Make Your Pickleball Partner a Rock Star, Not a Target

Pickleball doubles is not singles with another person standing beside you. Yet watch enough recreational pickleball, and you'll see players behaving exactly that way. They're thinking about the shot they want to hit, where they want to move, and how they can win the point, but they aren't thinking enough about the person standing next to them. 

In doubles, one of the most important questions you can ask before hitting the ball is simple: What will my shot make my partner have to deal with next?

That question can change the way you play doubles because your responsibility doesn't end when your ball crosses the net. Every shot you hit creates the conditions for the next shot, and very often your partner is the person who has to deal with those conditions.

Did Your Partner Really Lose the Point?

We see the same situation constantly. One player is established at the kitchen while their partner is near the baseline or moving through transition. The player in transition receives a low ball and decides to hit it hard instead of controlling or resetting it.

The ball travels upward and reaches the opponents above the net. They immediately attack the player standing at the kitchen, who can't handle the volley and loses the point. Then comes the look from the partner in the back: How did you miss that?

But who actually created the problem?

The final error is easy to see because it's the last thing that happened. The real mistake may have occurred one or even two shots earlier when a player chose a shot that exposed their partner to an attack.

If your shot gives your opponents an easy opportunity to attack your partner, you haven't necessarily hit a good shot simply because your ball landed inside the court. You're responsible not only for the ball you hit, but also for the situation your shot helps create.

Stop Playing “Doubles Singles”

Some players run around a doubles court as though they're playing singles with another person occupying the same side of the net. Their thinking revolves around themselves: Can I attack this? Can I hit a winner? Can I take that ball with my forehand?

A good doubles player asks different questions: Where is my partner? Are they balanced? Are they vulnerable? What are our opponents likely to do with my shot? How can I make my partner's next ball easier?

This is a game of setting up your partner, not creating a mess and hoping they can dig their way out of it.

The greatest shot you hit during a match may never be recorded as your winner. It may be the controlled ball that forces your opponent to pop the next shot up directly to your partner for an easy put-away. Your partner gets the winner, but you created it.

That is great doubles pickleball.

Make Your Partner a Rock Star, Not a Target

Imagine approaching every point with one objective: How can I make my partner look like a rock star?

Keep the ball below the net so your opponents can't attack it. Give your partner time when they're out of position. Maintain your side of the court, create predictable responses, and look for shots that force your opponents to give your partner an attackable ball.

Now compare that with the player who attacks a low ball, leaves it high, and turns their partner into the opponent's target. Both players may have successfully put their own shot into the court, but only one actually helped the team.

The better the partner you become, the more routine your partner's shots should become. Good doubles isn't about repeatedly putting your partner in trouble and hoping they can produce something spectacular. It's about creating situations where they don't need to.

Your controlled shot produces a predictable response. Your positioning protects the open court. Your reset gives your partner time. Your placement creates an attackable ball. Instead of asking your partner to rescue the point, you're giving them balls they should expect to make.

The goal isn't to give your partner opportunities to make spectacular shots. It's to make spectacular shots unnecessary.

When you do your job well, your partner's game may actually start to look easier. That's not an accident. Great teamwork has a way of making difficult things look routine.

Your Weakness Shouldn't Become Your Partner's Responsibility

Consider another common doubles habit: running around a backhand to hit a forehand.

Occasionally, that's good strategy. But if you're constantly running around your backhand because you don't trust it, you're abandoning your court position and requiring your partner to cover the space you've left behind. In effect, you're saying, I don't want to hit this backhand, so you need to cover more court.

That's not good partnership.

A balanced doubles player needs enough confidence on both the forehand and backhand sides to maintain the team's structure. You don't need every shot to be equally powerful, but you should be able to handle the balls that belong to your position without routinely forcing your partner to compensate for your weaknesses.

Your weaknesses shouldn't become your partner's responsibilities.

Learning a dependable backhand isn't therefore only about improving your individual game. It's about becoming a better doubles player because your partner can trust you to protect the part of the court you're supposed to protect.

Sometimes the Best Doubles Play Is Getting Out of the Way

Being a good partner also requires an honest assessment of ability. Who is actually the more consistent player—you or your partner?

If the truthful answer is your partner, why would you continually move in front of them to take balls they're perfectly capable of playing?

We sometimes see elite professional players cover extraordinary amounts of court, and recreational players try to imitate them. Ben Johns may move across the court to take balls because his anticipation, movement, hand speed, shot quality, and ability to recover make that strategy effective. But there's an important reality worth remembering: Ben Johns is Ben Johns. The rest of us are not.

Copying what an elite player does without possessing the abilities that make the strategy work can create more problems than advantages. Sometimes the smartest thing you can do for your team is to let the better-positioned player play their ball.

One Low Ball Can Create Three Problems

Moving across in front of your partner to take a low ball is particularly problematic because one decision can create three separate problems.

First, you've made your own shot more difficult. You're moving laterally, reaching, and attempting to play a low ball from a compromised position. Instead of attacking from strength, you've voluntarily put yourself into a defensive position.

Second, you've abandoned your own court responsibility. By crossing over to take your partner's ball, you've opened the space you were supposed to protect. Even if you successfully make the shot, your opponents may now have an obvious opening to exploit.

Third, you've introduced uncertainty for your partner. They begin wondering whether the ball is theirs or whether you're going to move in front of them again. Instead of reacting naturally to the ball, they hesitate while trying to determine what you're going to do.

Over time, that hesitation can affect balls you never intended to take. Your partner begins waiting for you before committing to their own shot because they no longer know where your responsibility ends and theirs begins.

A good doubles partner doesn't just cover the court. They make the court predictable for their partner.

Ironically, the player trying to cover more of the court may actually cause the team to cover the court worse.

What You Do Speaks Louder Than What You Say

Being a good partner isn't primarily about saying “good shot” after every rally. Encouragement matters, but your behavior communicates much more than your words.

If you're consistently keeping difficult balls below the net, maintaining your position, choosing intelligent targets, protecting your partner, and deliberately creating opportunities for them, you're communicating something without saying anything: I see you. I'm thinking about what happens to you after I hit this ball. We're playing this point together.

There is an old expression: “What you do speaks so loudly that I cannot hear what you say.” It applies beautifully to doubles pickleball because you can tell your partner you're a team all afternoon, but your shot selection and positioning will tell them whether you actually believe it.

Being a good partner isn't something you announce. It's something your partner experiences.

Give Your Partner Confidence

When you consistently play this way, something else happens: you build your partner's confidence.

They know you're going to maintain your position. They know you're unlikely to attack a terrible ball and unexpectedly make them the target. They know you will try to keep difficult balls low, give them time when they need it, and create opportunities when they're available.

That predictability creates trust, and trust reduces hesitation. Your partner can stop worrying about what you'll do and focus on playing their own game. They become more relaxed, decisive, and confident, giving them a much better chance to play their best pickleball.

The progression is simple: Good decisions → predictability → trust → confidence → better pickleball.

Confidence isn't only something a player brings onto the court. It can come from the person standing beside you, and when your partner plays better because they're playing with you, your entire team gets better.

The Question Every Doubles Player Should Ask

Remember, you're playing doubles. Your job isn't to steal the glory, hit every spectacular shot, or cover as much court as physically possible while your partner deals with the consequences. Your job is to help two players function as one effective team.

So after your next game, instead of asking how many winners you hit or how many points you personally won, ask yourself something different: Did my partner play better because they were playing with me?

Did you protect them when they were vulnerable? Did you maintain your court position? Did you make their shots more routine? Did you create easy opportunities for them? Did your decisions give them confidence? Most importantly, did you make their job easier, not harder?

If you can consistently answer yes, you'll probably win more points, your partner will play better, and you'll become someone people genuinely enjoy having beside them on the court.

Make your partner a rock star, not a target. That's not just being a good partner. That's playing good doubles.

FAQ's 

What makes someone a good doubles pickleball partner?

A good doubles partner considers what will happen after every shot. They maintain their court position, protect their partner when the team is vulnerable, create predictable responses, and look for opportunities that make their partner's next shot easier.

How can I set up my partner in pickleball?

Instead of always trying to hit the winner yourself, look for shots that force your opponents into weaker responses. Keeping the ball low, controlling pace, using intelligent placement, and maintaining good positioning can produce an attackable ball for your partner.

Should I run around my backhand to hit a forehand in doubles?

Sometimes, but it should be a tactical decision rather than compensation for an unreliable backhand. Constantly running around your backhand can pull you out of position and force your partner to cover the court you've abandoned. Developing dependable shots on both sides helps maintain your team's structure.

When should I poach in doubles pickleball?

Poaching can be effective when you can anticipate the opponent's response, attack from a strong position, and recover without exposing your side of the court. Moving across simply because you prefer your forehand can disrupt positioning and create uncertainty for your partner.

What should I do when my partner is still back at the baseline?

Recognize that your team may still be vulnerable even if you've reached the kitchen. Avoid unnecessarily creating an attackable ball that opponents can direct at your partner or you. Look for shots that give your partner time to advance and allow the team to establish a stronger position together.

How can I build confidence with my pickleball partner?

Become predictable in a positive way. Maintain your position, choose shots thoughtfully, communicate clearly, and avoid creating unnecessary emergencies. When your partner trusts your decisions, they can concentrate on their own game and play more confidently.

 

FLiK IQ

At FLiK Pickleball, we believe improvement begins with understanding. Our goal is to help you see the game differently, think more clearly, and develop the skills that make pickleball more enjoyable and rewarding for years to come.