How to Employ Tactics in Doubles Tennis

Video Transcript

"Hi, my name is Lincoln Ward. I'm a USPTA Certified Tennis Teaching Pro, here in Austin, Texas, with Lonestar Tennis Company. Today, I'm going to talk to you about doubles strategy. There are three main things I would like to get across to you. Communication as a doubles team, serving and volleying, and your formations, when you're serving. When you serve and volley, it allows you to create a unified front, so when you're playing doubles, you want to be the first team to get to the net. That will give you so much more advantage, so as you're serving, don't just stand there, and let the serve, the ball, bounce into the opponent's court, and then come in. Rush as soon as you make contact with the ball. What's the worst that's going to happen, if the ball goes out, and you have to turn around and walk four steps back to the baseline, and hit your second serve? It's worth it. The next, and almost more important thing, is communication. When you and your partners turn to serve, you want your partner to be able to know where you're serving to. Create hand signals. We can say one can go down the T. Two can go at the body, and three can go out wide, but if your partner knows where you're serving to, they can stand in the appropriate spot, to return the ball, or to poach the ball, so it makes it much easier to figure out what you're going to do. You don't have any communications problems, when you talk to each other. It's really good, especially when the ball comes down the middle, to call a shot. I'll take it. That's mine, or if your opponents hit a lob over your net partner, yell switch. They'll run to the other side of the court, while you rush to get that lob. Communication will really help your team out. Now, one nice little trick you can try doing, is I- formation When you and your partner are serving, and your return of serves are going very, very heavy, cross court. Instead of having your net partner up at the net in the corner, you can have them stand close to the center of the court, ready to post that cross court shot off. At which time, you're going to cover behind his original position, so you serve, and instead of coming into the net, you rush to cover the side your partner would originally have been covering, and your partner will then cover your original side, and you've just thrown your opponents off, and they have to completely change, how they're going to hit the return of serve. It's much easier to hit a return of serve cross court, than it is down the line, which is what you're forcing your opponents to do. My name is Lincoln Ward, and that's some doubles strategy. Thanks a lot."