Doubles
The Partner You Are Stuck With
Doubles is a relationship for the next twenty minutes, whether you like it or not.
7 min read · Updated 2026-08-11
They keep poaching balls they cannot reach. Or they apologise after every single point, which is somehow more distracting than the errors. Or they have started coaching you, and you did not ask.
Meanwhile you are losing, and a decent share of the reason is happening between you rather than across the net.
The three sentences that do most of the work
"Mine" and "yours," early and loud. The single most common doubles error at recreational level is two players watching the same ball land between them, and it is almost entirely a volume problem rather than a positioning one.
"Switch" or "stay," said by whoever can see more of the court. Usually the person who has been pulled wide.
"Next one." That is the entire correct response to a partner error. It is short, it closes the point, and it does not ask them to feel anything about it.
Almost everything else said between points is optional and much of it is actively harmful.
What never to say
Do not coach mid-game. "You need to get your paddle up" is a fact they already know and cannot act on at 6-6. Coaching from a partner does not improve the next shot, it just adds self-consciousness to it.
Do not sigh. It is louder than you think and it is the most reliable way to make a nervous partner worse.
Do not say "that was mine." The ball has landed. There is nothing to do with that information except make somebody feel bad.
Do not over-apologise for your own errors. Two in a row is fine, six makes your partner responsible for managing you.
Playing with someone you are annoyed by
It happens, including with people you like. Frustration is not a moral failing, but it has a cost you should be clear-eyed about: it takes attention off your own game and puts it onto theirs, and your level drops with it.
The practical move is to give yourself a job that has nothing to do with them. Get to the kitchen every point. Keep every third shot low. Something absorbing enough to occupy the attention that is currently being spent on being irritated.
And be honest about whether they are actually playing badly or just playing differently from how you would. A partner who goes for more than you would is not automatically wrong, and one game is a very small sample.
Being a partner people want
The most valuable thing you can be is predictable. Call your balls, hold your position, do the same thing in the same situation. Partners can play around predictable. They cannot play around improvisation.
Be visibly unbothered by errors, theirs and yours. The partner everybody wants is the one whose face does not change, because it means nobody has to spend attention monitoring them.
Ask one thing before you start. "Anything you want from me?" Ten seconds, and it turns two people into a team with a plan, which is more than most recreational pairs ever manage.
Takeaways
- Three sentences do most of the work: "mine/yours" early and loud, "switch/stay" from whoever sees more, and "next one" after any error.
- Balls landing between two players is a volume problem far more often than a positioning one.
- Never coach mid-game. It does not improve the next shot, it just adds self-consciousness.
- Frustration with a partner costs you attention on your own game. Give yourself an absorbing job instead.
- The most valuable partner trait is predictability. Partners can play around predictable, not around improvisation.
Common questions
What should you say to your pickleball partner during a game?
Very little, and mostly three things: "mine" or "yours" called early and loudly, "switch" or "stay" from whoever can see more of the court, and "next one" after any error. Most other between-point talk is optional and some of it is harmful.
Should I coach my doubles partner during a match?
No. They almost always already know what went wrong and cannot act on the instruction mid-game. Coaching from a partner tends to add self-consciousness to the next shot rather than improving it.
How do I play well with a partner who frustrates me?
Give yourself a job that has nothing to do with them, such as getting to the kitchen every point or keeping every third shot low. Frustration takes attention off your own game, and an absorbing task is more effective than trying not to be annoyed.
How do I become a better doubles partner?
Be predictable: call your balls, hold your position, do the same thing in the same situation. Stay visibly unbothered by errors so nobody has to monitor your mood. And ask "anything you want from me?" before you start.
Train the decision, not just the read
Pickleballer gives you one point a day: read the situation, pick the shot, find out what the point was really asking. Free on the App Store.
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