Do you define yourself as a certain type of player? Like a dinker or banger? How about the side you play on - does that define you as a pickleball player?
More and more, I am seeing top pros playing a specific side depending on the category (ie. gender doubles or mixed doubles).
There are four specific pro players who specifically come to mind when I think of this - somewhat newer - concept of “right side” and “left side players”.
Although many players intentionally stack themselves to play one side or the other for specific reasons, I do think that the siblings Riley and Lindsey Newman and siblings Ben and Collin Johns have all revolutionized the “right side” and “left side” tactic.
Photo credit: Sara McInnes
Of course, the concept of playing a certain side the entire game didn’t come from the Johns bros, it’s been executed for many years by teams whose skills are stronger on one specific side; or by teammates who have one left-handed and one right-handed player; to keep both their forehands in the middle - thus, protecting the most vulnerable spot on the court.
For anyone unfamiliar with this concept, it’s called stacking, and, while I could tangent off into what stacking is, the focus here is more about the evolution of the game to be about players who identify their strengths by a specific side of the court; and the fact that players intentionally seek out a teammate to play the other side.
But, for information on stacking check out my article “The Scoop on Stacking” here.
For the sake of this concept, let’s presume that the players I’m referring to are both right or left-handed.
Photo credit: Sara McInnes
The Left Side
Here’s what I think about the person who plays the left side of the court. Their job is primarily to finish the point on an offensive opportunity, to ensure their presence is felt by the other team and insert themselves into the rally; oftentimes they’ll cover more of the court area as well.
When the ball comes to their backhand side, the task is mainly to keep the ball in play with an unattackable dink or reset volley. Finally, I think that the player on this side is also executing more of the third shots than their partner, as they can slide closer to the middle and make use of their forehand.
Who enjoys playing this side of the court? Anyone strong and confident in the following areas:
- Forehand drive
- Third shot forehand drop
- Backhand (slice) dink
- Forehand volley at the NVL
- Forehand erne
- Naturally offensive-minded and hungry to end the point at the right time
- Mobility and willingness to retrieve lobs, possibly the younger and/or more athletic of the two players
- Overhead smash
The Right Side
On the other hand (ba-dum bum), here’s what I think players like about playing the right side and are confident executing:
- Very patient - can play repetitive dinks
- Has a strong, offensive two-handed backhand
- Consistent low, forehand dinks
- Good at making the cross-court opponent uncomfortable
- Strong volley resets on the backhand, when attacked
- Happy to allow the left side player to take up to 60%-70% of the court
- Has the goal of setting up their partner to hit the winning shot
Photo credit: Sara McInnes
Change is Good
Playing a specific side used to be only popular in mixed (or when a team has a lefty and a righty), but these days playing a side has nothing to do with being male or female; it’s about strategy and consistency.
The Newman siblings were maybe the first to break this fixed pattern in mixed play. When the Newmans were more consistently competing together, they chose to specifically place Lindsey on the left side.
They would play long dinking rallies and Riley would often push the ball behind the right-hand side opponent, and Lindsey would straddle the kitchen and sidelines searching for the erne opportunity.
Riley would cover the rest of the court. Nowadays, the John brothers always place Ben on the left side and Collin on the right side, for many of the reasons mentioned above. With this formula they have found success over and over again; I think the number of titles they’ve earned while playing this strategy is undeniable.
Righty and a Lefty
Okay, so now for the original/practical reason why people play one specific side and it’s really straightforward: when two people on the same team have opposite dominant hands it makes more sense for both forehands to cover the middle of the court, rather than their backhands.
So, a lefty will play the right side and the righty will play the left side.
The more seasoned one becomes in pickleball, the stronger sense they will gain of what kind of player they naturally are or want to become. Usually, a player will build off of their natural strengths and that will help shape the type of player they are.
I will say that higher-level players might have a preference but are solid playing both sides. The analogy I always use is a driver who can operate a manual and automatic car; they have the ability to do both but more than likely prefer one over the other.
Personally, there is a side of the court that I prefer, however, depending on my partner and the opponents, I’m happy to play either side, it’s whatever makes the most sense for that specific scenario.
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