Intermediate
Poach
A poach is crossing in front of your partner to volley a ball that was heading to them — an aggressive doubles move to take a put-away or surprise the opponents.
A well-timed poach lets the stronger or better-positioned player end the point and keeps opponents guessing about who will take the ball. It demands communication so partners don’t collide or both leave a gap. Poaching off a predictable crosscourt dink or return is a classic way to seize the net advantage.
Example
Reading a crosscourt return, the net player poaches across the middle and punches a volley into the open court.
Related terms
- VolleyA volley is any shot hit out of the air before the ball bounces. In pickleball it must be struck while standing outside the kitchen.
- StackingStacking is a doubles positioning strategy where partners line up on the same side before the serve or return, then switch, to keep each player on their stronger (usually forehand-middle) side.
- Speed-UpA speed-up is suddenly attacking a dink or slow ball by driving it hard at the opponents, changing the pace to force a reflex error during a soft kitchen exchange.
Related guides & benchmarks
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