Do you know your Job Description for Doubles Positions as a Doubles Team?

It is difficult to perform well at work, home or play, when you are not knowledgeable or confident in your job description. Too often players and partners on a doubles team are not aware or confident in their job description.

Great teams like the Bryan brothers talk between points, keep each other pumped up and focused on what they are planning to do to play the next point. They also have to know what their job description is as a teammate to help their partner play effectively.

Do you know your job description?

Here are 7 simple descriptions for each of the 4 positions on the court in a match:

Server:

1. Talk to your partner and tell them where you intend to serve – to the opponent’s forehand, backhand or body.
2. Decide where you will stand to serve to create an advantage for your team – near the center service line, near the alley or neutral between the two.
3. Decide if you plan to – serve and stay back, serve and volley or serve and attack the first short ball.
4. Know what your partner at the net intends to do – stay, fake or poach.
5. Get your first serve in play 80% of the time with a specific – direction, spin or speed.
6. When you miss your first serve – you create a “must” situation for your second serve, your partner goes into more of a defensive mode and your opponent plans more aggressive returns.
7. Get ready for another ball to be returned as the point is seldom over with the first shot.

Server’s Partner:

1. Know where your partner intends to serve and – will they stay back, serve and volley or attack the first short ball.
2. Decide and communicate what you plan to do on the return of serve – stay, fake or poach.
3. Your job – D.A.D. – distract the returner (legally) by getting your feet in motion, attack the return or once the ball passes you – move back to play defense.
4. If you poach – aim for 1 of the 3 valleys with your volley – the 3 Service line “T’s” on the court and not at the player where they might defend themselves and accidentally get the ball back in play.
5. Avoid the 2 mountains – the two players aim to the outside of either player or up the middle in the 3 valleys.
6. If you do not poach, move back on a diagonal when the ball passes you to face the opposing net player or the net rushing team and play defense.
7. Get ready for another ball to be returned to you as the point is seldom over with the first shot.

Receiver:

1. Tell your partner which part of the court you plan to direct your return – 1 of the 4 squares on the opposite court is a good start.
2. Decide if you will – chip, drive, loop or lob the return.
3. Use the D.A.D principle – distract with your positioning, attack the return or defend by getting the ball back in play.
4. Position yourself to be able to move forward into your return of serve.
5. Decide if you will – return and go in, return and stay back or fake a move in after the return
6. Use your return to set up your partner at the net so they can finish the point.
7. Get ready for another ball to be returned as the point is seldom over with the first shot.

Receiver’s Partner:

1. Know where your partner plans to return the serve – one of the 4 squares.
2. Know if your partner plans to – chip, drive, loop or lob the return.
3. Call the service line for your partner so they can focus on the return.
4. Once the serve is determined to be good – look at the opposing net player and prepare to defend your position in the event they poach or your returner hits to them with the return.
5. If the return is past the net player move over and up to defend your net position against the ball to be hit by the server.
6. Prepare to D.A.D – distract the server who is now returning your partners shot, attack the return by the server or defend your net position if they attempt to hit at you.
7. Move back on a diagonal to defend if the ball goes back to your partner by facing the opposing net player or both opponents if they both come into the net.

These are a few key concepts that can help you and your partner become a more effective team by knowing what your Job Description is for each of the 4 positions on the court.  You can do your job well and help your partner do theirs.

Communication is vital, movement is critical and execution necessary for success as a doubles team.

Check out my website at www.kendeharttennis.com for UDF’s or Unusual Doubles Formations that can greatly enhance your teams positioning and ability to change momentum in a match.

Ken DeHart

Director of Tennis-SJSRC
USA High Performance Coach
PTR & USPTA Master Professional
2 Time PTR International Pro of the Year

Photo Credits: yingtak

Related Posts

• "Underspin" the "Otherspin" Develop a Competitive Game with more Weapons In today's game "topspin" gets all the press.  Everyone focuses how big the shots are, how much the pros use it and so most all the juniors and club players want to be like the pros. When you listen to the talk about......
• Winning in Practice, pt 2 This is part two in a two part set. Doubles Situations The receiving team must lob the return of serve and try to take the net at least twice in each game. This is especially effective when the serving team is serving into the sun. The serving team must play......
• Winning in Practice, pt 1 "Practicing to win requires rehearsing the tactical situations you will encounter and selecting the correct appropriate response for that situation until you can execute these responses in the heat of match play" ...Ken DeHart Playing the Score Practice your singles and doubles match with altered scoring situations: Start all games......
• 3 Secrets to Winning Doubles, pt 2 [/caption] This is the second post of three consecutive posts on the secrets to winning doubles in tennis. Secret #2 "Tennis Dance" Where to move & when to move there! Dance of the server's partner: Find the middle of the service box, half way between the net and the service......
• One Up and One Back Formations When teams play this formation, they can be the easiest to beat – if you play smart. This formation leaves lots of holes in their defense and can make their net player a target for the other team. Don’t be afraid of the net. Reasons for the serving team to......

Related Websites

• Top Tennis Tips from the Pros in Tennis The first thing that you are going to want to understand is that pro players are on a completely different level of playing in comparison to amateur players. Still, this is absolutely no reason for you not to look at pro players and take advice from them on how they......
• Even More Tips for Your Tennis Serve Here are some helpful tennis tips that will give you some perspective on improving your serve. Remember that different tennis tips are going to help different players in unique ways. The true key is going to lie in your ability to try out different tips and techniques until you......
• Tennis Betting and Odds Tennis Betting and Odds is a type of handicapping exclusively for tennis betting.  Tennis betting is different from other types of sports betting because you have to become knowledgeable about each player.  How players perform from week to week affects their rankings and their tennis odds.  Knowing this information and......
• Tennis Glossary pt4 Pass - This means hitting a shot that goes beyond the opponent, typically when that opponent is either at or close to the net. Passing Shot - This is a shot that goes past the opponent in the court. Penalty Point - This is another word for point penalty. Pickup......
• 13 Quick Tips for Better Tennis There are a lot of tennis tips and tricks floating around out there, but many are complicated and complex, and not at all easy for you to implement on your own without a dedicated trainer to walk you through them. The following article is designed to go over some quick......

This post involves:

3 valleys, aim, backhand, defensive mode, doubles team, feet in motion, forehand, job description, match, opponent, returner, teammate, tennis, volley

... and focuses on:

Doubles, Strategy, Tennis Tips

Posted by Ken DeHart on December 16, 2009 in Doubles, Strategy, Tennis Tips. You can skip to the end and leave a response. Pinging is currently not allowed.