Poaching in Pickleball – How to Poach In Pickleball?
Pickleball is an astounding sport that is easy to learn, hard to master. The beauty of the game can be experienced in either single or double format, irrespective of the fact that you are either playing it for professional or recreational purposes.
Nevertheless, it has tons of strategies and playstyles to offer which all boils down to the skill level of the players that are on the court.
Speaking of strategies of players, today, in this article we are going to discuss a unique play style known as poaching in pickleball. Being a new pickleball player you must be wondering “What is poaching in pickleball?”
Well, if you aren’t familiar with the term, I suggest you stick by because you are in for a treat as I would be shedding light on its types and how you should use it against your opponent in the court.
Poaching In Pickleball And Its Importance
Poaching is a lucrative skill set subdivided in many types which is fruitful for both intermediate and professional players.
Generally, when playing in doubles format, poaching happens when either player of the team crosses the center line to hit the shot of the other player.
This usually involves leaving your spot while playing aggressively towards your opponent.
Poaching is considered one of the most risky strategies and should only be performed if you are desperate to score some quick points for your team.
Importance Of Poaching
Regardless of how risky poaching can get, here is why performing this strategy can help your team.
1. Confuses Opponent
As mentioned above, rallying is when a player leaves their spot and hits the ball that isn’t really served for them.
Hitting the ball that is directed towards your partner highly confuses your opponent especially if they aren’t really good at this game.
2. Dominance Gain
A player that covers the whole court singlehandedly is certainly seen as a nightmare for the other team.
Poaching properly leaves no chances of points getting scored by the rival team as all the strategies executed by the rival team becomes pretty much null and void.
3. Rally Control
Rallying in this game favors players with quick lunges and reflexes since it’s an extremely fast paced strategy where only the fastest hand survives.
Poaching in this scenario will not only give you a competitive edge as you will be a force to be reckoned with but it will also make you zoom fast enough across the net so that you can easily score a point or two.
When Should You Avoid Poaching?
Not all the glitters are gold whenever you are poaching, in fact there are some instances where you should totally avoid it.
1. Communicational issues
Poaching is only possible if you have ample communication with your teammate, otherwise both of you are going to miss a great opportunity to return an easy shot altogether.
Poor communication issues overcomplicates even the simplest approach which is why I advise against poaching if you fail to build a proper synergy with your teammate.
2. Lack of skills
Nobody likes a player that is zooming through a court that is barely hitting anything at all. Not only is it counterproductive but it also puts your team in a bad spot.
Poaching is only effective if the player that is performing this strategy knows the ins and outs of the shot he is going to execute.
If you feel like your teammate has a better chance to hit a shot or simply is considerably better than you in the game then you should leave them to poach the ball.
3. Evaluate your Position
I have seen lots of players poach in hopes of hitting a ball to attain a point by being greedy which usually results in an embarrassing situation where they usually hit their teammate causing a mess in the court.
Be mindful of your position and play responsibly, poaching without caring about your teammate’s wellbeing violates the rules of sports since it is unethical and is deemed irresponsible.
4. Court Condition
Avoid poaching in a court if it has partially rained before or the court is slippery as it’s previously obvious that during poaching you will be moving around alot and may injure yourself altogether.
So watch your step and be careful whenever you are maneuvering through the court.
Bottom line
Being a Pickleball enthusiast, one thing I know for certain is that learning new skills and playstyles never hurts anyone, you just have to be patient enough to adapt and evolve with its intricacies.
As the saying goes “Rome wasn’t built in a day” so it’s pretty obvious that you aren’t going to learn to poach after reading this article about “What is poaching in pickleball?” right away, so make sure you practice hard enough to polish your skills while being patient along your endeavors.
Feel free to comment any queries you may have in your mind, I would be happy to sort you out.
