Your best doubles strategy

[msweigert08]

What is your doubles strategy? How do you and your partner approach each match? I know my partner and I think wider not longer, quick points and dont be afraid of attacking that guy at the net.

[tennisjon]

My basic doubles strategy is hit as many forehands as possible in difficult spots so that the ball floats up and my partner puts the ball away.

[spot]

Here's my normal doubles strategy with a new partner:

"Lets start out with keeping the ball deep in the corners and be active at the net. I'm never going to be upset for you for missing a ball at the net you go for, and if you decide to go early I'll often be able to move back behind you so set up aggressively and its OK if they get a few free points by going down the line. We cover a lot of court so if we get in trouble our get out of jail free card is the lob to the corner- make them beat us by attacking from well behind the baseline"

[Taxvictim]

There are entire books and websites devoted to this topic. A few good starting points:

http://www.successfuldoubles.com/dou...ennis-tips.htm

http://www.amazon.com/The-Art-Double.../dp/1558703306

There was a great website called "Operation Doubles", but the woman that ran it died. You can run searches and find some of the articles from that site.

[Cindysphinx]

The best doubles strategy is any strategy that forces your opponents to change their favorite shots and strategies.

I had the pleasure of doing this over the weekend. My partner and I took the early lead by coming to net, but the opponents countered with good passing shots and lobs. After a while, it seemed like the opponents were totally in a groove. Spank their return hard crosscourt, come to net. We started losing.

We decided to take them out of their comfort zone. We played Aussie. One of them seemed not to have played against Aussie before and started missing returns long. Both started to return more defensively or attempt shots they didn't have.

Game, set and match. Thank you, Aussie!

[anubis]

1. communicate with your partner

2. communicate with your partner

3. communicate with your partner

4. push the net as much as possible

I'm sure there's more to it, but that will get you ahead in most league matches i think.

And when I say "communicate", I mean make sure you two are covering all areas of the court. Let each other know who has control of the ball. When to switch sides. when to cover the front or back. Don't leave anything to chance and don't assume your partner is paying close attention.

[Taxvictim]

Originally Posted by Cindysphinx

Game, set and match. Thank you, Aussie!

It also seems much easier to poach if you start in the Aussie formation.

[jk175d]

Originally Posted by tennisjon

My basic doubles strategy is hit as many forehands as possible in difficult spots so that the ball floats up and my partner puts the ball away.

I'll go along with that.

[USERNAME]

Mens dubs: Start with bombs up the middle on 1st serves, if they're going in it makes for lots o f easy crosses for me or my partner. Throw in kickers into the body and hard slices out wide on 1st serves as we progress. Deuce side slices wide on 2nd serves, ad side topspin wide on 2nd serves. Of course S&V on majority of on serve points. Unless its an easy put away most of my volleys are a bit to the middle more towards the back man.
While returning, flat and low when given the chance but more often I go for spinny dipping angles. If I have time (weak 2nd serve maybe) Ill crack a few dtl or directly at the net man. Once again my priority is to get to and control the forecourt.
I throw in lobs when I got guys crowding me, chip lob returns or regular lobs in a rally. Overheads are tricky... Really depends on who I'm playing and how good of a high ball Im dealing with, if it's a hard shot Ill aim for my opponents feet if easy it goes to the open court.
Overall communicate with your partner so you both attack and move as a unit, covering each other as best you can.

[floridatennisdude]

Originally Posted by USERNAME

Mens dubs: Start with bombs up the middle on 1st serves, if they're going in it makes for lots o f easy crosses for me or my partner. Throw in kickers into the body and hard slices out wide on 1st serves as we progress. Deuce side slices wide on 2nd serves, ad side topspin wide on 2nd serves. Of course S&V on majority of on serve points. Unless its an easy put away most of my volleys are a bit to the middle more towards the back man.
While returning, flat and low when given the chance but more often I go for spinny dipping angles. If I have time (weak 2nd serve maybe) Ill crack a few dtl or directly at the net man. Once again my priority is to get to and control the forecourt.
I throw in lobs when I got guys crowding me, chip lob returns or regular lobs in a rally. Overheads are tricky... Really depends on who I'm playing and how good of a high ball Im dealing with, if it's a hard shot Ill aim for my opponents feet if easy it goes to the open court.
Overall communicate with your partner so you both attack and move as a unit, covering each other as best you can.

That is way too much to think about. And you covered just about every scenario.

Here is what I say to a partner: hit hard, low, and flat down the middle. If the opponents can handle that, we will adjust. Keep going to the well until the well is dry.

[Cindysphinx]

Originally Posted by Taxvictim

It also seems much easier to poach if you start in the Aussie formation.

I'm talking Aussie, where the server and receiver line up on the same side. I don't think it is easier to poach in that formation. It is much easier to cut off the crosscourt return, however, and that is the main value in it IME.

It sounds like you might be thinking I formation. It is easier to poach from I formation, but it is awfully hard to get up from a squat fast enough to be effective.

[goober]

My best doubles strategy is partner with a ringer. All formations and tennis strategies don't work very well against a player who is a level or 2 above everybody else.

[J_R_B]

Originally Posted by goober

My best doubles strategy is partner with a ringer. All formations and tennis strategies don't work very well against a player who is a level or 2 above everybody else.

Good choice to be the captain, then. LOL.

[kylebarendrick]

I think poaching from Australian is actually quite easy and effective. The other team sees you line up in Australian and the returner (correctly) decides to hit their return up the line. The server's partner then poaches (back to where they'd normally be) and puts the ball away, leaving the receivers much less sure of where to return. To me the goal is less about cutting off the cross court returns than it is about stopping the returners from getting into a groove.

I agree that jumping up from the squat in an i-formation can be problematic for us old guys.

[goober]

Originally Posted by J_R_B

Good choice to be the captain, then. LOL.

Well that would be my best strategy individually, but as a captain I have other responsibilities and often play with the weakest players on the team.

[nyc]

1. Play singles.

[ChipNCharge]

My best strategy, singles or doubles, is the "out!!" call.

[chollyred]

Fat, Dumb, Blind, and Stupid. We lose a lot...

[skiracer55]

Originally Posted by Cindysphinx

The best doubles strategy is any strategy that forces your opponents to change their favorite shots and strategies.

I had the pleasure of doing this over the weekend. My partner and I took the early lead by coming to net, but the opponents countered with good passing shots and lobs. After a while, it seemed like the opponents were totally in a groove. Spank their return hard crosscourt, come to net. We started losing.

We decided to take them out of their comfort zone. We played Aussie. One of them seemed not to have played against Aussie before and started missing returns long. Both started to return more defensively or attempt shots they didn't have.

Game, set and match. Thank you, Aussie!

...as Taxvictim notes in post #4, there are a bazillion possibilities, and if you want to go there, there's plenty of info available.

In general, however, as Cindy points out, you want to come up with a Plan A for a match based on your strengths and what you think your opponents' weaknesses are, and that includes ways you can use your strengths directly against your opponents' weaknesses. So it's hard to generalize for all doubles teams, you need to base your strategy on an honest assessment of what you do well.

That's Plan A. If Plan A works, stick with Plan A. Never change a winning game (just to show that you have lots of other things you can do, for example). The corollary is, of course, Always change a losing game. There's no point in going through the same door twice. And the most basic change is to give the other team a different look, throw them off their rhythm, but do it with something you can actually make happen...as opposed to Hail Mary cures. Going to Aussie (Or I) formation is a simple change that may very well produce the results you want...without any hero moves that require strokes or strategies you don't have...

[10smonkey]

serve and volley on every serve.... use signals ....have partner tell you where to serve everytime.... don't lose serve.... make as many returns as possible ....break opponents once each set voila!!!!