Poaching Permission Game
Standard doubles, but every poach requires a called 'switch' answered by 'go' — building steal instincts on a foundation of trust instead of chaos.
- LevelAdvanced
- Players4 Players
- Duration20 min
- EquipmentNet
Poaching — the act of crossing over to steal your partner's ball — is the most misplayed skill in doubles. Done well, it injects chaos into the opponent's targeting and wins free points. Done poorly, it destroys trust, opens the middle, and gets your partner yelled at in the parking lot. The difference is not athleticism; it is permission and communication, and Poaching Permission Game makes both explicit. Four players play a standard doubles game to eleven with one structural twist: no poach may happen unless it is preceded by a clearly called signal. The poaching team uses a two-part call — 'switch', announced by the player intending to cross, which their partner must acknowledge with 'go' before the ball is struck. An unacknowledged or silent poach is a rules violation and forfeits the point, no matter how brilliant the result. This single constraint rebuilds the skill from the ground up. Players learn to plan the poach during the dead moments — as an opponent winds up for an obvious crosscourt dink — rather than deciding mid-flight. The partner learns the other half of the skill: the immediate switch that vacates the court cleanly and covers the space left behind, because a poach without a switch is just a hole in the middle of the court. And the opposing team receives an education too: against disciplined poachers, they learn to keep their heads up and their targets honest, because the lazy crosscourt ball gets punished. Rotate teams every two games so all four players drill both sides of the steal. Watch the game evolve across twenty minutes: early poaches are rare and clumsy, then a first successful steal lands, and suddenly the court feels twice as small to the team in possession — which is precisely the pressure a real poaching team creates. The scoreboard matters less than the count: log acknowledged calls, completed switches, and steals won, because those three numbers are the actual skill.
Equipment: You will need a net.
How to run this drill
Play standard doubles to eleven with the poach-permission rule: the crosser must call 'switch' and receive an acknowledged 'go' before the ball is struck.
Any silent or unacknowledged poach forfeits the point immediately, regardless of outcome.
The partner's job on every call is the instant switch — vacating cleanly and sealing the space the poach leaves open.
Rotate teams every two games; log acknowledged calls, completed switches, and steals won as the session's real score.
Sets, reps & pass standard
Sets & reps: 4 games to 11, teams rotate per 2 games
You're ready to move on when: The skill is landing when at least two-thirds of poach attempts come with clean calls, clean switches, and a steal conversion rate above one in three.
Common mistakes to avoid
- Poaching on impulse mid-flight — the call must happen before the opponent strikes the ball, during the dead time, or it is chaos wearing a costume.
- The partner freezing on 'go' — a poach without a switch is not aggression, it is a gift of the middle.
- Over-poaching once it starts working — the threat finances the steal; a team that poaches everything is simply a team out of position.
Frequently asked questions
What equipment do you need for the Poaching Permission Game?
You need a net.
How long does the Poaching Permission Game take?
About 20 minutes, typically organized as 4 games to 11, teams rotate per 2 games. It is rated Advanced and works for 4 players.
What does success look like on this drill?
The skill is landing when at least two-thirds of poach attempts come with clean calls, clean switches, and a steal conversion rate above one in three.