, read on.

Stacking is used during tournament play to exploit a team's strength and minimize its weakness. The technique increases the number of times a person plays on the right (even) or left (odd) side of the court.

According to the rules, the non-serving partner or the receiver's partner may stand in any position (even off the court), as long as they stay on their side of the net. Therefore, both team members may stand inside their service court, and partner of the person receiving the serve may stand outside the court at the time of the serve. 

Some examples may help explain how and why stacking works, and why you might want to try it.

3) When receiving. The players in example 1 above are receiving the serve. Judy is the receiver, and John would normally be up at the non-volley-zone line in the left court. However, since John would rather be on the right, he stands outside the sideline, just behind the non-volley zone line on the right. ​After Judy returns the service, John moves in, and Judy rushes to the non-volley-zone line on the left.

Stacking isn't something you must do, but it can help your team play better and more consistently. You can choose to stack during only a portion of the game. Stacking can confuse your opponents and is sometimes good as a way to change things up. 

If you understand what stacking is and how your team (and your opponents) can use it, you'll have an advantage over those who don't.

​Happy stacking!