Your best doubles strategy

[jk175d]

Originally Posted by 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!!!!

Most of the teams we encountered in the 4.5 league didn't use signals. The few that did, it never seemed to help. I always get a kick out of teams that spend a lot of time before every point plotting their strategy, only to have it make no difference.

I'm sure that at some level signaling can be an asset. But from what I've seen it usually amounts to nothing.

[10smonkey]

Originally Posted by jk175d

Most of the teams we encountered in the 4.5 league didn't use signals. The few that did, it never seemed to help. I always get a kick out of teams that spend a lot of time before every point plotting their strategy, only to have it make no difference.

I'm sure that at some level signaling can be an asset. But from what I've seen it usually amounts to nothing.

I don't play in a 4.5 league I am a 5.0 who plays in an open league. Maybe that's why it works. Some of the guys I play against using signals and crossing does a great job of taking a returner out of his rhythm. I hope you enjoy your 4.5 league.... maybe you can get some mixed doubles in too.

[jk175d]

Originally Posted by 10smonkey

I don't play in a 4.5 league I am a 5.0 who plays in an open league. Maybe that's why it works. Some of the guys I play against using signals and crossing does a great job of taking a returner out of his rhythm. I hope you enjoy your 4.5 league.... maybe you can get some mixed doubles in too.

From the what I've seen of 5.0s and 5.5s the serve is definitely one of the areas of separation. I can see how signaling would be dependant on the server being able to consistently hit a quality serve to the intended spot. Without that the return is too unpredictable for the signaled plans to pan out as designed.

At 4.5 there are guys who can hit their spots but not with devastating pace or kick, and the guys who do have the big bombs don't seem to have the placement. So as I said, at some level I can imagine signaling is an effective tool, but at 4.5 and below, maybe not so much.

I can't tell how snarky or patronizing you intended for that last comment to be, but I don't mind saying that indeed I will have fun playing the mixed doubles league too.

[PrinceMoron]

Get on court with a top 300 player and then you will see the holes on your game eg you don't move fast enough, you don't really hit any angles, you can't hit volleys deep enough without missing some, your second serve just gets your partner killed, you can't put away a smash.

Bit of an eye opener really but something to be experienced.

[LuckyR]

I start off attacking and keep an open mind to play defensively if either we are missing too many or they are playing out of their minds.

[USERNAME]

Originally Posted by floridatennisdude

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.

Not when ya play with the same dude pretty much all season! After preseason training is done we pretty much know what we want to do and just say if we are gonna change it up during a match (or maybe before if we know something about the opposition). Played a few times with a different guy and in that case I opted to play to his strengths. And mixed... I mess around in mixed too much, lucky my gf is good or we'd lose cause of me.

[ctromano]

put the 1st serve in, go cross court as much as possible, and be aggressive at net. I serve it up the tee big and flat and tell my partner to kill the weak reply, very basic but also very effective.

[darrinbaker00]

My best doubles strategy is not to play doubles. Love watching it, hate playing it.

[LeeD]

Hit your best shots at your opponent's weakest shots.