What is Stacking in Pickleball? A Beginner’s Guide
As you become more advanced and watch others (especially pros) play pickleball, you may start to notice different strategies being used. Some–like the types of shots players take–may be obvious. Others–like stacking–may be more confusing. There’s a good chance you didn’t even know the name of what you saw.
This article discusses stacking in pickleball. We’ll explain what stacking is, the rules of it, and how or when to use it yourself.
What is Stacking
In doubles pickleball, when both players on one team are lined up on the same side before the serve and then position themselves on their preferred side of the court, that’s called stacking. You’ve likely seen this when one team is serving, and the other team has a player standing on the sideline, waiting until after the return of serve takes place by their teammate.
It’s called stacking because–well, because the players are stacked on a particular side instead of occupying both sides, like in traditional pickleball positioning.
Pickleball Stacking Rules
Believe it or not, there are no current rules that prevent players from standing on whichever side they want. Of course, other rules typically dictate where players stand, though.
When considering stacking, here are the rules you should know:
● A specific player must hit the serve
● A specific player must hit the return of the serve
● A server cannot have any foot on or inside the line when they serve the ball
● The ball must bounce before it is returned from the serve, and on the third shot
After that, all bets are off. Players can move to whichever position they want to play from.
How to Stack
Before we get into when to stack or its benefits, let’s first discuss how to stack. Traditionally, in doubles pickleball (and tennis), one player from each team stands on either side of the centerline. The right side is called the deuce side. The left side is called the ad side. Throughout the point, players often stick to their starting side. That’s the way most of us play, most of the time.
But, stacking causes that to change. Stacking means both players are either on the ad side or the deuce side, at least until the serve and return of serve happen. Once players get to their desired side, then it looks like more traditional play.
So, how do you do it?
First, let’s explore stacking on the serve.
How to Stack on the Serve
When stacking on the serve, you’ll typically see both players standing on the serving side. For even points, they’ll be on the right side (the deuce side). For odd points, they’ll be on the left side (the ad side). This doesn’t mean they are just hanging out in the same square. Typically, the non-serving player stands just out of bounds, close to the baseline. Once the serve is hit, the players begin to rotate into whichever position they agreed to play from to prepare for their third shot. Sometimes, teams decide that the serving player is responsible for the third shot, so they will hesitate a little longer before rotating to their positions.
How to Stack on the Return of Serve
Stacking on the return of serve is similar. Except this time, the player not responsible for returning the serve is standing out of bounds, close to the kitchen line. As their teammate returns the serve, the two players rotate to their desired positions.
When to Stack
This is all great, but how do you know when to stack? Most commonly, stacking is done to take advantage of players’ strengths. For example, if one player on a team has a dominant forehand, then they may want to keep that player in a position to where their forehand is always next to the centerline. This allows the player to take forehand poaching opportunities.
If one of the players is lefthanded, stacking can be used to keep both forehands on the centerline. Conversely, if a team where one player is a lefty, and the other is a righty allows themselves to be in a position where neither player’s forehand is in the middle (a righty standing on the right side and a lefty standing on the left side), this could give a significant advantage to their opponents during that round of play.
Stacking can be used to overcome player weaknesses as well. Like if someone’s backhand is poor.
Stacking can be used to maximize mobility. For example, a more agile player can play on the stacking side to cover more overheads than a less agile player.
Benefits of Stacking
Some may consider stacking an advanced strategy that only the best players in the world should deploy. But, the truth is, stacking is a strategy that can be used at any level of play. It’s just essential that you discuss this with your partner ahead of time and communicate well throughout the match. It may be awkward at first, but it won’t take long for you to get the hang of it.
Here are some of the benefits of stacking:
● Stacking allows a team to maximize their strengths
● If a player is left-handed, stacking can keep both forehands in the middle
● Stacking can help hide a player's weakness
● Stacking can maximize a team or a particular player’s mobility
Conclusion
Now that you know more about stacking and when to use it, we hope you’ll try it. Even if you don’t think it will work for your game, you never know what you might discover!
