Pickleball First Five Shots Strategy: How to Build the Point

Many pickleball points are shaped before the Kitchen rally even begins.

The first five shots—serve, return, third shot, fourth shot and fifth shot—often decide which team reaches the Kitchen in control, which team is stuck in transition, and which side is forced to defend.

Instead of treating those shots as separate skills, it is more useful to see them as a chain:

Serve → Return → Third → Fourth → Fifth

Each shot should make the next one easier.

This guide breaks down that first-five-shot sequence for doubles and shows how to build the point rather than simply trying to hit five “good” shots in a row.

Why the first five shots matter so much

The returning team has a structural advantage at the start of the rally because both the serve and return must bounce before volleys are allowed.

That usually means:

• the returner can move toward the Kitchen after returning;
• the serving team has to hit the third shot from farther back;
• the serving team often needs one or more transition shots before reaching the Kitchen.

The first-five-shot battle is therefore largely about whether the serving team can neutralize that positional disadvantage.

The returning team wants to preserve it.

Think in sequences, not isolated shots

A serve can be excellent even if it does not create an ace.

A return can be excellent even if it is not aggressive.

A third-shot drive can be excellent even if the opponents block it back.

The real question is:

What did the shot create next?

For example:

• deep serve → short return → easier third;
• deep return → opponent hits third from farther back → weaker fourth pressure;
• third drive → soft block → easy fifth drop;
• third drop → attackable fourth avoided → team advances;
• aggressive fourth → serving team forced into another reset.

Point construction becomes much clearer when every shot is judged by the ball it produces next.

Shot 1: the serve should improve your third shot

The serve is not only about starting the rally legally.

In doubles, a useful serve usually tries to create a less comfortable return.

That can mean:

• more depth;
• body pressure;
• backhand targeting;
• moving the returner laterally;
• using enough pace that the returner cannot attack the ball freely.

The goal is not maximum risk.

If an aggressive serve creates too many errors, the cost is immediate because the serving team loses the rally before having a chance to score.

A high-value serve creates pressure while still preserving consistency.

Our deep-serve guide explains how to target useful depth without simply hitting harder.

Serve target should connect to your third-shot plan

Do not choose serve targets randomly.

If one opponent repeatedly returns short from the backhand, serving there may give you a better third-shot drive opportunity.

If another opponent returns deep but floats the ball crosscourt every time, you may prepare earlier for a drop from that side.

The serve is the first tactical decision in the sequence.

A simple question before serving is:

“What kind of return am I trying to create?”

Shot 2: the return should protect the Kitchen advantage

The returner’s main objective is usually to hit a return that allows them to reach the Kitchen before the serving team’s third shot becomes dangerous.

Depth is valuable because it:

• pushes the server farther back;
• increases the distance of the third shot;
• gives the returner more time to move forward;
• reduces the chance of an easy attacking third.

A return does not need to be spectacular.

A high, deep ball that gives you time to establish Kitchen position can be much more useful than a fast return that lands short.

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

Return target should influence the third shot

The returner can also shape what third shot is likely.

For example:

• deep middle return can reduce angle options;
• deep backhand return may force a less comfortable drop or drive;
• wide return can move the third-shot hitter away from the center;
• soft short return may invite an aggressive drive.

The best target depends on the opponents.

Do not return deep simply as a generic rule. Return deep to create a specific third-shot problem.

Shot 3: decide between drop, drive and other options

The third shot is where the serving team’s sequence becomes most visible.

The two main choices are usually:

• drop: slow the ball into the Kitchen and create time to advance;
• drive: apply pace and force a block, counter or error.

The right decision depends on the return.

Look at:

• height;
• depth;
• your balance;
• contact point;
• opponent positioning;
• your partner’s position;
• what you want to hit on the fifth shot.

Our third-shot drop vs drive guide gives a full decision framework.

The third shot is often a setup shot

A common mistake is expecting the third shot to solve the entire rally.

A good third-shot drive may simply create a weaker fourth.

A good third-shot drop may only move you from baseline to transition.

That is enough.

The third shot does not need to win the point. It needs to improve your team’s next position or next ball.

Third-shot drive: look for the fifth

If you drive the third, expect one of several common replies:

• hard counter;
• firm block;
• soft block;
• pop-up;
• error.

Your job does not end after the drive.

Prepare for the fifth.

A soft block may give you:

• an easier fifth-shot drop;
• a fifth-shot drive from closer range;
• an attackable ball if the block floats.

This is why the third-shot drive is often best understood as a drive + fifth pattern.

Our third-shot drive guide explains how to use the drive to create the next ball rather than expecting an outright winner.

Third-shot drop: advance only as much as the ball earns

After a good drop, move forward—but do not sprint blindly.

The serving team should advance according to the quality of the drop and the opponents’ fourth shot.

A very good drop may allow several steps forward.

A mediocre drop may require a smaller advance and another reset.

The key is to be balanced when the opponent contacts the fourth.

Reaching the Kitchen quickly is useful only if you arrive under control.

Shot 4: the returning team should preserve the advantage

The fourth shot belongs to the returning team, which often already has both players near the Kitchen.

The goal is usually to prevent the serving team from reaching the Kitchen comfortably.

Common fourth-shot options include:

• deep volley to the feet;
• firm block that stays low;
• roll volley;
• angle into open space;
• soft controlled ball if the third is very low;
• attack if the third sits high.

The fourth should make the fifth difficult.

If your fourth gives the serving team an easy waist-high ball in transition, you may have surrendered part of the positional advantage.

Do not attack every third shot

The returning team often makes a mistake by trying to punish every third.

A low, well-placed third-shot drop may not be attackable.

Trying to hit aggressively from below net height can create:

• net errors;
• high balls;
• balls that land long;
• an easier fifth-shot attack for the serving team.

When the third is good, the correct fourth may simply be a low controlled ball that forces the serving team to hit again.

Fourth-shot target: feet first

If the serving team is moving through transition, the feet are often a useful target.

A ball near the feet is harder to attack and often forces:

• soft reset;
• half-volley;
• late contact;
• defensive block.

This can keep the serving team from advancing cleanly.

Our transition-zone guide explains why low contact and movement timing are so difficult in this area.

Shot 5: the serving team’s second chance

The fifth shot is often where the serving team either completes the transition or loses control of the sequence.

If the third was a drive and the fourth was a soft block, the fifth may be your best drop opportunity.

If the third was a drop and the fourth kept you in transition, the fifth may be another reset.

If the fourth floats, the fifth may become an attack.

The fifth shot should be chosen from the actual ball you receive—not from the plan you had before the rally.

Why the fifth shot is often easier than the third

A third shot may be hit from behind the baseline against two opponents already established at the Kitchen.

A fifth may come from several feet closer after the third forced a weaker reply.

That can make the fifth:

• shorter in distance;
• easier to drop;
• easier to attack;
• less demanding on trajectory.

This is one reason strong teams do not panic when the third does not immediately get them to the Kitchen.

They expect to need another ball.

The most useful first-five-shot patterns

Pattern 1: Deep serve → short return → third drive

This is a pressure pattern.

If your serve consistently produces short returns, the third-shot hitter may have a higher contact point and shorter distance.

A drive through the middle or at the less stable blocker can create a weak fourth.

Then look for the fifth.

Pattern 2: Deep serve → deep return → third drop

If the return pins you back and the ball is low, a drop may be the higher-percentage third.

The goal is not to reach the Kitchen instantly.

It is to create a neutral fourth and begin advancing.

Pattern 3: Return deep middle → aggressive fourth to feet

The returning team uses the return to reduce the serving team’s angles, then uses the fourth to keep them back.

This pattern is especially useful against teams that rush forward after mediocre thirds.

Pattern 4: Third drive → soft fourth → fifth drop

This is one of the most important modern serving-team patterns.

The third drive creates pace.

The opponents absorb it.

The resulting soft block becomes the fifth-shot drop opportunity.

Pattern 5: Third drop → low fourth → fifth reset

This is the patient version.

The serving team accepts that one drop did not fully solve the transition.

They hit another controlled ball and move forward in stages.

Do not judge the third without the fifth

A third-shot drive that does not win immediately may still be excellent if it creates an easy fifth.

A third-shot drop that lands perfectly may still be poor if it leaves you off balance and unable to handle the fourth.

Evaluate the sequence:

What did third create for fifth?

This makes practice much more realistic.

Do not judge the return without the fourth

The same idea applies to the returning team.

A deep return is useful because it should make the third more difficult.

But if you return deep and then fail to reach the Kitchen in time, you may not capture the full benefit.

Return and fourth belong together.

A useful return drill should therefore include movement forward and a fourth-shot decision.

Movement connects every shot

The first five shots are not only about ball striking.

They are also a movement sequence.

The returner:

1. moves to the serve;
2. hits the return;
3. advances to the Kitchen;
4. sets before the third arrives.

The serving team:

1. serves;
2. stays behind the baseline for the return bounce;
3. hits the third;
4. advances according to ball quality;
5. split-steps before the fourth;
6. hits the fifth from a balanced position.

Good first-five-shot strategy fails if movement timing is poor.

Use the split step before the opponent contacts

The serving team often wants to advance after a good third, but continuing to run as the opponent hits the fourth makes the next ball much harder.

Move forward while you have time.

Then become balanced before the opponent’s contact.

Our split-step guide explains how to time this without stopping too early or too late.

Partner positioning matters during the sequence

The first five shots are a team problem.

If one player drives the third and the partner immediately crashes forward, the team needs clear coverage behind that movement.

If one player hits a drop crosscourt, both partners should understand how quickly they can advance.

If one player receives a short fourth, the other should not automatically sprint ahead and create a large gap.

Partners should move in relation to each other, not independently.

Use middle targets to simplify the first five

Middle targets can reduce angles and create communication pressure.

They are useful on:

• deep serves;
• returns;
• third-shot drives;
• fourth-shot volleys;
• fifth-shot resets.

Middle is not always the best target, but it is often the safest tactical default when you are under pressure.

Know when to break the pattern

Patterns are starting points, not scripts.

You may plan:

serve deep → expect short return → drive third.

Then the opponent hits a deep, low return at your feet.

The drive plan is gone.

Choose the shot the ball allows.

Good point construction is adaptive.

Track the sequence in practice

A simple practice scorecard can use:

• serve quality;
• return quality;
• third-shot choice;
• fourth-shot pressure;
• fifth-shot outcome;
• whether the serving team reached the Kitchen.

You do not need to count every rally.

Ten to twenty sequences are enough to reveal patterns.

A first-five-shot drill for four players

Use normal doubles positions.

1. Server serves.
2. Returner returns and advances.
3. Serving team hits the third.
4. Returning team hits the fourth.
5. Serving team hits the fifth.
6. Stop the rally.

Score only the sequence.

The serving team earns:

• 1 point if the fifth is neutral or better;
• 2 points if they reach balanced Kitchen position by or after the fifth;
• 0 if the rally ends before that.

The returning team earns:

• 1 point for forcing an attackable fifth or keeping the serving team pinned back;
• 2 points for winning the rally before or on the fifth.

Then rotate roles.

A serve + third drill

If you have only two players:

1. Player A serves.
2. Player B returns deep.
3. Player A chooses drop or drive.
4. Stop after the third.

Score the third as:

• advance;
• neutral;
• attackable;
• error.

Then add the fourth and fifth once the decision quality improves.

A return + fourth drill

Reverse the focus:

1. Server serves normally.
2. Returner aims deep and moves forward.
3. Server hits a live third.
4. Returner chooses the fourth.
5. Stop.

Evaluate whether the fourth:

• kept the serving team back;
• forced a low fifth;
• allowed the serving team forward;
• created an error.

Common mistake: overhitting the serve

If your serve strategy creates too many faults, the entire sequence disappears.

You never get a third shot.

Use enough pressure to influence the return, but keep the serve reliable enough that the sequence actually begins.

Common mistake: short return, then rushing forward

A short return gives the serving team an easier attacking third.

If the returner also runs forward without being balanced, the combination can be dangerous.

Return depth and movement timing need to work together.

Common mistake: automatic third-shot drop

Some players learn “third shot = drop” and stop reading the return.

A high short return may be an excellent drive opportunity.

A deep low return may strongly favor the drop.

Choose from the ball, not from a memorized rule.

Common mistake: drive, then stand still

If you drive the third and admire the shot, you miss the real opportunity.

Prepare for the fourth.

Move according to the quality of your drive, then expect:

• soft block;
• counter;
• pop-up;
• angle.

The drive is the beginning of the pattern, not the end.

Common mistake: forcing the fifth

The fifth may be an attack, drop, reset or another drive.

Do not decide before the fourth arrives.

The fourth tells you what the fifth should be.

How advanced teams think about the sequence

Better teams often recognize that the first five shots are not about “hitting winners.”

They are about controlling:

• depth;
• time;
• court position;
• contact height;
• angles;
• which team gets the first truly attackable ball.

That is point construction.

A simple match cue for the serving team

Use:

Serve with purpose → read return → choose third → move → solve fifth.

This keeps attention on the chain rather than on hitting a perfect third.

A simple match cue for the returning team

Use:

Return deep → get established → make the third hard → keep the fourth low.

The returning team’s goal is to preserve the positional advantage it starts with.

The bottom line

Pickleball’s first five shots should be trained as a sequence, not five isolated techniques.

The serving team wants to use the serve and third shot to create a manageable fifth and eventually reach the Kitchen.

The returning team wants to use the return and fourth shot to keep the serving team back and preserve its positional advantage.

Think:

Serve → Return → Third → Fourth → Fifth

Then ask after every shot:

“What did that create next?”

That question turns individual strokes into point construction—and point construction is what makes the first five shots actually work together.