Win the warm up.

1. Introduce yourselves to your opponents.
2. Spin the racquet before beginning the warm up so you will be on the correct side when warming up and know the serving order as to who will serve first, second and so on.
3. Immediately be the one who “spins” the racquet to decides who will have 1 of the 4 options (don’t spin the racquet on the ground as it often takes too long, scratches the end of the grip when it falls to the ground and depending upon how it is picked up the racquet you can control the be “up” or “down” call. Just spin the racquet in your hand with the butt of the racquet toward your waist until they make their call, “up” or “down” then show them the butt of the racquet to see who won the spin.
4. If the opponents win the “spin” and choose to serve, make them serve from the sunny side of the court first and prepare to lob them a lot during the first game of the match.
5. In the warm up, the first server for each team will take a lot of practice serves as they will begin the offense for their teams initially. The third and fourth servers will take a lot of overheads, a few serves and focus on returning the servers as the first two servers warm up. This is important as the third and fourth servers will play several games before serving and have opportunities to be warmed up before actually being called upon to serve. However they can play an important part of their teams success by focusing on returning well early in the match.

You and your partner need to have a plan before the match starts. This gives you confidence and a purpose for what happens early in the match.

Photo Credits: GeoNando

• This will be my last update from Aussie Land... [/caption] Today was another great day and we finally had sunshine - yeah... I took the tram to Rod Laver and was able to get in straight away. Met with the Tennis Australia group that ran the Australian Coaches Conference and thanked them for making it such a great experience.......
• The Psychology of a Winner: Improving Your Practice They say practice makes perfect. I say "perfect practice makes perfect.” Practice is just the first thing you have to keep in mind when you're aiming for that win on the court. This begs the question then on how do you improve your practice? Look to the four tips below......
• “I” Serving Formation – Both Back [/caption] **This UDF works well at club level play, USTA league play, junior and high school matches as well as college matches.. This (UDF) Unusual Doubles Formation puts the server in the center of the court to serve like a singles player.  Their partner is standing directly behind them.  The......
• 5 Drills to Improve Your Game by Yourself [/caption] 1. A 5 minute warm up is a must. 20 jumping jacks – Puts you on the balls of your feet and stretches out the body. 20 alley shuffles – Start in the alley and side-shuffle across the doubles, then singles side lines, until you have crossed a line......
• Ken DeHart Presents “Strategy and Tactics of Tennis” at Missouri Valley USPTA USPTA Master Professional, Ken DeHart was the kick-off speaker at the 2009 Missouri Valley USPTA Conference at the Homestead Country Club in Kansas City, Missouri. Ken presented a 4 hour continuing education course on Strategy and Tactics to more than 80 tennis teaching professionals and high school coaches attending......

• Mattek-Sands Keeps U.S. Fed Cup Team in Running Bethanie Mattek-Sands had consecutive singles and doubles wins in Alabama on Sunday, ensuring that the US will meet Italy, who will be defending their championship, in November to battle for the Fed Cup. The United States hasn’t won a Fed Cup in 10 years. The last US win was in......
• Tips for Tennis Serving One of the most complex strokes in the entire game of tennis is the tennis serve, as it requires a specific set of motions that is executed in a specific order in order for the stroke to be properly effective. The basic fundamentals in this sport are absolutely critical if......
• Top Spin 3 for Nintendo Wii The Nintendo Wii system has become very popular among sports fans, simply because of the advanced functionality of being able to actually swing instead of using a controller with many of the games. Top Spin 3, one of the latest tennis games for Wii has skyrocketed to success, so we......
• Tennis Glossary pt6 Error - This is a shot that did not manage to make it across the net, or that landed out of the court, and this will result in a loss of the point. Face - This is the racquet's flat area, one that is formed by way of the strings......
• Tennis Glossary pt3 Ace - This is a serve that the opponent is incapable of returning, to serve an ace. Ad - This is a shortened version of Advantage. Advantage - The player that scores the very first point after deuce is said to have had the advantage, because winning the next point......

Reasons for the serving team to use this formation:

1. The serving team is both good volleyers.
2. The serving team has good overheads and likes to intimidate the other team.
3. The serving team likes pace or speed and wants the games to be fast with lots of quick action.
4. The serving team has poor ground strokes and does not want to get into long baseline exchanges.

Reasons for the receiving team to use this formation:

1. The receiving team has good chip returns and wants to get into the net before the other team.
2. The receiving team’s returns very strong and puts the serving team on defense – this neutralized the serving team’s advantage.
3. The receiving team does not have consistent ground strokes and has a low level of tolerance for long rallies.
4. The receiving team thinks that is how all good teams play.

How to play teams that play one up one back:

1. Get to your first serve in, it is more difficult to approach off of.
2. Direct your shots between them. Make them decide who will play the ball down the middle. Trying to hit angles is difficult because they close in and leave you little room to angle your shots.
3. If you get pinned back in a one up one back position – Lob the player closest to the net. If the lob is deep and bounces, come in and control the net against them.
4. Take the pace off your shots when they capture the net. Use softer shots with more spins so they cannot use your pace to kill your partner or hit aggressive shots between you.
5. Lob the serving team right away and force them to switch and run down the lob. You move in and now control the net.

What not to do:

1. Avoid getting sucked into their style of play if is not your style.
2. Take the pace off the ball to slow it down and give you more time to spin the next ball or lob them.
3. Never play one up one back formation against this team – they will pick off your partner in most cases.
4. Don’t try to hit hard passing shots, the balls will stay too high and give them speed to volley against.
5. Don’t miss first serves – you can’t get to the net on weak second serves and they love to attack weak 2nd serves.

Photo Credits: 1

• Modified “I” and “I” Formations These players like variety and want to get into your head. They like to volley and want to distract you. This formation can be use by the serving team on every point as well as by the receiving team. Don’t be afraid – pick a target and go for it.......
• Ball Machines – Using them for Doubles Practice [/caption] Ball machines are great for practicing your doubles shots – if positioned correctly. 5 things NOT to do when using a ball machine: Do not place the ball machine on the baseline in the center of the court Do not have the ball machine oscillate from deuce court to......
• "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......
• 5 Winning Keys to Lobbing, pt 3 Welcome to our third and final part of Keys to Lobbing. Number five, the last tip in this set is below. 5. 7 Tips to practicing the lob 1. Practice tossing the ball up, letting it bounce then directing the lob to a 9 foot by 9 foot area in......
• Do you know your Job Description for Doubles Positions as a Doubles Team? [/caption]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......

• Tips to Improve Your Serve There are a number of tips that you can employ in order to improve your tennis game. This week we are talking about the steps that you can take in order to improve upon your serve. Serving is a vital aspect of all tennis games, and so being a capable......
• 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......
• Tennis Glossary pt2 Net Cord - This is the cable that is responsible for supporting the net. Net Cord Judge - This is an official that is responsible for calling a let on service. This judge will sit up in front of the chair of the umpire on one end of the net,......
• Tennis Glossary Finale Umpire - The umpire is the top official of a tennis match. Seated in an elevated position on the side of the court next to the net, the umpire is tasked with announcing the score whenever a point is made, and holds the final say over any and all questions......
• Just How Tough is Tennis? [/caption] Following the epic match between John Isner and Nicolas Mahut at the beginning of Wimbledon 2010, Andy Murray tweeted ‘This is why tennis is one of the toughest sports in the world, this will never ever be matched again’. After watching some of the world’s elite footballers play so......

Tennis Talk

This is the first post of three consecutive posts on the secrets to winning doubles in tennis.

Secret #1 “Tennis Talk” – What to say and when to say it!

Before the match:

• Decide with your partner ahead of time if you want to serve first, receive first, and choose which end to play from or let them choose so when you spin you will already have a plan.
• Decide who will serve first for your team, who will serve from the sunny side or the strongest serving combination to start the match.
• Decide on a “game plan” for the first 3 games of the match to take control (serve and volley, use the “I” formation, Australian formation, two back, lob and take the net and etc.)

During the match:

• Compliment what you are doing as a team to win so you will know why you are winning and what to continue to do as the match progresses.
• “High 5″s” after each lost point to reconnect with your partner and get their mind off the lost point.
• Make your partner tell you their plan for the next point to stay in the present and to get your partner ready at the net or after the return of serve.

After the match:

• Ask the “5 Essential Questions”
  1. What did we do best in the match?
  2. What did they do best in the match?
  3. What was our weakness in the match?
  4. What was their weakness in the match?
  5. If we could replay the match again right now, how would we play differently?

Photo Credits: 1

• 12 Tennis Tips to Improve Your Game 1.) How to know if you are ready to start a tennis match?  As you warm up for the match, notice if you are able to see the spin on the ball before you meet the ball or if you can see a "yellow streak" into and out of your......
• 3 Secrets to Winning Doubles, pt 3 [/caption] This is the last post in our series for tips to win doubles tennis. Secret #3 "Tennis Targets" Where to hit & when to go there! Serving as Simple as A-B-C: When serving, tell your partner where you plan to serve - both serves.  For example A-B, B-C or......
• Australian Receiving Formation – Both Back – 1st Point of the Match **This UDF works well at club level play, USTA league play, junior and high school matches as well as college matches. This (UDF) Unusual Doubles Receiving Formation puts the receiver and partner on the same side of the court.  One player is in the deuce court near the deuce......
• Little Known Facts That Influence Your Tennis Game [/caption] The average length of a point in a match is about 4-7 seconds. The tennis court is 3.5 feet longer cross court than it is down the line – safer shot with more court space and less movement to recover-to the middle of “possible returns”. The tennis ball travels......
• 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......

• 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......
• More Tennis Tips pt 2 ... Continued from More Tennis Tips pt 1. This is part two in our weekly tennis tips series. Here are some more invaluable tips that will help you improve all aspects of your tennis game. Now you should draw your racquet back and away from the net and make......
• Even More Tips for Serving Here are some more useful tennis tips for improving your serving game. If you want to make improvements in your ability to serve, these tips will prove useful. Tip #1: Serve well enough that you can control the rally. One of the more popular axioms that has to do......
• 6 Tennis Tips and Tricks Tennis tips and tricks are like small tweaks that you can make to your game in order to improve your play. If you are looking for a way to improve your capabilities as a tennis player, consider these tennis tips and tricks and then move on to look at other......
• Tennis Glossary pt3 Ace - This is a serve that the opponent is incapable of returning, to serve an ace. Ad - This is a shortened version of Advantage. Advantage - The player that scores the very first point after deuce is said to have had the advantage, because winning the next point......