David Zapatka
Stacking is a doubles strategy where teammates intentionally position themselves on the same side of the court to keep a stronger player on their preferred side for forehand or backhand shots, maximizing offensive and defensive opportunities.
To stack or not to stack? This question is often asked. Here are some points to consider when contemplating this strategy for your partnership.
* Are your forehands stronger when they’re in the middle of the court? Most people prefer their forehand in the middle, where more balls are hit for this reason. If this is the case and one of you is left-handed, it makes a lot of sense to stack. If you are both right-handed or both left-handed and one of you prefers backhand over forehand, stacking makes a lot of sense. In all these cases, both your strengths are in the middle of the court where most of the action is.
* Do one of you prefer one side of the court over the other? This may happen for many reasons such as being a better dinker backhanded than forehanded, being a better lobber forehanded than backhanded, or you are more comfortable speeding up on the forehand than the backhand. Play to this strength by stacking to the side you or your partner prefers.
* Do you need to hide a weakness in your or your partner’s game? Stacking can help you protect a particular side of the court, a weak backhand or the inability to hit overheads when lobbed. Consider taking the side of the court that will play to your partner’s strength and cover their weaknesses.
* Consider one of you as the designated communicator to call who’s ball it is. This doesn’t mean one partner is in charge. Rather, it cuts down on miscommunication or lack of communication when both partners are trying to call balls.
* Lastly, it’s an excellent strategy to show the opponents a different look at critical times during a match. Having the ability to stack gives you another weapon you can use.
In summary, stacking is a skill you may want in your repertoire. It will help you play to your partnership’s strengths and help you cover your partnership’s weaknesses. It gives your opponents a different look and can change the momentum of the game. Playing where you’re most comfortable clears your mind to play more freely. Consider practicing stacking with your favorite partners to see if you can incorporate this strategy into your game. Some pairs discover they prefer to half-stack rather than full-stack due to a lack of time to get to their side of the court after receiving. This means playing straight up when receiving and stacking only when serving. Talk to your partner, practice and decide what works best for you.
Have a question about pickleball? Want to know more about the sport, the rules, equipment, or have some pickilicious news you would like to share with our pickleball community? Email David Zapatka at dzapatka@wbhsi.net.