How to Stop Getting Poached in Pickleball Doubles

If one opponent keeps poaching your balls in doubles, the worst response is often to simply hit harder at the same pattern.

A good poacher is reading where your shot is likely to go, moving early, and taking time away from your partner. To stop that, you need to make the poacher less certain.

The main tools are simple:

• change direction;
• use more depth;
• hit behind the poacher;
• use body and middle targets;
• show the lob occasionally;
• make the aggressive player hit their own ball instead of stealing their partner’s;
• coordinate with your partner so the next ball is covered.

The goal is not to eliminate poaching completely. It is to make crossing the middle expensive enough that the opponent can no longer do it automatically.

Why you keep getting poached

Most successful poaches happen because the poacher can predict both where the ball is going and when it will arrive.

Common causes include:

• repeated crosscourt returns;
• soft floating balls through the middle;
• predictable third-shot drives;
• slow high dinks;
• telegraphed paddle preparation;
• your partner staying too passive after contact.

The poacher is not necessarily guessing better. You may be giving them the same read repeatedly.

First fix: make your ball less predictable

You do not need wild variety. You need enough variety that the poacher cannot leave early without risk.

For example, if every return goes crosscourt, the middle player can start moving before you make contact.

Once you occasionally hit:

• deep down the line;
• deep through the middle;
• at the poacher’s own body;
• or over them with a controlled lob;

the poacher has to stay home longer.

That extra half-step of hesitation can be enough to restore your normal target.

Use the line to keep the poacher honest

A down-the-line ball is one of the clearest counters to a player cheating aggressively toward the middle.

If the poacher moves early, the space behind them opens.

You do not need to hit the sideline.

A controlled ball several feet inside the line can be enough to punish the movement while keeping your margin.

This works especially well when:

• the poacher is leaving early;
• their backhand is on the line side;
• you are balanced at contact;
• the ball is high enough to redirect safely.

Do not force a low-percentage line shot from bad contact just because you want to “teach them a lesson.”

Our target-selection guide explains why your own contact quality should come before an ambitious target.

Return directly to the aggressive player

This sounds counterintuitive, but it can be very effective.

A poacher is most dangerous when they are moving across to steal a ball intended for their partner.

If you return directly to the poacher, they have to:

• stay more honest in their own lane;
• prepare for their own third shot;
• stop moving early toward the middle;
• give up some of their ability to hunt the next ball.

You are not necessarily “targeting the stronger player.”

You are removing the movement pattern that makes them strong.

Depth matters more than fancy placement

A short return gives an aggressive poacher more time and better contact.

A deep return creates distance and often makes the third shot less attackable.

Before you worry about exotic targets, make the return deep enough that the serving team has to work.

A useful priority is:

Depth first → direction second.

Our return-of-serve guide covers depth, movement and Kitchen arrival in more detail.

Use the middle carefully

“Hit middle” is common doubles advice, but an aggressive poacher may already own the middle.

That means middle is useful only when you understand who is taking it.

Middle can still work if:

• you hit low enough that the poacher cannot attack;
• the ball creates partner hesitation;
• you target the body rather than the easy forehand strike zone;
• the poacher is moving and has to hit while off balance.

But a slow waist-high ball into a dominant middle forehand is usually exactly what the poacher wants.

Body balls can reduce poaching movement

A player moving laterally is often less comfortable when the ball arrives directly at the body.

Body targets can:

• jam the paddle path;
• reduce clean forehand extension;
• make movement more difficult;
• create a weaker block or counter.

This is especially useful on drives and firmer volleys when the poacher is closing hard toward the center.

Do not aim recklessly at the head. Think controlled body pressure around the torso or dominant-side hip depending on contact and pace.

Do not feed the poacher’s forehand

Many doubles teams have one player whose forehand owns the middle.

If your crosscourt pattern repeatedly gives that player a comfortable forehand, you may be helping them poach.

Instead, test:

• their backhand side;
• their body;
• the space behind them;
• their partner’s side;
• a lower ball through the middle.

The problem is not “middle” itself. It is which contact the middle ball creates.

Watch the poacher before contact

You can often see the poach developing early.

Look for:

• shoulders turning toward the middle;
• weight shifting before you hit;
• one foot crossing early;
• paddle preparing in front of the middle lane;
• the partner already sliding to cover behind them.

If you see early commitment, the line or body may become more attractive.

If the poacher stays neutral, your normal high-percentage target may still be best.

Do not stare at the target too early

Telegraphing makes poaching easier.

If your shoulders and paddle reveal a crosscourt direction long before contact, the opponent can move early with very little risk.

Keep preparation compact and use similar setup for multiple directions where possible.

You do not need extreme deception.

You only need enough similarity that the opponent has to wait a little longer.

Use the lob as an occasional constraint

A poacher who crowds the middle and leans forward may be vulnerable to a well-chosen lob.

The lob can force them to:

• stop moving forward;
• protect deeper court space;
• turn and retreat;
• respect another trajectory.

You do not need to become a lob-heavy team.

One successful lob can change how aggressively the player cheats for the next several points.

Our lob strategy guide covers when the shot is worth using and when it becomes too risky.

Hit behind the poacher

If the poacher crosses aggressively, the space they leave behind is the natural counter.

This can be especially effective on:

• returns;
• third-shot drives;
• Kitchen dinks;
• speed-ups;
• blocks after the poacher attacks.

The key is timing.

You want the player already moving away from the space before you redirect behind them.

If you change direction too early, they may simply stop and cover it.

Use the poacher’s momentum against them

Movement creates commitment.

Once the poacher is crossing:

• their original lane becomes harder to recover;
• their partner may have to switch;
• the middle can shift;
• their next contact may happen while moving sideways.

You do not always need more pace.

A soft ball behind the movement can be more damaging than a hard ball directly into the paddle.

Change the height of the ball

Poachers prefer comfortable strike-zone balls.

You can make interception harder by changing trajectory.

Examples:

• lower dink;
• higher deep return;
• soft reset;
• controlled lob;
• rolling ball dipping below net height.

Variety in height changes when the poacher can attack.

Do not speed up into the poacher automatically

A strong poacher often also has good hands.

If they are balanced at the Kitchen and waiting for pace, a predictable speed-up may help them rather than hurt them.

Before attacking, ask:

• Are they moving?
• Is their paddle out of position?
• Can I jam the body?
• Can I attack behind movement?
• Is the ball high enough to attack safely?

Our speed-up guide covers attack triggers and counter preparation.

Your partner must move with the counter

Stopping poaching is a team problem.

If you redirect down the line but your partner remains frozen, the opponents may simply counter into the gap.

After a directional change:

• shift together;
• protect the middle;
• anticipate the likely reply;
• communicate switches early.

A good anti-poach shot that leaves your team disconnected is not a complete solution.

Our doubles-positioning guide explains how partners should shift in relation to the ball.

Use partner communication before the rally

If one opponent has been poaching repeatedly, decide your counter before the next point.

Examples:

• “Return line if they cheat.”
• “If she crosses, I cover middle.”
• “Let’s go body on the next third.”
• “If he leaves early, lob behind.”

This is better than both players improvising after the poach has already happened.

Poaching against your return

This is one of the most common situations.

If the non-returning opponent keeps intercepting your return:

1. increase depth;
2. aim farther away from the poacher’s strike zone;
3. occasionally return behind them;
4. occasionally return directly to them;
5. keep the ball high enough for margin but not short enough to attack.

A short crosscourt return is the easiest ball for a poacher to punish.

Poaching against your third shot

If the returner’s partner keeps crossing to attack your third:

ask whether your third is:

• too high;
• too predictable;
• always going crosscourt;
• landing in the same middle lane;
• giving the poacher time to move.

Possible adjustments include:

• drop lower;
• drive body;
• drive behind the poacher;
• use a wider third;
• change which opponent receives the ball.

Poaching in dink rallies

At the Kitchen, a poacher may move into a crosscourt dink exchange to take the ball early.

The response is not always a harder dink.

You can:

• change down the line;
• go behind the movement;
• use middle with better height control;
• move the poacher wide first;
• wait for the poach and counter into the open lane.

The key is to make the poacher cover more than one route.

Use the poacher’s partner as a target

If one player dominates the court, the partner may be seeing fewer balls.

That can create two opportunities:

• the partner may be less settled into the rally;
• the dominant player may overextend trying to continue taking their balls.

Repeatedly forcing the quieter partner to hit can change the whole structure of the team.

Do not assume you must always avoid the stronger player. Sometimes the better tactical choice is to make the stronger player stop covering for the other one.

Do not attack the poach emotionally

Getting poached can feel disrespectful because the opponent is crossing into “your” target lane.

That emotional response can create poor decisions:

• trying to hit a sideline winner;
• driving too hard;
• aiming directly at the opponent without margin;
• changing every shot at once.

Treat poaching as information.

The opponent is telling you they expect a specific ball.

Change the information.

How much variation do you need?

Not much.

If your normal high-percentage pattern is good, keep it.

You may only need one line ball every four or five similar situations to stop the opponent from moving before contact.

The objective is uncertainty, not randomness.

When should you keep using the same target?

If the poacher is moving but not actually winning the exchange, you may not need to change anything.

For example:

• they cross but hit weak blocks;
• they leave a large gap your partner is exploiting;
• they make frequent errors;
• their partner becomes confused.

Do not solve a problem that is helping you.

A simple anti-poach decision tree

When the poacher begins moving early:

1. Is your contact poor? Use the safest low target; do not force a hero shot.
2. Are they leaving the line? Go behind them with margin.
3. Are they crowding middle but balanced? Consider body or their own lane.
4. Are they moving forward aggressively? Consider a lob if contact allows.
5. Are they simply reading your repetition? Change one variable—direction, height or target player.
6. Did the adjustment work? Return to your normal pattern until they cheat again.

Practice drill: punish the early poach

Use four players.

1. Start with serve and return.
2. The designated poacher must cheat toward middle on selected feeds.
3. The hitter chooses between normal crosscourt, line, body or lob.
4. Play the point out.

Score two things:

• Was the shot selection correct?
• Did the team cover the next ball?

This teaches the full solution rather than only the first shot.

Practice drill: three-target return

Set three return targets:

• deep crosscourt;
• deep middle;
• deep line.

Have the feeder call the target late or have the returner choose based on the poacher’s movement.

The goal is to maintain depth while changing direction.

Practice drill: poacher body vs line

Feed an attackable ball to the hitter while the poacher shades middle.

The hitter alternates between:

• controlled body drive;
• line drive behind movement.

Keep the targets large enough that the drill rewards tactical placement rather than sideline accuracy.

What not to do

Avoid these common overreactions:

• forcing every ball down the line;
• lobbing from poor contact;
• driving directly at a balanced poacher over and over;
• changing direction without moving with your partner;
• trying to hit winners instead of reducing predictability.

The bottom line

To stop getting poached in pickleball doubles, make the poacher pay for moving early.

Use:

• deep balls;
• down-the-line changes;
• body pressure;
• balls directly to the aggressive player;
• occasional lobs;
• shots behind their movement;
• clear partner coverage.

You do not need to abandon your normal pattern.

You only need enough variation that the opponent can no longer leave early with confidence.

A poacher is strongest when your next ball is obvious. Make it uncertain, and the middle becomes yours again.