How to play more aggressive at net?

[Traffic]

What are you focused on when you decide to poach? Is it just a guess? Are you looking at the returner's eyes?

I need to learn how to play more aggressive at net. I have a respectable volley and my baseline is solid. Good serves. Overall, a consistent player with good strokes (for my level). But I'm only 5'-7", so I don't have the reach of 6 footers. One area that I really lack is poaching. I can hit overheads. But again, reach is my limiting factor.

When paired with a good net player, we work very well. I am able to cover my reach at the net and my partner keeps the rally going until I can see an opening. But I am unable to create plays by poaching. When our rolls are reversed, I keep rallies going at baseline to create an opportunity for my partner which comes quite frequently. When I see an opportunity, I will join him at net to lock it down. He's the closer, I keep the ball in play and go back for lobs.

When paired with a weaker player, my partner will lose points at baseline; partially because I'm not ending points quicker at net. I'm unable to provide the support that a weaker player needs. We lose a lot of points this way.

How do I improve poaching? How do I improve aggressive play at net?

 

[Cindysphinx]

One way to improve poaching is to focus on the quality of your partner's shot.

If your partner cracks a deep ball, that is your opportunity to take off because the opponent will likely hit a defensive shot.

If your partner hits something weak or short, that is not a good opportunity.

Often the second ball is the best opportunity to poach, not the serve. The serve by definition is a short ball. If your partner smokes that second ball deep or in any other way that causes the opponents trouble, go get it.

 

[SGM1980]

I agree with Cindy. If your partner hits a great ball, you should be itching to get up and put away something weak that comes back.

 

[Traffic]

I agree with Cindy. If your partner hits a great ball, you should be itching to get up and put away something weak that comes back.

So during our Flights last night, I was teamed with a good net player, my serves and groundstrokes would set him up for a put away at net. But there was a weaker player on the court and when we teamed together, we just got hammered. He'd be in a CC battle and on the 3rd shot, would hit into the net or a floater where I'd have to take cover for my life. Rinse and repeat. At one point, I wanted to just play from the baseline.

But the thing is. When he partnered with the other players, they had 1 or two more game wins than when I partnered with him. My serves and ground strokes were the best out of the 4 of us. But I was the 3rd in aggressive net play. This pointed to my glaring weakness of not being aggressive enough at net. Even with the other two making UEs, the number of wins from aggressive plays outweighed the UEs.

 

[SavvyStringer]

What are you focused on when you decide to poach? Is it just a guess? Are you looking at the returner's eyes?

I need to learn how to play more aggressive at net. I have a respectable volley and my baseline is solid. Good serves. Overall, a consistent player with good strokes (for my level). But I'm only 5'-7", so I don't have the reach of 6 footers. One area that I really lack is poaching. I can hit overheads. But again, reach is my limiting factor.

When paired with a good net player, we work very well. I am able to cover my reach at the net and my partner keeps the rally going until I can see an opening. But I am unable to create plays by poaching. When our rolls are reversed, I keep rallies going at baseline to create an opportunity for my partner which comes quite frequently. When I see an opportunity, I will join him at net to lock it down. He's the closer, I keep the ball in play and go back for lobs.

When paired with a weaker player, my partner will lose points at baseline; partially because I'm not ending points quicker at net. I'm unable to provide the support that a weaker player needs. We lose a lot of points this way.

How do I improve poaching? How do I improve aggressive play at net?

Watch the type of swing the opposing player is taking and where their eyes are moving. If they're slicing a return, I'm going. The ball will typically hang a bit and allow more time to get there and put a good volley on it. If they're backing up, I'll go. They're on the defensive and will probably hit a weaker ball. I'll also jump a couple times on balls I know I can't get to to set up a volley where they hit it right to you because they wanted to go down the line and you're standing right there to punch a volley squarely into the open space in the middle of the court. Also stand as close to the net as you feel comfortable with. They may get smart and lob you, but until that happens you're cutting their angle and making them have to hit better returns.

 

[Dartagnan64]

Tell your server to serve either to the body or to the middle.

A lot of servers in doubles stand far out wide and serve out wide. Their miss puts a ball in the returners wheelhouse. Good luck poaching that. Also leaving your responsibility gives them an alley a mile wide to hit behind you. So timing and disguise are overly necessary.

Serves down the T or into the body force movement, limit angles and give the net person less coverage responsibility.

It is the job of a good server and returner to get his net partner involved in the point. Too many servers take their net partner out of play by serving out wide, trying to ace their first serve and dink the second serve. You help the net player with high first serve percentage, more spin serves, and directional control to the middle or body.

 

[Traffic]

I've been focusing on hitting the T with my first serves lately. The return is usually at my net person; many times weak.
I still hit wide on the Ad side mostly because I feel that BHs are a tough shot as it is. Unless I can hit the T on the Ad side, I end up hitting to their FH and in their wheelhouse for a strong shot at my net guy so I try to avoid that.

Maybe I need to spend a little time with my server and talk to him about hitting his first serves to the T etc. Can even try hand signals I suppose. Though that might be too many things to think about.

Although,...I guess my 4.0 partner on our 7.0 mixed should be able to pinpoint her serves and give me a hand at net.

 

[Dartagnan64]

Ad side out wide gives me lobs to deal with I find. Savvy doubles players with bad backhands often just lob.

 

[WhiteOut]

every thing here so far, plus:

i'm a pretty active net player. If I'm going, I start by watching the returner's hips. most folks will line up their hips in the direction they want to hit their shot (sort to of like a golf swing, just a different swing plane). Once they start to turn their hips, they are committed to their swing, so they are either playing the shot i am anticipating, or they see me go mid-swing and it's too late for them to re-direct DTL behind me...if they try it's usually an errant ball. Sometimes I get burned but that's bc my timing was off and I telegraphed and went too soon.

Also I don't poach on everything, but I do make a quick feint here and there even on balls I know I won't get to, to keep the returner thinking I *might*. This puts them in a cc rally with my partner, who keeps the rally going out wide/away from the oppo net player, until either I get the right ball to poach, or my partner can get in and close the point.

 

[Cindysphinx]

I think it is great if the server can reliably place the serve to the T, but let's face it: Many people cannot.

Besides, your question was not what your partner can do to make you more aggressive at net. Your question was how you can be more aggressive at net. And as I said earlier, poaching off of the serve is not the only kind of poaching -- poaching should also be happening during rallies.

I would say that the easiest things to do to get more aggressive at net (beyond what was said already) that you can do without learning any new shots or techniques is that you should never be standing still.

So on the serve, you are either going or faking, every time.

During rallies, you should be moving up and back, side to side, to be in the correct position. Even one step up and back and up and back is sufficient. Motion begets motion, so if you are on your toes, balanced and moving, you will be able to take off to poach more easily.

 

[Traffic]

I think it is great if the server can reliably place the serve to the T, but let's face it: Many people cannot.

Besides, your question was not what your partner can do to make you more aggressive at net. Your question was how you can be more aggressive at net. And as I said earlier, poaching off of the serve is not the only kind of poaching -- poaching should also be happening during rallies.

I would say that the easiest things to do to get more aggressive at net (beyond what was said already) that you can do without learning any new shots or techniques is that you should never be standing still.

So on the serve, you are either going or faking, every time.

During rallies, you should be moving up and back, side to side, to be in the correct position. Even one step up and back and up and back is sufficient. Motion begets motion, so if you are on your toes, balanced and moving, you will be able to take off to poach more easily.

I will take your advice to look for opportunities to poach on 2nd and 3rd shots. I think others have pointed out to looking at the quality of my partners shots and how the opponent is moving (back, etc).

It may be a bit early for me to do a lot of fakes and stuff at net.

I keep my feet moving, but I've been cutting back on unnecessary movement so I can split step at the right time to prepare for a volley. But that also allows me to move towards the ball as needed.

So at some point, I will have to abandon my volley lock-down and start moving to help disrupt my opponent and look for poach opportunities is what I'm hearing.

 

[OnTheLine]

I agree, watch where that serve is landing ... a bit wide, typically best if you don't attempt poach as a DTL shot is more likely ... middle or towards T gives me a green light to poach.

The key is 100% commitment ... you see that serve land see returners set up and go, track the ball as you move

 

[Dartagnan64]

I think it is great if the server can reliably place the serve to the T, but let's face it: Many people cannot.

My reaction to this is: That’s because they don’t even try.

I think anyone 3.5 and above can roughly direct a serve if they put even a modicum of work into it. It’s funny how many people go to doubles clinics, get told to serve up the middle, get to the net, etc and fail to incorporate any of that coaching when they actually play.

Admittedly I was that guy too but I’ve been converted after getting killed by too many 4.0 senior doubles players that just out position and out think you to death.

 

[S&V-not_dead_yet]

How do I improve poaching? How do I improve aggressive play at net?

Start with perhaps an overly aggressive mindset of "every ball is mine until proven otherwise" or "I'm going to poach the next ball no matter what". Yes, you will get burned. Yes, you will fail. But if you can't break through that aggression threshold, this is definitely a way to do it. The key is to have an understanding partner whose on-board with what you're trying to accomplish. If they sigh, shrug their shoulders, and drop their racquet the first time you try and fail, it's going to be a long night.

After trying this over and over, you will start to feel more comfortable with a normal poach or even the thought of poaching.

Another piece of advice: don't wait until everything is perfect and the stars are aligned. Take some risks. If you stay conservative, the returner will have an easier time returning/rallying. Inject some randomness into the mix. You're not trying to win the point, per se: you are trying to build your library of scenarios for future recall. You'll never be able to do this by staying home.

 

[MathGeek]

For me, improved net play is about practice. Going for it more often does not help if I get beaten a lot. My best net play comes after more intensive weeks practicing volleys. My reflex volleys tend to be pretty slow and low percentage without lots of recent practice. Recent practice -> confidence -> higher percentage play.

 

[Deleted member 23235]

poach poach and poach some more...
eventually you'll get a feel for when to poach and not to poach...
but be prepared to make a lot of mistakes... and you will get beat alot.

IMO, you either need a good partner that understands what you're trying to do (most rec do not, and will get mad because you "took their ball")
OR you need to develop thick skin and not care about what your partner thinks

helps to play with a partner that has a decent serve, but i still poach alot with say a mixed dubs partner with a dink serve... in the end you want to accomplish 1 or all of the following:
1. make the returner look at you, when he should be looking at contact
2. make him worry about what you're gonna do (making him feel uncomfortable)
3. make him go for a lower % shot (eg. alley, or far wide sideline)
4. make him lob
5. make him drill you (ie. hit harder than usual, which might generate an err on it's own... or you now get the ball without having to move)
6. put away the volley... IMO this is only like 20% of the time, if you're doing it right... the other 80% is #1-5

as the server, i want my net partner to take EVERY ball after my serve. my job, ideally, is to ONLY serve.

most rec people's problem is:
* doubles is the only time they get to hit... so they get mad if you "take their ball"... ie. because the dubs match is also their opportunity to practice cc fh/bh... also, they think, if they are not touching the ball, they aren't actually "playing" (regardless of whether they won as a team)

 

[OnTheLine]

My reaction to this is: That’s because they don’t even try.

I think anyone 3.5 and above can roughly direct a serve if they put even a modicum of work into it. It’s funny how many people go to doubles clinics, get told to serve up the middle, get to the net, etc and fail to incorporate any of that coaching when they actually play.

Admittedly I was that guy too but I’ve been converted after getting killed by too many 4.0 senior doubles players that just out position and out think you to death.

I played a few days ago with a very low 3.0 player on court 2 of 3.5 league. Every time she hit a wide serve deuce court, DTL lob to back corner. Had a discussion, avoid that wide serve ... she moved her serve to the middle and I was able to successfully poach 50% of the deuce-serve balls from there on out. If a low 3.0 can do it ... any 3.5 should be able to do it.

 

[eelhc]

What are you focused on when you decide to poach? Is it just a guess? Are you looking at the returner's eyes?

I need to learn how to play more aggressive at net. I have a respectable volley and my baseline is solid. Good serves. Overall, a consistent player with good strokes (for my level). But I'm only 5'-7", so I don't have the reach of 6 footers. One area that I really lack is poaching. I can hit overheads. But again, reach is my limiting factor.

When paired with a good net player, we work very well. I am able to cover my reach at the net and my partner keeps the rally going until I can see an opening. But I am unable to create plays by poaching. When our rolls are reversed, I keep rallies going at baseline to create an opportunity for my partner which comes quite frequently. When I see an opportunity, I will join him at net to lock it down. He's the closer, I keep the ball in play and go back for lobs.

When paired with a weaker player, my partner will lose points at baseline; partially because I'm not ending points quicker at net. I'm unable to provide the support that a weaker player needs. We lose a lot of points this way.

How do I improve poaching? How do I improve aggressive play at net?

Play as a team and have a plan!!!

You and your partner should have a plan/set play for each and every point.

You are asking the wrong question... It's NOT "How do I improve aggressive play at net?" It's How do WE improve aggressive play at the net?

Your post is full of detail that indicates to me that you play doubles as 2 individuals rather than a team.
"my partner keeps the rally going until I can see an opening"
"I keep rallies going at baseline"

You'll want to change your approach and philosophy that there are no rallys in doubles. Your team should have a set play where you go after 1 or 2 hits and your partner covers. The team should also have a plan for both players take the net.... set up fake poaches, ozzie vs standard alignment, both back against a strong server, etc...

Outside of social matches, I don't play doubles with a partner who will not play as a team.

 

[Cindysphinx]

Teamwork is important, no argument there.

But we have to be realistic. Both players taking the net? That assumes partner is willing to stay at or come to net. Aussie? A lot of people do not know how to play Aussie and are not keen on learning in a match. Both back? A lot of people (erroneously) think that is incorrect positioning and will resist or (as one of my partners did recently) go rushing in to net for no apparent reason.

What I'm saying is that we here at TT tend to answer dilemmas by telling people their partner should do something different, or they should start using skills they don't have.

Ideally, OP would find a partner who is properly trained to understand doubles and has the skills to execute. Unfortunately, USTA league play around here is often two near-strangers scrambling to the court after work to do the best they can, having never taken instruction together or practiced together.

The only thing OP controls about poaching is what he/she does, like want the ball, keep moving, split step, watch the returner closely, take risks, and other things folks have said.

The trick to becoming successful playing with lots of partners or supporting a weak partner is to develop as many skills as possible in your own game and also understand doubles well enough to know what shots/tactics you can pull out of your toolkit are likely to compensate for partner limitations.

That's *hard.*

 

[eelhc]

Even when paired with

My reaction to this is: That’s because they don’t even try.

I think anyone 3.5 and above can roughly direct a serve if they put even a modicum of work into it. It’s funny how many people go to doubles clinics, get told to serve up the middle, get to the net, etc and fail to incorporate any of that coaching when they actually play.

Admittedly I was that guy too but I’ve been converted after getting killed by too many 4.0 senior doubles players that just out position and out think you to death.

What's even funnier is that there are doubles teams where the net person has no idea where the serve is going. WTF? Even a complete stranger just before warmups there's plenty of time to discuss strategy and get simple plays/signals in place.

It's surprising that most of the advice here is just based on reaction and technique. It takes a lot more athleticism to react to a ball than executing a simple set play.... like... for this point, first serve is down the t, net man goes, server switches. second serve is out wide, net man fakes but stays. Does anyone really think reacting to the serve and return to poach is actually easier than knowing ahead of time to poach? Takes no additional athleticism... Just some planning that 2.5 level players can handle. In fact, this is coached at my club.

 

[S&V-not_dead_yet]

What's even funnier is that there are doubles teams where the net person has no idea where the serve is going. WTF? Even a complete stranger just before warmups there's plenty of time to discuss strategy and get simple plays/signals in place.

I never learned to signal in HS. Not until I got to 4.5 did I start seeing signals. So if you started talking signals with me before I made it to 4.5, I wouldn't have known what you were talking about. Furthermore, not everyone is inclined to try something new for fear of looking stupid. Fortunately for me, I can look stupid even when doing something I know, so I picked up signals quickly.

 

[eelhc]

I never learned to signal in HS. Not until I got to 4.5 did I start seeing signals. So if you started talking signals with me before I made it to 4.5, I wouldn't have known what you were talking about. Furthermore, not everyone is inclined to try something new for fear of looking stupid. Fortunately for me, I can look stupid even when doing something I know, so I picked up signals quickly.

One doesn't have to signal to play as a team. A quick conversation between points on 1st and 2nd serve strategy works.

OP asked how to play more aggressive at net?. For me... playing as a team at any level (within the bounds of skills at that level) is an easier method to get more aggressive at the net than simply reacting to the the ball. Sure it takes practice... but for many folks... practice is just playing... nothing more. Most doubles matches are just 4 individual players playing their separate games.

Improving at the game of tennis is multifaceted. Skills, athleticism, fitness... etc. I'm at a point in my life where most of these facets are in decline.... But I can always improve my "tennis IQ". With all of my regular doubles players, we have set plays or at least a strategy for every point.

 

[Moveforwardalways]

It’s all about court position, vision/eye discipline, and anticipation.