But I’ve got new for you. That’s not going to get you on the winning end of things when you have a teammate. You need to develop a balance and a sharp sense of coordination out there both with your “other half” and within yourself as well. It’s not gong to cut it.

So, instead, you want to adopt a team mindset if you want to win double’s matches. How? Well, two of the most important elements in producing a good doubles team are knowing your role (…what shots you should go for and which ones you should step back and  let your partner handle) and being able to efficiently communicate with your partner while a point is live and in play.

Now, these a both great things, but don’t do you any good if you don’t really know how to use them . So, here’s a great drill to help enhance your game in both areas .

Part 1: SETUP

Setup 2 teams (…4 players in total) in traditional net and base line positions for doubles. One team will have both players back by the baseline and the other will be separated (…one at net while the other is at the baseline). Once the drill is executed a few times, both teams can alternate.

Part #2: SHOT SELECTION

Have your coach or hitting partner feed balls to completely random places on the court. You want them going down the center, out wide to the doubles alley, drop shots at net, back spin, topspin, etc. Yea, the works.

By going through these widely different point patterns, it’ll help the teammates on both sides more accurately identify which balls to aggressively go for and attack with 100% certainty.

Because it’s bad enough if you go for the wrong shot, but when you’re not sure and  get very topsy-turvy in your desicion making (…when you’re kind of 50/50 on what your game plan should be), you’re guaranteed to sink fast than a sumo wrestler in quicksand.

And remember, it’s important not to have any type of pattern or routine when it comes to the order of shots and the way they’re fed. That way, it won’t feel that you’re just simply going through the motions. Because if you already know what shot is coming next, it takes away much of the effectiveness of the drill.

You won’t work as hard to get ready and establish early preparation. You reflexes won’t be as sharp,  and it doesn’t condition your mind for what you’re going to see in a real live match. The point is to be caught off guard sometimes so you’ll know what do when the time comes and you only have a split-second to make a decision.

Part #3: PARTNER COMMUNICATION

Pay close attention to your partner’s movement and make sure you cover him when he needs help.  You and your teammate will without a doubt be scrambling around going up and back and crossing sides and will probably be completely confused at some point. Don’t worry about that.  It’s going to happen early on.

But when this does happen, and you do get in a bad situation, come up with a word or some sort of signal to that your partner knows to let your partner know that you need his help.

Pretty soon, you would have seen or heard what specific situations your partner called on you so many times, that you’ll get to the point where you’ll be able to instinctively recognize when your assistance is needed before your partner even calls on you. Now that’s communication to the max!

Call up your double’s partner now, and let him (… or her) know that you want to try this out in your next practice. Let him or her know that you’ve got an easy way to maximixe your court coverage and the impact of your shots.

All the best,

Brian, Your Tennis Mind Coach

P.S. Who’s watching the Oudin match today?

Now, it seems a lot of you have been bitten by the doubles bug, and now you’ve got doubles fever. It’s really been flying around lately, and it’s getting quite contagious.

It seems like it hit the whole camp. We just can’t get enough of it.  And that’s great, I couldn’t be happier !

It probably seems like every time you hit the courts, you and your partner are yelling “we’ got next” – Especially, since the two-on-two play at Wimbledon has been so exciting!

And judging by the loads of questions that have been coming in regarding doubles strategy since the tournament started, I know you guys aren’t just interested in having fun. You want to win!

I mean, come on let’s be honest, you not only want to win, you want to dominate like the Bryan twins out there. And I don’t blame you. We all know it’s much more fun when you walk away with the W. That’s when your smile is going to be the biggest .

That being said, here’s a tip for you that can make sure you’re one of the happiest guys on the doubles circuit whether it be at the club level,  open level, or at the park with friends.

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Bryan Twins Favorite Weapon

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If you want to be successful in doubles, there’s one very important element that you absolutely MUST have.  You’ve got to have a highly aggressive man (…or woman) at the net. This means, the one up front has to be ready to “poach” or pouncing when necessary and gobble up every ball that you can legitimately get your racket on.

Don’t worry, I’m not saying go out there and be aggressive without any tools are tricks up your sleeves. You can actually consider yourself heavily armed with a variety of weapons at your disposal.

Of those, the poach technique is one of the most deadly weapons that the man at the net possesses.  This is a prime example of excellent court movement. This weapon has been working relentlessly for the identical duo all tournament long and especially well in their last match against Brunstrom/Rojer.

The reason why it’s so great is because it keeps your opponents on their heals. When they have no idea if you’re going to dart across the net and disrupt things, and sit tight, it makes them feel very much uneasy. And for that reason, players can get tentative which produces a lot of errors and weak responses.

Well, poach. There’s the answer, right? Just, run to the other side and you’ll win the point? No, that’s not all. If that were the case, you’d see the double’s champion fluctuate and change all the time. But it doesn’t. It’s the same two to 3 teams at the top of the trophy celebration year in and year out.

So, what’s the difference? Why is there such a huge gap between the good and the phenomenal doubles teams?

When I was watching the twins demolish their opponent, I noticed it had very little to do with the mechanics. It was all about decision making.They knew the perfect time to use the poach technique to maximize their advantage and when it would get them in trouble.

The problem is the poach tends to actually backfire on a lot of players simply because they make bad choices and use it at the wrong time.

I mean, what good is it to have a weapon if it’s doing more damage to you then your opponent. So, let’s take out some of the guess work and take a look at a situation where you’d be able to use this strategy with 100% certainty.

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IDEAL POACHING SITUATION:

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Well, you don’t want to use this play off a weak serve, that can get you creamed. The ideal poaching play is most effective when you’ve hit a powerful serve which puts your opponent in an extreme defensive position so you can cut off their cross-court return.

For example, you hit a scorcher into your opponent’s weakness (i.e backhand), and the returner is forced to change positions – for instance, they have to run around a backhand, you want to get ready to pounce when you’re at the net.  Why?

Because… They lost a ton of valuable setup time. Having to alter their positioning, will generate a much weaker return which will most likely cause the ball to float well inside your kill range. As a result, you’ll easily be able to slide over and put that thing away.

But… What if he hits it down the line?

He won’t… If he’s smart. If he decides to go down the line all the time, he’s not going to be in the match very long. The odds definitely won’t be in his favor. And when you go against the grain too long, you get burned.

In this situation, it’s very difficult for the returner to hit the ball down the line for a few simple reasons (see below):

So, the next time you have the returner on the run, immediately think poach or pounce or poach. But remember, you always want to be on your toes and be ready to move, because it’s hard to tell what your opponent will do ahead of time. So be ready to be prepared to go at all times.

This strategy alone will literally add two stacks to your win column.  You have my word.

Have a great week and an EVEN better game!

Brian Hall, Head Coach
TennisMindCamp
webmaster@tennismindcamp.com

P.S. Watch the Bryan twins if you get a chance to catch them (…i know it can be tough with the time difference). They are awesome, and can teach you a great deal, and you’ll see this very strategy put into some great action. Stay tuned for our Wimbledon Wiz Contest very shortly!