Doubles

[AM28143]

I've been playing tennis for like 7 months now and I've gotten decent at singles. My serve kind of sucks, but I'm fast and good at hitting on the run. I use a semi-western/eastern forehand and a cont and semi-western two hander on my back side. My volleys are good on my backhand side, but poor on my forehand wing. To make a long story short, I'm a competent baseliner.

Yesterday I play doubles and I completely suck. I'm rushing my strokes, my serve does nothing and never know when to come to net. My partner, who I always kill in singles, actually was better than me in doubles. It was quite embarassing. Then my partner and I play Canadian doubles with his father. We lose 6-3. I miss a lot of shots, the points are too short and I'm just completely confused what to do.

Is that normal? Is doubles that different than singles. Should I be that embarrased that I suck so much at doubles? Or is it just because I'm not use to the pace of the style?

 

[ChocolatePie]

If you've never played doubles before and are coming from singles after years, it really is hard. I've been playing singles for a long while, but I just started to play lots of doubles and it was a little difficult at first.

You just have to get used to serving a little farther away from the middle, not really hard to do.

Try not to hit the ball towards a player at the net when you return a serve because they can poach and hit an easy point.

If you hit a decent cross court shot, they you may go to net if you'd like. It's much more reassuring than singles since your partner is on the other side and you don't have to worry about a passing shot.

There are many key aspects to doubles and I don't have the time to type them out as of now.

 

[Steady Eddy]

Is that normal? Is doubles that different than singles. Should I be that embarrased that I suck so much at doubles? Or is it just because I'm not use to the pace of the style?

Yep, doubles is completely different from singles. But that doesn't mean that you shouldn't play it. In fact, you should play it. Playing doubles will help your singles eventually.

In singles your bread and butter shot might be the high, hard, drive. But in doubles this is easy for the opponents to volley, and it boomerangs. So you've noticed, you have to play differently.

You'll be at the net much more in doubles, so it's good practice for your volley in singles. Doubles forces you to play the net and get to be a better volleyer. If you only play singles going to the net is such a losing practice that you would probably give up on it and become a baseline hugger.

So stay with the doulbes. It will build your game and it's lots of fun, esp when you read a play and zing in to put away the ball!

 

[Off The Wall]

I agree with everyone...doubles is different.

Obviously, with two players occupying the other side, hitting groundstroke winners by them is near impossible. So, your singles strategy won't work.

You will, however, find good success at the net. So, whatever you do, continue to go there as often as possible. To set yourself up at the net, make your opponents hit the ball up or from the backcourt.

 

[fuzz nation]

So how does it feel to be looking at the next level?

Doubles is going to require an expanded skill set that includes moving in behind good approach shots, volleying instinctively, and covering the court effectively with a partner. Yeah, it's different from singles, but you may develop a preference for it once you get more comfortable in that setting. It demands more constant aggression and I find that it can often get more intense that singles of similar quality.

Singles can require more exertion and by comparison, it demands more patience and persistence than doubles, but lots of players can get by with a serve and some strokes. Success in doubles requires a bit of work on the practice courts to groove the reaction shots that you need, but more time playing doubles matches will also school you on positioning and strategy.

 

[AceofBase]

Double is all about placement not killing or hogging ball. To make thing easyier on you one half court as one full court.