Have you ever been playing really well, built a nice lead, and then suddenly… stopped scoring?
Not losing, necessarily. Just stuck.
You serve. Nothing. Your partner serves. Nothing. You get the serve back. Still nothing.
And pretty soon everybody starts saying, “Ugh, we’re stuck at 7.”
As though 7 has been declared your permanent address.
Our newest Pickleball Obsession pro, James Moore, has a wonderfully simple solution:
If you go through two full rounds of serving without scoring, stack.
That’s it.
Not because one of you has the “better” forehand. Not because somebody is playing badly. And definitely not because you need to turn your friendly rec game into an advanced tactical seminar.
You’re simply changing something.
James and Tracie discovered this firsthand when they were randomly paired together at PickleCon in Kansas City — a pickleball blind date, if you will — against two considerably younger guys who could actually play.
Tracie and James were well ahead in the score, but suddenly couldn’t add another point.
James suggested they stack.
Sure. Why not? was Tracie’s reaction, even though they were both right-handed.
And almost immediately, the whole game felt different - and they scored!
That’s really the point.
Changing positions forces you to think about something new. It gives your partner something concrete to focus on instead of replaying the last three mistakes in their head. And it makes your opponents suddenly adjust to different players, angles and patterns.
Sometimes the thing that needs changing isn’t your technique.
It’s the energy.
In this episode, you’ll hear:
James’s “two rounds without scoring” rule
Why stacking can interrupt a mental spiral
How a big lead can actually make you vulnerable
Why changing positions can unsettle the other team
The difference between stacking on offense and switching on defense
The big takeaway:
If you’ve served through two complete rotations and the score still hasn’t moved, don’t just stand there announcing that you’re stuck.
Change something. Stack. Reset the energy. And see what happens.
Share this with the partner who always says, “We’re stuck!”and give them something to do about it then tell them to SUBSCRIBE.
Short, practical insights for recreational players who want answers.
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