How do you work on being more aggressive in doubles?

[EddieBrock]

My volleys are pretty good in singles, but I think my net play really holds me back in doubles. Whenever I try to poach it seems like they hit behind me or I'm just lunging and feel foolish getting out of position. Especially when my partner is serving I also feel embarrassed if I poach and miss since he is usually in a good position to get it. On the return games I think I also let too many shots get past me down the middle. During clinics I've had the pro tell me I should take some of those. So I think I'm good at defending "my territory", but I don't know how to work on crossing over into an area my partner may get the ball in order to be more aggressive.

As I think about the doubles matches that I've lost I think the difference is that on the other team both players are able to poach, especially off the returns. So this is something I'd like to work on, but I don't know how.

 

[TnsGuru]

This could be helpful.

 

[travlerajm]

Start by positioning yourself closer to the middle. Most lower level players stand too close to alley when at net. In addition to making poaching much easier, it will bait your opponent into errors trying to hit the narrow low percentage alley you have opened up. Notice where the poacher stands in the video above - it is much closer to middle than where most lower level players stand.

If your partner is at baseline, stand closer to net. This will make it easier to cut off crosscourt balls as they will pass closer to you. It will also put you in more offensive position where you can do more damage on balls you reach.

 

[Dartagnan64]

My volleys are pretty good in singles, but I think my net play really holds me back in doubles. Whenever I try to poach it seems like they hit behind me or I'm just lunging and feel foolish getting out of position. Especially when my partner is serving I also feel embarrassed if I poach and miss since he is usually in a good position to get it. On the return games I think I also let too many shots get past me down the middle. During clinics I've had the pro tell me I should take some of those. So I think I'm good at defending "my territory", but I don't know how to work on crossing over into an area my partner may get the ball in order to be more aggressive.

As I think about the doubles matches that I've lost I think the difference is that on the other team both players are able to poach, especially off the returns. So this is something I'd like to work on, but I don't know how.

Being good at poaching requires a couple things:
1) A competent server that can put some pressure on the return and place his serves
2) an ability to judge the returner and where he's likely to place the ball (i.e. anticipation).

Most good tennis players know where the ball is going before you hit it. So they can make that first move and get there quickly. We lower level players watch the ball and the good players watch the returners racket and body.

 

[LeeD]

Take more chances, make many more dumb plays until you gather enough experience to play near the top of your limitations, or something like Dirty Harry said..

 

[EddieBrock]

Being good at poaching requires a couple things:
1) A competent server that can put some pressure on the return and place his serves
2) an ability to judge the returner and where he's likely to place the ball (i.e. anticipation).

Most good tennis players know where the ball is going before you hit it. So they can make that first move and get there quickly. We lower level players watch the ball and the good players watch the returners racket and body.

Most of my partners have strong first, but weak 2nd serves. So I'd like to poach more on the 1st serve. Just seems like when I try it I get passed down the alley.

I never learned to watch the returner to figure out where the ball is going. Like you said I watch the ball.

 

[EddieBrock]

This could be helpful.

Very helpful!

 

[Wise one]

My volleys are pretty good in singles, but I think my net play really holds me back in doubles. Whenever I try to poach it seems like they hit behind me or I'm just lunging and feel foolish getting out of position. Especially when my partner is serving I also feel embarrassed if I poach and miss since he is usually in a good position to get it. On the return games I think I also let too many shots get past me down the middle. During clinics I've had the pro tell me I should take some of those. So I think I'm good at defending "my territory", but I don't know how to work on crossing over into an area my partner may get the ball in order to be more aggressive.

As I think about the doubles matches that I've lost I think the difference is that on the other team both players are able to poach, especially off the returns. So this is something I'd like to work on, but I don't know how.

Don't poach. It just screws everything up. Your partner doesn't know what to do when you do that, and since you both end up on the same side of the court your opponents have a lot of empty court to hit into.

 

[3loudboys]

One thing that I find useful is to talk to your partner every point when they are serving. Get an understanding where they are going to serve in advance of the point so you will understand the percentages on return. My partner will tell me in two words where he is putting his first and second serves before we play. We categorise serve by T, wide and body. So before a point for example he’ll say T, wide. So I’ll know on the first serve it’s T and the return is likely to be more central with less angle and so on. If he misses he’ll kick it wide and the line needs more cover. It’s an understanding you get the more that you play together.

Also I know it’s obvious but keep active feet at the net. Your job is not only to poach and hunt the ball but to distract your opponent as well. You can influence where the returner is going with your movement and from the returners perspective it’s much harder keeping the ball away from an active net player who is communicating with their partner effectively.


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[Deleted member 23235]

My volleys are pretty good in singles, but I think my net play really holds me back in doubles. Whenever I try to poach it seems like they hit behind me or I'm just lunging and feel foolish getting out of position. Especially when my partner is serving I also feel embarrassed if I poach and miss since he is usually in a good position to get it. On the return games I think I also let too many shots get past me down the middle. During clinics I've had the pro tell me I should take some of those. So I think I'm good at defending "my territory", but I don't know how to work on crossing over into an area my partner may get the ball in order to be more aggressive.

As I think about the doubles matches that I've lost I think the difference is that on the other team both players are able to poach, especially off the returns. So this is something I'd like to work on, but I don't know how.

my top tips on poaching:
* you will be passed... honestly if you're not getting passed at least once per game, you're not poaching enough
* always be moving, even if not poaching... most folks are a stick in the mud, then when they poach, it's easy to see they are moving... so even if you're staying, you're moving up or body faking or crowding the middle
* vary the timing of your poach... sometimes early, sometimes late, sometimes "on contact"
* tell your serving partner not to cross behind you (pause a sec), because if i see the server crossing over, i know the poach is on
* watch the return feet/shoulders... they give you clues (especially <5.0) on whther he's going cc or dtl... make a mental map... you want them changing their minds last minute.

the poach is 25% about spiking a volley at the opposing net man, and 75% about just getting the returner to look at you and not at the ball (i'm making up those #'s ). i'd speculate that i make 1-2 great poaches a set (espn highlight reel shots), get passed 2-3 times,... but many more times the returner is just missing because they are worried about me (or have to change strat: lob, 2back, etc...)

 

[Dartagnan64]

One thing that I find useful is to talk to your partner every point when they are serving. Get an understanding where they are going to serve in advance of the point so you will understand the percentages on return. My partner will tell me in two words where he is putting his first and second serves before we play. We categorise serve by T, wide and body. So before a point for example he’ll say T, wide. So I’ll know on the first serve it’s T and the return is likely to be more central with less angle and so on. If he misses he’ll kick it wide and the line needs more cover. It’s an understanding you get the more that you play together.

Also I know it’s obvious but keep active feet at the net. Your job is not only to poach and hunt the ball but to distract your opponent as well. You can influence where the returner is going with your movement and from the returners perspective it’s much harder keeping the ball away from an active net player who is communicating with their partner effectively.


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What I ask is that my net person indicate where he wants the serve. It keeps them engaged in my service game and thinking about where they want to set up the returner to go. Sometimes my partner is good at calling my serve games and sometimes they are not, in which case I'll have a little chat. For instance, if the opponents absolutely can't return a BH return, quit calling out wide serves to deuce. Or if they call the down the T serve, I hit it, and they aren't poaching, well it's chat time again.

 

[travlerajm]

I am rapidly becoming a big fan of what I call the "modified Australian" formation. It doesn't require any preplanned signalling, but places the poacher in much better position to poach a lot more balls, and unlike the conventional formation (where the safe return is crosscourt) or the regular Aussie formation (where the safe return is DTL), there is no safe return to aim for against the modified Australian.

The modified Australian, when used with right-handed server, is most effective on the deuce side. The netman places himself about 3-4 feet to the left of the center, and fairly tight on the net. The server serves from near the center hash, and comes in on the ad side. The server's two responsibilties are the down-the-line alley and the lob. A poacher with good anticipation skills can cover all the way to the deuce singles line on his left, and can also reach all but the best sharp angle cross-court return. The key is tight net positioning and centering to cut off options.

If the returner is limited to a slice return on either wing, it is very difficult to thread the ball past a netman positioned there. My partner for my 4.5+ usta match last weekend was an older player who serves soft but is good at hitting his spots on the serve, and my strength is that I have excellent range and quickness at net. Once we switched to this formation on deuce side to discourage the lob, neither of our 4.5 opponents were able to get a single ball past me and holding my partner's serve was a breeze.

My partner was a little bewildered afterward how we could be so successful with the weird formation that was new to him, saying "we were both on the same side of the court, and they still couldn't do anything against it!"