Teamwork in doubles really can make the dream work.

Yeah, I know it sounds a little corny, but in tennis, it’s very true.  I can’t stress enough how extremely important it is that you play as a “team” (…and not 2 individual singles players) if you want to win a lot of doubles tennis matches.

One of the most important and easiest ways for you to do that is to make sure both players (…you AND your doubles partner) are engaged and involved in the game plan (…especially the net man).

Because let me tell you,  if you fail to do so (…and your partner feels the slightest bit left out or isolated), this can lead to a major dip in his desire as well as his overall performance. And that dream will quickly turn into a nightmare.

There’s nothing worse than when you’re in a heated battle and 50% of your weapons aren’t firing.  If that happens, you’re left incredibly vulnerable to enemy attack.

Then, the likelihood of you waving the white flag in defeat will go up dramatically (no matter how good *ONE* of you may be playing).

Now, how on earth could this happen? Why would anyone want to  intentionally “check out?”  Don’t they want to win? Well, that’s just it. Nobody holds back on purpose.

It sort of slips out without you knowing it at times.  It happens when a player feels that they aren’t contributing or being given the chance to.  It’s a natural human response.

If your partner isn’t making any plays and/or the balls *NEVER* appear to be coming his way, the  “What For?” feeling rapidly kicks in.  You know, the why should I get ready and stay on my toes, I won’t get a chance to hit the ball anyway” mentality…

It’s the same thing in basketball.  When you’ve got a 7 ft 285 pounder, like Lakers center Andrew Bynum, sprinting and working hard to get back down court asap to get  position, and his teammates never go inside so he can post up, pretty soon you’re going to notice his pace going down court begin to slow down.

…And he’s NOT going to work as hard to get that position.

He’s not going to be running as quickly, because let’s be real here. It’s no fun for a 285 pound giant like  Bynum to lug himself up and down the court begin with.

And when he’s really pushing it and doesn’t get a chance to make an impact, the brain subconsciously flips the switch and tells the body “the heck with that.” Then the entire team is frustrated, and gets one in the loss column because of it.

Yeah, this is definitely one of the deadliest “silent killers” in doubles.  So keep that from happening to your team and keep your winning chances a float by using the 3 tennis strategies below.

3 Solid Tennis Doubles Strategies

By both players being on the same page, everything becomes 10 times easier. And nobody gets lost in the shuffle.

I’m telling you, just standing there, walking from one side of the court to the other while up at net, gets really boring, really fast. And you want a warrior up there, one who’s alert and aggressive, not a player who’s falling asleep.

So, use  these 3 strategies in your next doubles match, and you’ll be able to help keep both the level of confidence and play pretty high throughout.

For more doubles tennis tips, mental tennis tricks, and tennis strategies by the boatload, click here.

To gain instant access to our 19 hour, best selling, winning strategy course, visit this page.

Have a great day and an even better game,

Brian

TennisMindCamp

Often times, players just play single’s tennis and go for everything that can get their racket on.Why? Because many of us start out playing singles when first learning the game.

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?