Are you a good doubles partner?

We have all had a great partner and one that made our experience on the court not the best one. Here are a few things that I look for and can see in a positive doubles team:

- Non verbal communication: This is the most important part of being a positive teammate. Your partner knows they messed up, there is no reason to make them feel worse through your body language.

- You are a partner, not a coach.

- Play the better player in doubles. This is a tough one, we all want to win. If your goal is to improve though, I would challenge you to play the stronger player.

Above are ways that you can make yourself a better player and teammate, now let's look at how you can be better as a doubles team:

- Write out your goals and objectives prior to a match or game. This helps hold you and your partner accountable after the game to make sure you worked on what you said you would.

- Pickleball is all about patterns. Find a pattern, stick to it, and be willing to change if your opponent makes an adjustment. One of the easiest patterns is to hit soft cross court and attack straight ahead.

- Stay aggressive, not greedy.

- Do not change direction too soon, especially at the Non-Volley zone. This can lead to unwanted pop ups. This can also help with the middle of the court.

We are all here to have fun, get some exercise, and improve our game. Be a partner that others look forward to playing with!