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 court alley and the other player is in the deuce court near the center service line.

Options:

1. If the serve is out wide to the deuce court, the player near the alley plays the return and the player near the center service line moves to the ad court.  The receiving order has now been set for the first set.
2. If the serve is up the “T”, the receiver in the deuce court near the center service line will play the return then move to the left for that point.  From that point on that player will become the deuce court receiver for the remainder of the first set.

Reasons for the receiving team to use this formation:

1. The receiving team can create confusion for the serving team
2. The receiving team wants to intimidate the serving team and get inside their head regarding options instead of focusing on the ball.
3. Helps the receiving team change momentum in a match, set or game.

How to play teams that play the Australian Receiving Formation-Both Back for the 1^st point of the match or set:

1. Make a decision as to where you want to serve and don’t change your mind.  Call time and make a plan with your net player.
2. Decide who you want to move to the ad court by serving wide to force that player to play deuce or up the “T” to force the back player to play the deuce court.
3. Serve to the body of the deuce court to make it a little more difficult for the receiving team to play the return.
4. Serve using the “I” formation to limit their options of space to return the serve and add to their confusion.
5. Practice against this formation in practice match to recognize the options of the receiving team. Play it so you can feel how it is to be in that position.

What not to do:

1. Avoid getting sucked into their style of play. Call time out and make a game plan with your net player – have a plan.
2. Avoid trying to serve too hard and have to hit a lot of second serves or double fault.
3. Adjust your serving formation if they are bothering your service games to try and create confusion on their side.

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Reasons for the serving team to use this formation:

1. The serving team has one player who is “afraid” of the net.
2. The serving team has a player who is “afraid” of getting lobbed.
3. The serving team has a player who thinks they are playing singles and loves to stay back and rally for 30 balls.
4. The serving team has such a weak serve they can’t come in and the receiving team returns deep enough to never hit a short ball they can use to come to the net.

Reasons for the receiving team to use this formation:

1. The receiving team has a player who is “afraid” of the net.
2. The receiving team’s returns are too weak to put the serving team on defense.
3. The receiving team does not know how to chip or drop shot and come into the net to dominate play.
4. The receiving team is “afraid of the other team lobbing and their partner at the net does not know where or how to volley at the net to finish off points.

How to play teams that play one up one back:

1. Get to the net at all costs.
2. Direct your shots between them or past the person closest to the net who will have the least amount of reaction time.
3. If you get pinned back, keep the ball away from their net player with loopy – spinny balls.
4. Lob the net player and come in to an area about 2-3 feet behind the service line to allow you to play overheads, volleys or drop shots. Control the net and keep their team split.
5. Stay back and loop with them for a few shots then come into the net to volley the loopy returns out of the air – short angled shots.
6. Return drop shots to force the player who stayed back to come into the net then lob that player.

What not to do:

1. Avoid getting sucked into their style of play.
2. Do not miss the return. The server is staying back, slow down the return and loop it deep to them so they have no pace to hit back at you. This return is difficult to for the server’s partner to poach against – no pace and high.
3. Avoid easy errors and simple mistakes like trying to kill the volley “at the net person” – find the “valleys” to volley into.

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