When Your Male Partner Goes A'Huntin'
 

I was talking with a 4.0 female friend who plays 8.0 USTA mixed. She was saying she was deeply unhappy with her 4.0 male partner in a recent match because he kept trying to hit through the opposing lady at the net with his groundstrokes.

My friend was feeling like her partner's targeting of the opposing female meant it would be open season on her and the opposing male would feel free to retaliate and hit at here. My friend also said it was rude and unsporting for her partner to do what he did.

Now, I know we have had many threads here where many guys say they would never hit at the woman. I am asking about the female perspective: Do you actively discourage your male partner in league mixed from targeting the opposing female with volleys/groundstrokes? If he started doing this, would you tell him to stop?

This sounds like something out of Discovery Channel.

I need more details. What do you mean by hitting at?? From what distance??

Did you or your partner invite the female player to net?

Communication is the key to any working relationship.
Which doesn't mean communicating with you.
She needs to talk to her partner.
Every teams plays a different style. She needs to communicate with her partner about THEIR style.

Yeah, I would need more info also. If you're talking head-hunting, then I don't think anyone should do that to anyone. But if you must mean hitting to that person or at their feet, then I don't think it's rude or unsporting. You always target the weakest person in doubles. That's the best strategy.

If I find I'm being hammered at the net with too much pace I'll just back up to the baseline, I'm not going to whine that I'm being hunted.

I wouldn't tell my partner to stop targeting the weaker opponent during a match because I want to *win*.

Oh dear me, yet another thread about gender dynamics in mixed.

I've probably already said this 1,000 times, but any format that puts players of widely different skills levels on the same court at the same time, and then expects them to take it seriously and play a "competitive" match, is going to lead to problems.

If mixed were set up such that the female player needed to be 0.5 - 1.0 rating levels higher than the male player, gender would be a non-issue.

If it's an 8.0 league match and he's hitting at the female from the baseline, then that should be no problem. For 8.0 league matches, everyone expects everyone to give it their very best without anyone holding back. Going at the body is ok, as long as the intent is to jam the opponent and not deliberately them. If it's a 7.0 or below league match, then the stronger players usually hold back, particularly when the match is in the bag.

Think I've said this before, but I'm a woman and if someone hits at me at net okay; if I don't like it, I will back up. But I usually don't back up, so I don't think I would. If someone hits an overhead directly at my head - I might get a little bit ****y, but I would not say anything about it.

I would never tell my partner not to hit at a net person (woman or male). Would I think it was the best play over and over - no, but that I would keep to myself as well. If I really did not like something a partner did, I would just not partner with them on a regular basis.

But hitting at a net person is not on that list.

I can hear the late Steve Irwin in the background. "You're alright ... you're alright ... crikey just LOOK at her ... isn't she GORGEOUS!"

Oh man.........

I recently watched a 8.0 mixed match at my home courts that stands out in particular; 4.5M + 3.5W vs 4.5M + 3.5W. The one 4.5 guy hit pretty much every shot right at the opposing 3.5 woman when she was at net. She did not have good reaction time and got hit a couple of times. Funny thing is she did at one point try to stand further back, but her own 4.5 partner shouted at her to stand closer to the net when he is serving.

A 4.0 man hitting baseline groundstrokes at a 4.0 women at net should be a losing strategy. If she's botching them, uncomfortable and doesn't move back... awkward. How important is the win? (And she might just be determined to use the game to improve.)

Net play is basically ineffective if the net person doesn't stand at least middle of his/her service court...preferably a step forwards.
Standing in the back half of your service court, you have to be superlative volleyer playing against player's below your level of volleying skill. Back at the service line is a sure loser, as is farther back in NML.
Either stand in, or stand atop your own baseline.

I guess I will give you my opinion.

Not only do I think it is perfectly fine for the 4.0 guy to hit directly at the woman at net as hard as he wants, I get a little annoyed when my own male partners refuse to send anything to the woman and play only to the guy.

See, if my partner is choosing to hit at the opposing 4.0 woman at net, he has to do it off of the serve or groundie of the 4.0 guy. When guys try to target me in that situation, they often miss long or wide or into the net. 'Cause it is hard to change direction off of my partner's ball and bust a ball at or by me without missing as many as you make.

Anyway, I wasn't there, so I don't know exactly what was going on. I believe my friend's 4.0 male partner was being outplayed because the other 4.0 was stronger. So he decided to win points against the woman at net by hitting returns and groundies to her. Alas, this did not work because she often ducked and his ball went long.

During my last mixed match I was playing with a new partner ... the first words she ever spoke to me were ....

"Feel free to hit at the woman, I don't mind one little bit if they come right back at me"

I can't tell you how many times my female partner has "asked" me to hit at the opposing girl

Just ban mixed doubles from recreational leagues and save everyone the headache.

I never hit at people. I do try to hit down the alley and have scared a couple of women at the net, but it's not intentional.

*swoon* Love at first sight! :lol: