Handling a pickleball ball hog starts with communication. Politely setting court boundaries (“Yours vs. Mine”) works for most accidental poachers. For chronic offenders, you may need to let them “run themselves ragged,” employ the “freeze-out” strategy, or simply find a new partner who understands doubles etiquette.
When you’re trying to enjoy a fun game of pickleball, there’s nothing more frustrating than a ball hog teammate who insists on taking every shot, even ones clearly meant for you. Instead of fun rallies, points are over quickly with the ball hog going for shots they had no business going for. We’ve all been there. Personally, there have been times where I will mutter to myself the whole way home that I should have taken control of the situation. So, how can you handle this tricky on-court scenario? We have a few ideas!