In doubles pickleball, both players need to work together to cover the court.
When the ball is being hit by the opponent directly opposite your partner, one player should cover the middle while the other covers their line. The person on the right will be covering the middle with their backhand, while the person on the left will need to be focused on the line and stand ready to cover any shots hit down the line (https://paddlesandmore.com/blogs/magazinehttps-www-thepickleballmag-com/covering-the-net-together).
There is some debate about who should cover the middle in pickleball. Some players believe that the forehand player should take the middle, while others believe that the backhand player should take it. (https://primetimepickleball.com/forehand-takes-the-middle-myth-busted/). However, the most important thing to remember is that both players need to work together to cover the court and ensure that there are no gaps in their defense. Each player has half of the court and a bit more, so they need to communicate and move together to ensure that they are in the right position to cover any shots that come their way.
“Nothing drives me crazier than a ball floating between my partner and me down the middle. But two people crowding each other and attempting to cover the middle isn’t great either. So what’s the best approach? https://sarahansboury.com/pickleball-must-covering-middle/
In doubles pickleball, both players need to work together to cover the court. When the ball is being hit by the opponent directly opposite your partner, one player should cover the middle while the other covers their line (https://pickleballhelp.com/pickleball-strategy-cover-the-line-or-the-middle/). The person on the right will be covering the middle with their backhand, while the person on the left will need to be focused on the line and stand ready to cover any shots hit down the line (https://paddlesandmore.com/blogs/magazinehttps-www-thepickleballmag-com/covering-the-net-together).
There is some debate about who should cover the middle in pickleball. Some players believe that the forehand player should take the middle, while others believe that the backhand player should take it. However, the most important thing to remember is that both players need to work together to cover the court and ensure that there are no gaps in their defense. Each player has half of the court and a bit more, so they need to communicate and move together to ensure that they are in the right position to cover any shots that come their way.
The information in this blog post comes from my research and experience playing pickleball and can be found in my books — HOW TO GET STARTED PLAYING PICKLEBALL and HOW TO IMPROVE FROM BEGINNER TO INTERMEDIATE IN PICKLEBALL — both available on Amazon. I hope you learn something from this post that you can take onto the courts to help you improve your game. In addition, here are two other blog posts on covering the middle in doubles: What are some specific phrases to use when giving constructive feedback to your partner after a missed shot in doubles pickleball? and Mastering the Kitchen Line in Pickleball: A Guide to Dominating the Non-Volley Zone.