The Doubles Formations (1 up 1 back)

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Many people play doubles. Probably more than people play singles. But even though people play doubles for a long time, they do get trapped into one specific way of playing. A good doubles team will be versatile and work together to find a winning combination.

So let’s start with the most basic…

One Up, One Back


One up and one back is a pretty basic formation. Beginners aren’t usually as versatile at volleying as they are at hitting groundstrokes. One guy, the server or the receiver, stays back at the baseline and hits a crosscourt rally. The teammate stands very close to the net ready to put away any ball that comes meandering his/her way.

The assignment is supposed to be that the net guy is supposed to go for whatever he feels he can get without compromising his position and the back guy protects the net guy.

The pink is the area the net guy covers. The blue is the area the back guy covers.



But most of the time it ends up that the net guy covers the sideline he is closest to and the service line to the net.



The problem is that most net guys are afraid of being passed down the line. Probably because it is the most embarrassing shot next to being BEANED with the ball. Also people are very afraid of bagging that overhead slam into the net when trying to exert authority. So they move closer into that corner. BUT they render themselves ineffective as a teammate.

The strategy for most doubles formations is to fix it so that the guy at the net has the chance to put the ball away. But if your partner at the net is covering the area where the ball is LEAST LIKELY to go, it is just inefficient. He cannot cross over to intercept a ball (poach). And he will not be able to put away some balls that would pull you out of position like short balls in the middle of the court.

Also, it would be a good idea to serve more shots up the T. Most players serve out wide. But if you think about the consequences, the easiest shot on the court is cross court and the most embarrassing shot for your partner is down the line. Both of which you can find by returning a ball from out wide. It is a lot harder to hit a shot from the middle inside out. I’m not saying that the server should hit there all the time but it should be considered.

Please do not get stuck in this formation. There are others to try in your practices!!!

Have fun!!!

Serve Em Up Proper (Part 3)

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FINALLY!!!

In this last installment we will look at changing your serves to the returner. It is really just a list of things that I have noticed bother certain types of people.


Samantha Stosur - Best Kicker on the WTA tour

• Returners that hit the ball flat (pushers and power hitters) have a problem with slices and dink serves.

• Conversely, returners that hit the ball with a lot of spin have a problem with fast flat serves.

• Everyone has a problem with a serve to the body unless they are expecting it.

• One handed backhands are vulnerable to kick serves

• Sometimes the returners best rally stroke is their worst return

• Chubby guys do not take more than one step to return a serve

• People get serves back better on crucial points

• Probe to find the weaknesses. Once you find it, prioritize it. But hit a fast serve to the strength every once in a while.

• Hit slower angles for people that stand far back.

• Hit faster serves for people that are close.

• No one likes a big variety of depth and placement.

• Slice serves are rarely used with club players. Learn one and returners will hate you.

• Every now and then dink a person who slices returns

• If someone stands really close to the service line, any serve into the body will do except for a dink.

I think that is everything. Most of serving is mental. So having a lot of options can make you feel better.

Serve Em Up Proper (Part 2)

Agassi was known for his RETURN of serve. But it was his knowledge
of the return that made him a VERY efficient server.

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We talked about rationing your serve in the last one. Now I will talk about service variety and placement. All diagrams are for righties.

There are many different types of serves. Most experience players have three. Two they use very often and the change up. Regular club players have two. I will be explaining them later but the different types I’m aware of are:

1. Dink Serve
2. Flat Serve
3. Kick Serve
4. Slice Serve
5. Twist Serve

There are five different advantageous places to aim for in the service box. Most people say four but I say five. On your first serve, you should go for a little more. For the second serve you should still aim for these spots but with a greater margin of error determined by your confidence level.


Dink Serve



The dink serve is the serve you tap over just to get it in. But it is underestimated in its application. The dink serve is hard to crush because it has no pace and it doesn’t bounce high. All a returner can do is spin it in.

Because of this, you can hit the ball in anywhere in the service box and achieve the same results. But you would preferably want to hit it to the weaker returning stroke. Whichever stroke does not spin the ball well.

Also, if your player likes pace, you can throw in a dink for a first serve. Try to disguise it to look like your actual first serve.

Flat Serve



Of course the flat serve is the fastest serve you have. It is also lowest percentage. It is greatly overestimated. Most people have a fast first serve, but they cannot aim it or get it in. This is a major problem because if you hit a fast serve right to a returner, the likelihood of them returning it back just as fast has gone up. With no spin or tricks to fool them, they just need to get a racket on it.

So try to put the majority of the flat serves out wide (unless there weaker return stroke is just atrocious). If they give you a weak return you can at least hit to the open court. Serving down the middle is harder to do effectively. And if you do it too much, the returner will start leaning.

Serving into the body should be seldom used unless you feel your opponent will not expect it.


Kick Serve




Most people use a kick serve as a second serve. It clears the net high and kicks off the ground fast. But you can use a kick serve for angles. If you aim the same kicker lower to the net you will get the ball to fall shorter in the court. Aim out wide on the first serve and you can have a dangerous serve that is not only angled, but falls before it gets to the baseline.

Any kick serve as a first serve is a good idea for the change up. When the ball has a chance to move off the bounce it gives players problems. If you have what is called the MONSTER KICK where it jumps up over the returners shoulder, you can treat it like a flat serve but go for the body more.

For the second serve you should just aim to the weaker stroke. If the kicker is being murdered then try to mix it up with the dink serve. You have other options.

Slice Serve



The slice serve curves in the air and jumps sideways off the ground. It is a good serve because it is easy to disguise. Once you have a slice that people FEAR it will set up the aces for your flat serve.

If you can take energy off of the slice to get it to land short in the court you can get some really slow, well placed aces (if not cause the returner real problems). The slow one down the middle REALLY irritates people. If you can get it to land shallow enough, it will run away from the guy. Your faster slice will work very well into the body. Try to aim it right in the pocket of the returners swing so that it can curve into their chest. I have gotten aces in this way because the person barely got out of the way of a ball that appeared to be chasing him.

Twist Serve



The American twist serve curves in the air like a slice but when it lands it jumps straight up or the opposite way. Use this serve sparingly because it will hurt your back if you use it too much.

Since the serve looks like a slice to begin with, you can use it as an alternate. If the person gets used to the slice and starts to jump in that direction, giving them this twist will send the ball back into their body. The other application is out wide on the ad side. It will give the appearance of going out and then hook in. Sometimes the returner watches it go by.

You don’t need to learn all these serves to be effective. Just learn one really well and two more to back it up.

REMEMBER!!! The first serve is about getting free points and setting it up so you have an advantage at the beginning of the point. Not ACES.

The second serve is about starting the point so you are not at a disadvantage.

If you want to learn any of these serves you know who you can call.

The last installment will be on serving based on the returner.

Serve Em Up Proper (Part 1)

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The serve is NOT EASY TO LEARN. If you want a proper serve, you will work very hard to get one. People feel that a fast serve is equivalent to a GOOD serve. But hitting the ball fast is least reliable option. Anyone can hit a ball as hard as they can at 100 mph or close. How many people can hit one in the box consistently?

McEnroe doesn't have a really fast serve
but he serves so smart it doesn't matter

The serve can be broken down in priorities:

1. Get it in
2. Placement of the ball
3. Spin
4. Power

In order to serve smarter, you must think of it in this order. Many people focus on power. But it is the other factors that make the fast ball worth it.

The Second Serve

The second serve is more important than the first for 2 reasons. First, missing the second serve loses you the point. Second, most tense situations will depend on your second serve. So you really would like to put most of your energy on making your second serve something you can rely on.

Novak Djokovic is known for a great second serve

As a good rule of thumb, you should take off one priority factor for the second serve. For instance, if you can spin the ball into the court for the first serve, then you can work on placing the second serve to the preferred stroke (backhand or forehand).

The First Serve

The measure with which you go for the first serve should really depend on how much you like your second serve. Your confidence in the first serve percentage will be impacted in your second serve. So if your second serve is being attacked ferociously, you shouldn’t go for aces on the first.

In addition, you want to pace yourself on your serve. In singles, you don’t want to wear yourself out trying to hit the hardest serve imaginable all the time. As the match goes along, the ball will lose pressure and you will perceive that you are hitting the ball weaker.

With variety on your side, you serve will become more of a puzzle to your opponent. If your serve is predictable, it doesn’t matter how hard you hit it, over the course of the match, your opponent will figure out how to get it back.

Next week, the variety strategy.

What's with all this RACKET!!! Part 2

Who do you like?

Roger Federer's Hero was Pete Sampras
so he was using Pete's racket until they made him a his own

Some of you watch tennis. If you are like me and try to emulate your favorite players, then you already know what type of racket will suit you. Just look at the racket your favorite player is holding. Look it up and you will be able to match the specs. A fair warning though: professionals have contracts with companies and often have the same rackets they have used since they were 7 repainted to look like the new rackets.

If you don’t have a player you emulate, then you can think about your game and how you want to play. Then try to match your style with the type of racket in my table. If you pick a racket and get used to it, then there is no turning back. Your muscle memory will always remember the old racket like your very first love….AAAAAW!



If you don’t know who you like here is the table. My recommendations:


All Around Player
11 oz head light or even racket 100 sq in or less

Serve and Volley
11 oz head light or even racket 100 sq in or less

Pusher (pushers never admit they are pushers)
9 oz head heavy 100 sq in or more

Counterpuncher
Any racket 100 sq in or more

Powerhitter
11 oz head light or even racket 100 sq in or less

Heavyhitter
9 oz head heavy 100 sq in or more

Tennis Racket companies are always talking about their rackets with new technology but it is best to stick with the old stuff and save some money. You can do some searching and find some great deals on older ones once you know what you want.

The Elbow

People get tennis elbow and tend to blame their rackets. I have found that tennis elbow is a result of not having strong enough forearms and that wrist and forearm strengthening exercises will save your elbow.

If you insist that it is not you but your racket than you can put more weight on it using lead tape (but that would make you lift weights to compensate) which would reduce the shock going down your arm. Or you could switch from head heavy to a head light racket.

A racket purchase is a long term purchase. If you are serious about tennis then don't take shortcuts.

Good luck!!