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3 Solid Doubles Strategies

Here are my three keys to doubles success:

 
  1. Be aggressive. Points are played much more quickly than in singles. Generally, the team who owns the net usually wins the match.
  2. Make your shots difficult to smash back in your face by keeping the ball low, and hitting to open spaces on the court and at your opponents' feet (increasing the chance of them needing to hit off balance).
  3. Know your role and communicate. Generally, teammates own their side of the court. When playing in a "one up, one back" formation:
    1. Server: Your job is to get the ball in play. Wider serves are better, allowing your partner better poaching access, but don't sacrifice placement for consistency. At least 70% first serve consistency is paramount. The last thing you want is for a returner to "tee off" on a slow second serve. I recommend slowing down your first serve. Instead focus on placement and spin. Even if you serve and volley, if they lob you, you are the designated deep ball partner.
    2. Serve partner at the net: As the server's partner, your attention should be on the opposite net person. Stand around the service line; a reasonable distance to be able to react to the net player across from you. The net player must BE THE BEAST! Don't let anything past you! Your mentality is, every reasonable ball is YOURS! To help you get into this intense frame of mind, call out "yours" every time a ball gets past you.
    3. Serve Returner: The baseline team member is responsible for reaching anything that gets past (or over the head of) the net player. Try to always hit the ball deep, away from the net player. When you can get your opponents on the defensive, that's your opportunity to crash the net and force your opponents to make a risky passing shot or lob.
    4. Serve Return's Partner: As the net player on the receiving side, position yourself in the middle of the service court where you are 1.5 steps away from the ally, but still a poaching threat. (By cheating towards the center of the court, you challenge the serve returner to hit the 2 feet of open space down the line, which is an extremely low-percentage shot.) 

3 Styles of Doubles Play

 

Kirk Moritz: So there are different styles of play that typically happen in doubles these days.

  1. SERVE & VOLLEY: There's one style of play where the server hits the serve and immediately comes to the net while his partner is at the net.

  2. ONE UP, ONE BACK: There's another style where the server hits the serve and stays back.

  3. BOTH BACK: Finally, there's a style used when the opposing server is hitting a strong serve. The returning players are having trouble keeping the ball low and away from the net player, so they both opt to stay back as the serve is hit.

Watch The Bryan Brothers

 

The Bryans (Mike and Bob) are the undisputed greatest doubles duo of the open era. The have won well over 100 major titles.

 

Just watching them play will give your subconscious mind ideas of how to improve your own game. One of my tennis mentors, Ron Hager, quoted Wayne Bryan (the Bryan brothers' father and coach) as saying that watching 1 hour of excellent tennis is worth 30 hours of practice on the court.

 

This video is the ENTIRE 2011 CinCin semifinals, all in only 15 minutes! Pay particular attention to how these teams are in constant motion. ENJOY!

BE THE BEAST!!!

 

  • Use your movement to force errors at the net.

  • Close in.

  • Shut them down.

The Power of Positive Energy

 

  1. Decide where to serve.

  2. Overcome communication obstacles.

  3. Understand what works for you.

  4. Become fluid movers. (Shadow the ball.)

  5. Prefer placement over power.

  6. Ease your way forward.

  7. Understand and run your plays.

Do Be That Guy

 

  1. "I got it" guy

  2. "Yours" guy

  3. "Gets you hit" guy

  4. "The Coach" guy

  5. "The Wrong Thing to Say" guy

All images have the following license

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