As you may know, poachers are players that like to intercept pickleballs on their partner’s half of the court. Poaching is more commonly done by the player with the forehand toward the middle of the court. If you find yourself struggling with a player that is poaching often, try the following strategies:

1. Focus on Placement – A player can only poach if you let him or her. In other words, you or your partner floated up shots a bit too high, where the poacher can jump across the court and intercept the shot. So, to combat the poacher, focus on the placement of your shots. Keep the pickleball low above the net and far enough out of reach so that the poacher struggles to intercept the pickleball.

2. Watch Your Opponents’ Feet – Pay attention to your opponents. In particular, pay attention to your opponents’ feet, which could give you clues of when they are looking to poach. Also, look for any patterns of when your opponents like to poach. See if you can anticipate the poach by your opponents and send a shot behind the poacher (in other words, down the line) to keep your opponents honest. If the poacher is worried about protecting the sideline, then he or she will hesitate to step across the middle line to poach a shot.

Key Takeaways:

1. To defeat the poachers:

a. Keep the pickleball low above the net and out of reach of the poacher;

b. Look for clues as to when the poacher will poach; and

c. Hit a few shots behind the poacher to keep the poacher glued to his or her side of the pickleball court.