Singles Pickleball 101

I have been playing for more than 6 years now and it still blows my mind how you can play doubles and singles pickleball on the same court with the same basic rules, but have radically different strategic and tactical differences required.

Singles are always flirting.

While I am no expert on singles pickleball, I can give you the basics of the strategy and talk about why singles pickleball is not the same game as doubles. Let's get into it!

Rules

The only rule differences between singles and doubles are related to the fact that there is only one server for each team. Instead of calling scores with your score, opponent's score, and the server number, you just call the two scores. If you are serving and you lose the rally, it's a side out. There is no second server. If your opponent is serving and you win the rally, that's a side out and you get the serve back.

The other difference is that the server always serves from the side of the court dictated by their score. When the server's score is even, they serve from the right side. When the server's score is odd, they serve from the left side. 

Every other rule is the same.

• The serve must cross the center line and the non-volley zone line
• The serve must bounce
• The return must be played after the bounce
• Players can volley after the serve and return if they are behind the NVZ line
• You can only score when serving
• If the receiver wins the rally, the serve changes side (side out) and that player gets to serve

Most singles games are played to 11, win by 2.

What makes singles strategy so different?

Real estate. Passing shots are rare in doubles because each player only needs to cover about 10 feet of court from side to side. In singles, each player must cover 20 feet. It is much easier to find an open lane and shoot a drive past your opponent in singles. Passing shots become one of the main tactics in singles.

In doubles, the ability to hit hard drives to narrow targets is a viable tool, but because two players can cover the width of the court so much more efficiently than one player, that skill is overshadowed by the ability to hit softer finesse shots into the NVZ and build the point. In a doubles rally, this may begin to take shape after the fourth or fifth shot of the rally, but if the serving team successfully gains the net and engages in a dinking rally, doubles rallies can last 10-20 shots or more easily. I have seen videos of pro-level doubles with rallies that go on for close to 100 strokes. Singles rallies don't typically last anywhere close to that long because there is so much more open court to hit to. Pull your singles opponent to one side, then hit to the other side if they get the first one back. The player who is most successful at stressing their opponent by making them chase balls all over the court usually wins the rally.

What are the key tactics in singles?

1. Serves are more important

If you look at all the top singles players, they almost always hit deep serves, they often force their opponent move to receive the serve, and they almost always incorporate spin. Because the server must wait for the bounce on the return, it's that more important to cause as much trouble as you can for your opponent on the serve. If you can get a shallow return and gain the net before your opponent, the angles that open for you are the best way to finish points.

Identifying and hitting to an opponent's weakness (often a backhand) can also be a useful strategy.

2. Returns are critical

Make your opponent run to get to the return. If you hit one direction a couple times and your opponent starts to move in that direction to anticipate where you are going, then it's time to hit to the other side. The ability to hit deep hard drives is key in singles. The slow loopy lofty returns in doubles are not going to be as effective because your opponent will have too much time to get to the ball, set up well, and hit a passing shot. 

3. Drop shots are less important

Drop shots are less important in singles than in doubles because it is difficult to cover the whole width of the net and a fast shot that makes your opponent reach or that is out of your opponent's reach is often the better choice. At the top level, players will hit drop shots and dinks because their opponents are so quick and agile that they can cover most of the net. Part of the problem with drop shots is that they are slower shots. There is more time to reset and adjust during the flight of a drop shot, but your opponent will also have more time to get to the ball. If you hit a drop shot right to your opponent and they don't have to move to receive it, they are going to be at the net with an easy ball that they can hit on any angle they want (probably not back to you).

4. Make your opponent run

Every shot. Every time. Keep your ball in the court, but hit the ball to wherever your opponent is not. If your opponent is at the net, consider a lob or a drop to the corner on their backhand side that they cannot attack. If your opponent is on one side of the court, hit to the other side. If you are at the net and your opponent hits a drive from the baseline and you can take pace off and dump it in the kitchen, do that. Ideally, you want your opponent to be running back and forth like a crazy person until you can hit a ball they can't get back.

5. Close on the kitchen when your opponent is compromised

If you successfully stress your opponent by making them run, that is the time you want to charge the net. Close off the easiest angles but stay on your toes and be ready to move in case they pull off a ridiculous shot. Being at the net when your opponent is stressed is the way to finish the point. By getting to the kitchen at that moment, you will have the best angles and the best opportunity to hit a volley. The stress you caused your opponent means they are less likely to hit a successful passing shot.

If your opponent is not on the move when you take the net, you leave yourself vulnerable for a passing shot because they can move to the ball, get set, and fire off a laser that you can't reach.

Practice

Practice for singles should include

• Serves
• Placement (lateral and depth)
• Power
• Spin
• Variety
• Drives
• Backhands (because your backhand will be targeted, and you will not have time to run around the shots to take them with your forehand)
• Placement
• Angles
• Hitting drives after you have run down a ball

Of course, if you are serious about playing singles in tournaments, endurance is also a big factor, so cardio training and playing as many games of singles as you can, will help you train for singles pickleball. Singles is series of sprints and punchy hits. Run, run, run, stop, hit, run, split step, run, stop, hit, repeat.

This blog has been around for about a year now and this is the first article I have dedicated to singles strategy. Shows my bias and priorities. Haha. I'm too fat to play competitively in a tournament setting (at least on a level I would like), so I don't play much singles. Even so, I do enjoy a pickup game of singles here and there. If you see me on the court and want to practice for a tournament, I would be happy to accommodate you for a game or two. Maybe one day I will be motivated to get in better shape and get serious about singles.

Do you have other strategy tips or ideas for singles? Think I got something wrong here? Let me know in the comments!

Thanks for dropping by!

David