doubles problem

[lawrence]

been working on all my strokes and right now singles plays fine for me, pretty high first serve rate (although its no bullet, its still a fairly decent serve), forehands getting good topspin.. backhand is alright.. needs alot of work
however whenever i play doubles i seem to choke hard, i serve quit a few double faults.. hit floaters or balls that just hit the net..

one idea i have is that i dont get enough warming up in doubles, they always hit it to my partner and maybe 4-6 shots later a ball comes my way and i dont feel used to the swing.. but that doesnt explain my serves at all ;o

[jimmycoop]

Sounds like a head thing. A lot of players who try doubles find that they aren't mentally geared for it--don't want to let their partner down, don't want to lose total "control" that they have in singles, are not interested in the "team" or social rewards, etc. I'd seriously evaluate your motivation and goals for the game and if doubles is not for you, concentrate on singles. That doesn't make you a bad person, just a singles player. If, however, you still want to play doubles, jump in with both feet, play as much doubles as you can with different partners (it really is a marriage and the partnership is a significant factor in success and enjoyment), really learn about the doubles game, and communicate with your partner about your frustrations.

Re the warming-up issue, try getting to your match early and warm up on your own or with a team mate. Also, during the match warmup it's always been customary when I play doubles for you to warm up with the opponent across the net from you and your partner warms up with his guy. I don't get it that the opponents are hitting most of the balls to your partner--talk to them it about the way it should be done.

[All Courts]

I have to agree with jimmycoop here on the mental aspect. I've recently taken up doubles matches and I find that the biggest thing to get used to is the visual aspect -- seeing two people across the net and someone else on MY side of the court is disconcerting. Also, when I feel I have a nice solid winner, seeing someone at net makes me hesitate to hit fully.

I also notice that I feel much more relaxed compared to the rest of the doubles match when I'm up to serve, so I suppose a big part of the deal is a control issue. Despite the visual difference, when I'm up to serve I feel a bit more at home and in control. I'd say it's mostly just something to keep engaging in if you wish in order to get used to the differences.

There is some great net experience in doubles, so I myself enjoy that aspect.

[LuckyR]

been working on all my strokes and right now singles plays fine for me, pretty high first serve rate (although its no bullet, its still a fairly decent serve), forehands getting good topspin.. backhand is alright.. needs alot of work
however whenever i play doubles i seem to choke hard, i serve quit a few double faults.. hit floaters or balls that just hit the net..

one idea i have is that i dont get enough warming up in doubles, they always hit it to my partner and maybe 4-6 shots later a ball comes my way and i dont feel used to the swing.. but that doesnt explain my serves at all ;o


The proof that you are getting psyched out in doubles (probably for some of the reasons that have already been mentioned) is that you are double faulting. The serve is the one shot in doubles that is identical to singles. Since you are having trouble there it proves it is not a tactical problem, but a mental one.

Hopefully this will cure itself with more exposure to the game.

[rasajadad]

I'd like to add two things:
1- There's a lot more pressure to hit specific shots to specific targets in doubles, and
2- Doubles requires short angled shots rather than just depth and pace.

In other words, you have to be ready to play a different game.

[kevhen]

You do serve from a different location in doubles than singles, don't you? Make sure you practice serving from that spot. Don't aim so close to the sidelines when serving in doubles, just get that first one in with lots of spin.

[Cindysphinx]

Lawrence, either you have an extremely weak partner so your opponents are picking up on that, or (more likely)you just need to learn to be more active to get into points. If you're at net, the other team is working hard to keep the ball away from you. You will need to position well to get into the point.

And take something off that singles serve and get it in!

Hey, I'm struggling to learn singles; the transition either way is tough.

[Thud and blunder]

Its probably a mental thing, but it could also be a rhythm thing; its much more difficult to get into a groove in doubles, since you're hitting fewer balls, only serving every four games etc. If you're a player who's very rythm orientated, then this will be a problem with no natural solution.

OTOH, what you say about your serve makes me think its primarily mental.
There simply is much more pressure on your serve in doubles:
(i) a weak serve can get your partner picked off,
(ii) if everyone is holding, you don't want to be the plonker that drops serve,
(iii) you could nail your partner in the back of the head :)
The only solution to this is practice, practice and develop a certain insouciance about the whole thing. Fear of failure leads you to tighten up, which guarantees DFs. Realise that a DF doesn't mean a thing in the scheme of things; this will liberate you to swing freely. If you've got a partner who gives off bad vibes if you DF, get another partner. Having a partner who keeps it positive helps a lot.

[Geezer Guy]

When you first start playing doubles, there's a lot of pressure not let the team down. When you screw up in singles, you just screw yourself. When you screw up in doubles, then you're screwing your partner. You DO get used to this after awhile, and with practice you'll feel less pressure. It also helps if you win.

As for the warm-up, see if you can get there earlier and warm up ahead of time with your partner. When you and the other team are warming up together on court, there should be 2 balls in play. Everyone should be warming up with the person directly across from them.

When serving in doubles, don't try for aces. You want to hit a very dependable first serve that goes down the middle. Your opponent will most probably hit a return that comes back down the middle, and your partner should put it away.