Preplan your stroke used in service return? Or improvise?

[Pro Kenneth]

Doubles: Should I be keeping an open mind when waiting for a service return (other than watching the toss and swing) as far as what kind of stroke to use? Sort of like being at the net and waiting for some kind of passing shot or lob?

Or should I be preplanning it, thinking if the serve is down the T (on deuce court), hit a cross court top spin shot? Not sure. Right now I use improvise when the server is powerful, and preplan when weak, but weak (slower velocity) servers may be unpredictable also.

 

[eah123]

I pre-plan, but am ready to adjust.

 

[HuusHould]

I pre plan a few options depending on where the ball comes, so one option for each placement of the serve.

 

[user92626]

Improvise and pre-plan, depending on the serve.

 

[Dragy]

Particularly for doubles, when facing slow/weak serves (second serves particularly) I intend to step in, take it as a FH and drive hard either through the middle or sharper CC. Into the netman is an option if he dares to stand there. Kind of pre-plan.
If facing harder tougher serves, I keep my mind keen for tougher ones - like BH as a righty returning from the deuce side. I also rely on FH CC return - don't need to pre-plan it, it's just there. And I stay open-minded for whether the net man does something (but basic is still CC return, doubles court is wide enough).

Where I would start thinking and pre-planning more, is if the server shows some patterns which block me from using my FH most of the times, or overall gives me trouble.

I think my favorite doubles return play is FH I/O from the ad side. Can pull him wide to the BH with some good juice. Other from that, facing solid server I try to give solid returns. Deep CC drives or hard backspin blocks.

 

[Wurm]

I tend to pre-plan more in doubles when the net guy's movement dictates what kind of returns are going to work. For example, normally I like to drive crosscourt backhands from the ad side but if they're getting eaten up at the net then I'll pre-plan to hit the chip lob instead... which I'm not so good at, hence why it's the fallback strategy... but just as with serving you have to not just do the same thing every time.

In singles there are certain returns that are the natural response to certain serves, some of which just aren't an option in doubles. I don't know if I'd call them pre-planned but YMMV.

 

[PRS]

Generally try to pre-plan, but always have to be ready to improvise. The more variety the server gives you, the more you have to be ready to improvise. Even if they have a strong, fast serve, pre-planning is easy as long as it's predictable.

 

[nyta2]

Doubles: Should I be keeping an open mind when waiting for a service return (other than watching the toss and swing) as far as what kind of stroke to use? Sort of like being at the net and waiting for some kind of passing shot or lob?

Or should I be preplanning it, thinking if the serve is down the T (on deuce court), hit a cross court top spin shot? Not sure. Right now I use improvise when the server is powerful, and preplan when weak, but weak (slower velocity) servers may be unpredictable also.

my priority, and how i "plan" as i get used to someone's serve...
1. solid contact on the strings, aim center strap, clear the net is top priority (ok if it goes long)... against good servers, i might never get past phase1
2. plan... outside stroke cc, inside stroke center/dtl...
3. adjust step 2, based on: s&v'ing? good first volley? poaching? etc...

 

[Shroud]

Doubles: Should I be keeping an open mind when waiting for a service return (other than watching the toss and swing) as far as what kind of stroke to use? Sort of like being at the net and waiting for some kind of passing shot or lob?

Or should I be preplanning it, thinking if the serve is down the T (on deuce court), hit a cross court top spin shot? Not sure. Right now I use improvise when the server is powerful, and preplan when weak, but weak (slower velocity) servers may be unpredictable also.

Often I will see the return before it happens so I suppose I pre-plan it

 

[Pro Kenneth]

I notice playing deuce side, the net chick poaches bigly on down the t first serves, but stays on second serves and wide serves.

Should I aim to hit that down the T first serve down the alley-line to burn them? They will be wrong footed. My opposing net chicks seem predictable but annoying.

 

[ChaelAZ]

Was just talking about this at our dubs practice Tuesday night. I happen to be returning very well and a teammate asked something similar about chosing return shots. As others above mentioned, I do come up with a few returns to start, and I like variety personally, but I also try to keep prepared just to react if I can't execute or read something wrong. But more of what we talked about is how those returns I try to plan continue to develop in a match, and that's just based on how an opponent is serving, where they tend to stand, or often time what kind of shot they might be struggling with. That paritcular night one of my teammates on the other side had just got over food poisoning and wasn't feeling too great, so retruns were all about making him run short for slice or drop returns to see if I could get him to barf or pass out )). I mean, that is a fun example, but I think most players try to do that over the course of the match. So if I notice an opponent likes to hug the baseline and isn't picking up balls well, I will often time think hard deep ball to force that. Or if they struggle getting up to short balls and net them or pop them up often...short balls it is until they prove something different. So that just becomes the new preplanned shots, with always being ready for whatever.

 

[socallefty]

If I see a net player who is weak or the server is up 40-0, I might think before the point about returning hard at the net guy or DTL. If I see a server close the net too aggressively or both opponents don’t hit hit good overheads, I might think of hitting lob returns more. I also will return a lot of wide serves to my FH down the line on 1st serves. I don’t necessarily pre-plan the return even in those cases, but am more mentally ready to try those shots before the server tosses the ball.

In most cases, I return instinctively and the serve quality/location will decide how aggressive I am with my return.

 

[onehandbh]

Ad out or break point and second serve. I might try a crazy inside out slap forehand and hit it as hard as I can. (returning from ad court)

 

[optic yellow]

If it's a good server I just assume I'm going to have to block something back with an abbreviated stroke, if it's not a good server then I know I have time to respond reactively to what I see and don't bother, unless I am having executive issues and need some rigid structure to improve my focus.