Some rec doubles questions

[eah123]

1. You are the front player about 1 step in front of the service line. Partner receives the ball and puts a wounded duck up high to the opposing net player. Where do you back up to? Cover the middle, cover the cross court angle, or bisect?

2. You are the back player. Lob goes over your net player’s head, no problem for you to get. Is it better in most cases to tell your partner to stay, or to switch? I say stay is the preferred play because I can hit the ball as either a drive or lob directly in front of my partner and he can stay involved in the point, whereas if I call the switch, my partner is out of action as he repositions, and we are vulnerable to a cross court return.

 

[Addxyz]

1. I just back up as far as I can, preferably the baseline if I know a smash is coming. At the rec level, not many people are going to smash angle, so just protect inside the alleys and the middle.
2. My partners will almost always switch. On a lob, there is plenty of time for someone to get across to the other service box. If you stay, you're on the same side as your partner with the other half wide open.

 

[Friedman Whip]

1 - Back up as fast as you can before you get hurt
2 - Switch, of course

 

[LuckyR]

1. You are the front player about 1 step in front of the service line. Partner receives the ball and puts a wounded duck up high to the opposing net player. Where do you back up to? Cover the middle, cover the cross court angle, or bisect?

2. You are the back player. Lob goes over your net player’s head, no problem for you to get. Is it better in most cases to tell your partner to stay, or to switch? I say stay is the preferred play because I can hit the ball as either a drive or lob directly in front of my partner and he can stay involved in the point, whereas if I call the switch, my partner is out of action as he repositions, and we are vulnerable to a cross court return.

1- Several things. First, you started the rally out of position. Second, don't worry about your safety, it's a tennis ball, not a baseball. You are likely to lose the point regardless, but back up until you only have time to get ready (this will vary depending on your footspeed). Try to cover the middle, ie give up the cross-court angle, who knows, maybe he'll hit it wide.

2- I agree you should make the play on the ball. Against my competition, the lob is likely going to be of high quality, that is I am not going to be ripping a groundstroke, rather I am going to hit another lob back or perhaps a defensive slice. Best case scenario my shot makes it to their backcourt, if true then my partner should be on the side where my shot landed (switch if I hit cross-court, stay if I hit DTL). OTOH, worst-case scenario, my shot is hit by an opponent at the net, in which case he'll have a better (but not good) play on the ball if he is on the opposite side from where my shot will be played (switch if DTL and stay if cross-court).

 

[xFullCourtTenniSx]

Depends on the level of play.

1) Up to 4.5, I don't back up, I sit my hips low and get my racket up and ready. I should already be in position before my partner made contact with the ball. Cover the middle. 5.0+ watch their body to see how hard they can hit it. If they can blast it, 1-2 steps back.

2) Always switch. Too lazy to list out all the situations, but your partner should be switching the instant they realize they can't or don't want to make a play on the ball and yell out "help" or "yours". By the time you're ready to hit the ball, they should already be in position for the opponent's next shot. Anything else and you're setting your opponents up for success.

 

[Dragy]

2. Switch doesn’t mean he gets all the way to the other alley. If you play DTL, I as net player stay close to the middle and cover CC mostly

 

[ChaelAZ]

1. You are the front player about 1 step in front of the service line. Partner receives the ball and puts a wounded duck up high to the opposing net player. Where do you back up to? Cover the middle, cover the cross court angle, or bisect?

In 3.5 and now 4.0 play, I rarely recover back much past a few steps back from the service line, even if the opponent is hitting an overhead. I tend to position centered to the service line with a step either way left or right depending on where I anticipate the oppenent hitting.

2. You are the back player. Lob goes over your net player’s head, no problem for you to get. Is it better in most cases to tell your partner to stay, or to switch? I say stay is the preferred play because I can hit the ball as either a drive or lob directly in front of my partner and he can stay involved in the point, whereas if I call the switch, my partner is out of action as he repositions, and we are vulnerable to a cross court return.

The way we play it, any lob with a net player up is usually the back players ball and the net player should recogize this with a quick glance to see where their partner is and move opposite to cover.

 

[Morch Us]

wounded duck up

Run for your life. Get out of the hitting area of the court. Jokes aside, it is already too late.

What you really have to learn to do is move to defensive position when you realize your partner is in defense (even before he hits the lob). Lob is a defensive shot, and I assume your partner hit that because he ended up in a defensive position. You have to realize this and start moving back even before your partner hits the shot. (the only exception is if your partner is a lot higher level that others on the court).

This is simple high percentage tennis.

stay, or to switch

switch and backup (diagonally back).

Again the same answer as above. Partner has to switch and move back. No point for your partner to stay at net, since you are now in an assumed defensive position.

 

[Morch Us]

Essentially.... if you have to run to cover the ball went over the head of your partner, your partner should (even before you hit the ball), run back and diagonal to a bit more defensive position (since you are hitting a defensive shot now, for high percentage tennis). Of course you both can still maintain a slightly staggered position. Once you both see that you did a good job in neutralizing the point, you both can move to a more offensive or neutral position.

 

[PMChambers]

1. Backup to infront of service line. Most short lobs are smashed short. Don't cover wide. Just get back ciber most amount of space possible.

2. The net plater should move to centre of court maybe little wider cross. If you can smash, try smash behind netplayer which is the biggest spot. Otherwise hit down line, this allows netplayer to remain in offence. Try to drive/smash to BH.

 

[Dartagnan64]

1) Duck then glare at your partner. Any competent 3.5 and above will put that shot away, unless they miss in which case it's going long or in the net usually.

2) Switch to just inside the centre line and assume your partner will be smart and take that ball DTL (assuming the opponents didn't switch or take the net). You then have CC replies covered. Of course if it's a really good lob and all your partner has is a lob himself, then back further up in case it's a weak lob.

 

[Friedman Whip]

1) Duck then glare at your partner. Any competent 3.5 and above will put that shot away, unless they miss in which case it's going long or in the net usually.

2) Switch to just inside the centre line and assume your partner will be smart and take that ball DTL (assuming the opponents didn't switch or take the net). You then have CC replies covered. Of course if it's a really good lob and all your partner has is a lob himself, then back further up in case it's a weak lob.

Actually I generally know immediately if I have hit a weak lob that might put my partner at risk and I will shout "short" to let him know to protect himself. I've always thought that this was standard procedure but I find that very few other players do this.

 

[BretH]

1- back up several steps and get ready. Defend yourself and maybe you will reflex something back.
2- no-brainer: switch. You are either going to hit a perfect DTL, in which case you win the point, or a high cross court away from the net person (the high percentage shot ) in which why leave the DTL shot from them open?

 

[Nellie]

When you are playing doubles, to point of the the positioning is to cover the easy angles so that any winners have to be hard, low percentage shots. In your first case, back up a few steps and jump step to be ready, while your partner continues to cover the service side so that your team can get any easy shots. In the second case, your partner has to switch and position behind the service line or your team is allowing the opponents to hit easy winners to the side you just vacated, and you are positioned behind your partner are not covering any angle.