Doubles Signals / Strategies?

[kevinace]

Hi. I'm playing doubles with a partner I know fairly well at High School Districts next week. We're probably gonna be unseeded.

Anyway, my partner has a good flat serve, and I have a good Kick Serve. But what troubles us is that we only have two strategies: Cross and Stay, with the signals [Open Palm] and [Closed Palm] respectively.

Are there any more strategies or signals out there? Please share.

-~Kevin

 

[S H O W S T O P P E R !]

There's a multitude of signals you can use. I use a complicated system with my teammate:

I start with Service/Return signs.
1 finger: Serve wide, return wide
2 fingers: Serve/Return down the middle

Then we have pre-serve movement patterns:
1 finger: 1 up 1 down
2 fingers: Charge the net
3 fingers: Cover your half of the court (1 left 1 right)

Finally, we have shot selection after the initial serve/return:
1 finger: hit it deep
2 fingers: Hit it wide/short
3 fingers: lob

It works if you're willing to learn it with your teammate.

 

[LeeD]

Given a decent partner, at least my level, I"m more likely to talk to him between points with our back's facing the opponents.
Too many signals means you complicate the whole process of hitting the ball where you want to.
KISS, talk, communicate.

 

[Nellie]

Yes! Talk more between the points so you don't have to signal.

Also, even if you have only two plays (poach/no poach), the netman needs to watch the serve and respond - shift forward and down the line when the serve is wide, forward and toward the T when your partner's serve is down the middle.

Likewise, on the return of serve, you need to adjust, as the netman, to the placement of the opponent's serve. Wide, you move to the middle, Down the t, you move to the middle of the service box.

I will tell you a play that really does in the opponents - when you are receiving serve, plan a poach/switch on the second hit (after your partner returns the serve).