Stacking is a common pickleball terminology that most players don't know much about, especially beginners. So, what is stacking in pickleball?

Pickleball players, regardless of their expertise level, often use (or hear) the phrase ‘stacking’ on pickleball courts, but not all know what it means. And that can be not very reassuring for someone still learning the ropes of the game.

Stacking is a strategic technique used in pickleball to allow players to play from the spot they want to and not stick to the places they traditionally play from. It enables a team to play to its strength and position such that both players are able to use their forehands.

Pickleball has become massively popular, and rightfully so. After all, it's a fast-paced, super engaging game. However, there are still some rules and arcane tricks that newcomers aren't made privy to, and stacking is on the top of that list. But that changes now!

After spending the better part of the last decade honing my pickleball skills, I consider it my duty to reveal all the tips and techniques of the game to anyone ready to learn. With this in mind, I decided to put together the following guide that digs deep into what stacking in pickleball is and why players do it.

What Is Stacking In Pickleball?

In the most basic terms, stacking refers to players positioning themselves on one side of the court so that both can use their forehands throughout the game.

Stacking in its literal sense means placing things together. Similarly, in pickleball, it means bringing both players of a team together so that they perform better.

How Does Stacking Work?

To understand stacking, going over traditional positioning in pickleball first is essential.

Like in any other racket game, in pickleball doubles, two players of a team stand on the right and left side of each volley area. And once they have served or returned the serve, they change positions to continue the match.

This traditional right and left placement of players in pickleball isn't obligatory, which means you can be wherever you want on the court as long as you don't violate the rules of service and return of serve.

Generally, there is no rule in pickleball governing where a player would stand. However, when they have to serve or return it, they need to be on a specific portion of the court.

But that only applies to one player at a time as they are the ones who will hit the ball. This means the other participant can slide into their preferred position as they please once the game begins.

According to pickleball rules, the player who begins the match has to stand on the right side of the court and serve to the receiver standing diagonally in the opposite direction. The same principle follows when the court is even, meaning the score is in even numbers, 0,2,4,6, etc.

When the court is odd, a player on the left serves the ball towards the player diagonally opposite to them. Because of this serve and return rule, the player who has to serve and the one who has to return must be on their respective sides.

Once the game is in motion, players can move around. So, basically, as long as you don’t violate the principle mentioned above, you can slide to whichever side of the court you want.

That's where stacking comes into play. With the help of the stacking technique, players can position themselves such that once the game begins, they end up in the spot where they can score most forehands.

Stacking At Play

Typically, stacking is used in doubles involving a right-handed and left-handed team. However, it can be employed by right-right and left-left teams as well.

To understand how stacking works, let’s assume a match scenario in which players A and B are on the serve side while players C and D are on the return.

Now, player A has to serve to player D, which means D has to stand on the right side of their respective volley zone.

Assuming that D is a righty, they'd do better if they were on the left side of the court, bringing their dominant hand to the center court. But if they remain on the right side, that won't happen, which is why you employ stacking.

With the help of stacking, both players, C and D, can stand on the right side of their volley zone with C outside the sideline. Once the serve is returned, D can slide to the left, bringing their forearm to the center of the court, and C can start to cover the right side.

This way, both C and D get to play to their strengths, utilizing their dominant hand.

It must be noted that in the example I just stated, D is a righty while C is a lefty because that is why stacking will allow them to get to their preferred sides during a match.

Having both forehands in the middle significantly increases a team’s winning shots.

Another way stacking can benefit a team is if one person has a weak backhand, in which case the two members can stack on one side so that the one with the weaker backhand doesn't have to take the center shots.

Using the same example of placement mentioned above, A and B are in one volley zone while C and D are in the other.

However, in this case, we assume that D has a weak backhand. So, if they remain on the right side, they will have a hard time covering the middle of the court. By stacking, player C, who happens to have the stronger forehand, can move towards the right and take the center shots.

Simply put, stacking allows a team to cover the weakness of one player’s weak backhand with the other member’s strong forehand.

In summary, you can do stacking to get the following advantages

• To bring both of your forehands in center court.
• To cover a player's weak backhand.
• To optimize the mobility of the team member with greater agility.

Can Stacking Only Be Used By A Left-Right Team?

No, not necessarily.

While it is a more common practice (use of stacking by teams consisting of a lefty and righty), it's not the only one.

People with the same dominant hand can also employ stacking, especially when they need to maximize the mobility of one player.

In such a case, we assume that C and D are two right-handed players, and C is more agile than their partner.

Once the game begins, the person with higher mobility can quickly move towards the back on the right side so that the person who is less mobile doesn’t have to move much.

In simple terms, with the use of stacking, C can change positions faster, covering the back of D's side of the court. As a result, the chances of missing shots are reduced considerably.

Things to Consider When Stacking

Stacking can be tricky to work during a match, especially for beginners. However, that doesn’t mean only pro players can do it.

Once you understand how to stack and the right traditional positions necessary on serve and return, you can use stacking to your advantage easily.

That said, when stacking, one must take a few considerations into account to ensure they don’t lose a point.

• When serving on the right side and you need to be on the left to work your dominant hand, you should have your partner on your right (as discussed in the first example). After the service is over, you can slip to the left, and your partner will take over the right.
• When serving on the left, but you wish to be on the right, you will have to keep your team member on your left. This way, once you have served, you can quickly move to the right while the other person will step into the left side of your volley zone.
• When returning on the right side of the court and you want to get to the left, you hit your return from the deep side and move towards the left. While your partner enters the right side up by the kitchen line.
• When returning on the left side and you wish to go to the right, you follow the same practice. You return the ball from the left while your partner stays on your left, close to the sideline. Once you are done, you slip to the other side, aka the right, and your teammate takes over the left side near the kitchen line.

Remember knowing your traditional positions at the time of serve and return is imperative if you don’t want to lose points trying to use stacking.