You may have learned all the rules of pickleball, but until you spend time on the pickleball court you may not know all the pickleball etiquette. Being a good pickleball partner is more than knowing the rules or being a good player (although those two pieces are important), it’s about knowing the pickleball etiquette no one tells you about. Here are some important pieces of being a good pickleball partner:
Know the rules
One of the best skills you can have on the court, as a partner and opponent, is to know the rules of pickleball. Being the player that other players can rely on to know if the ball is in or out, what to do if a serve is missed, or should the opponent be calling lines on your side (or a multitude of other rules questions that come up during every pickleball game) will help the game move forward without any questions.
Be confident in your rules assessments and everyone on the court will know to come to you with any rules questions when they come up.
Be prepared to call lines
As a pickleball partner, you have certain responsibilities for calling lines. For instance, as the non-receiving partner, you should be watching the kitchen line to make sure the serve lands in the correct zone. You should also generally be watching lines, whether the ball is coming to you or to your partner, to see if the ball is in or not.
You will not always see whether a ball is in or not, but being a good pickleball partner means you are *trying* your hardest to make the best line calls you can.
Know where you need to be
Pickleball court positioning is one of your most important responsibilities as a pickleball player. You want to make sure you come up to the kitchen line when it’s time, cover for your partner when they are out of position to get a tough shot, and make sure you are not running into the non-volley zone to hit a volley.
You should also be paying attention to where your partner is at all times, so you can complement their play style and placement.
Being where you need to be, when you need to be there, will help you and your partner work in harmony during every rally.
Know the score
As a beginner pickleball player, one of the hardest things to remember is the score. You have so many things going on, so many things to remember, that the score is sometimes the last thing on your mind. But if you go into every game with the determination to remember the score every single point, it will become second nature.
If the other team is being too quiet to hear when they announce the score, make a point of asking them to repeat themselves more loudly. There is nothing wrong with asking the other three players what the score is, but if you do it too often it will get annoying. So do what you can to remember to pay attention and remember the score.
Communicate
Partner communication may be the #1 tip to be a good pickleball partner. Telling your partner whose ball it is, if the ball is going to go out of bounds, or if they had a nice shot during a rally will create a cohesive team. Playing a game with a partner without ever talking means you are two individual players on the same side of the court. Communication will help you know them, and for them to know you, and then you can start working together as one team
Contain your yelling
While you should be communicating with your partner, yelling at them is not a way to do this. Pickleball players pretty much always know when they make a mistake, there is no need for you to help them. If anything, it may make them start to play worse if you are constantly yelling.
You also want to limit your yelling at yourself. It’s okay to be upset if you make mistakes, but constantly making comments about yourself will just stress everyone out on the court and have them thinking again about wanting to play with you next time.
Practice between games
One of the best moves you can make as a pickleball partner is to continually improve your skills. Although playing on a regular basis should make you a better player, nothing compares to practice and drilling when you are not playing a game.
If you are playing with the same partner regularly and they are getting better and you are not, they may want to move on from you eventually.
Add words of encouragement
Everyone responds differently to winning and losing, and sometimes all you can do is tell your partner they are doing great. Whenever they make a good shot or move, let them know.
Sometimes a word of encouragement is all it takes to give a player some confidence to begin playing better. And if nothing else, you are seen as a supportive partner that other players will want to play with.