Doubles Strategies

Lately at Seminole High Performance we've been working on a lot of doubles skills, and it amazing many of us coaches how simple the game of doubles is when you're off the court. If I knew that doubles was so easy when I was actually playing, I would be undefeated! But seriously, there are things that may seem very easy for coaches to note that isn't so easy to accomplish when you're actually playing.

Take, for example, the poach. Poaching is a.) when you boil an cracked egg in water and b.) when move across the court as a volley to hit a shot on the other side of the court. You may remember me saying this in a previous blog, but the word poaching also can mean stalking your prey. This translates nicely to poaching in doubles; the idea is to be stealthy and unseen by your, if you will, "prey" (or opponent). Poaching requires a few things, one of which is guts. It's scary, I admit it. But, if you wait to the moment when your opponent is contacting the ball, and you notice that this said ball is traveling up and not straight, take advantage of this moment and commit to the poach, 100%. I found when I was playing that if I told my partner that I would poach it made me feel obligated and thus more likely to actually move. It also helps to practice poaching. The most important thing to remember is to cut the ball off moving forward, not sideways. You'll want to aim either short to the side where the opponent is on the baseline or straight through the middle. If you hit it at the volleyer, and they are ready for it, you should be expected an equally hard shot back at you, so be ready.

Now let's talk serve. There's a rumor going around the tennis world that we need to stop. You DO NOT need a huge serve to win a doubles match. While it would be great if you were above 6 feet tall and had a bomb serve, it's not necessary to win. At times, if you're serving against a good returner, you might even want to avoid a hard flat serve. By serving hard and flat, especially to a returner who knows how to counter-punch, the return can be equally as hard. If you kick your serve in, you have the chance to both a.) get a more defensive shot back as a kick serve is not easy to be aggressive off of (granted, if you know how to kick a serve in) and b.) get to the net. Speaking of which...

Doubles, the majority of the time, is a game of aggression. This is in the sense that whoever is most aggressive will win. This aggression is in the sense of getting your butts to the net. The people at the net more often are putting themselves in a more aggressive position, thus being more likely to win. Very simple. Just act as if you are semi-permanately glued to your partner, so if they shuttle to the net, you better be going with them. :)

More strategy stuff to come!!

The open stance versus closed stance forehand

No more yoga, no more pilates, let's get back to the tennis stuff! Not that yoga, pilates, and other sports are not good cross training, but you come to this blog for all things tennis, right? This week let's talk about a debated subject: the open stance versus the closed stance forehand. I've seen both, and honestly, I don't think it is wise to choose one or the other; both should be used, and used correctly. Ah, you are shaking your head now, thinking that you know how to hit these shots correctly, and that reading on is not worth it. NOT! A lot of juniors don't understand the mechanics behind the "simple" open stance/closed stance, and it messes up both your swing, and potentially can hurt you.

Additionally to this point, you're rarely hit a "pure" open or close stance. It's not like this is the first thing you think about when hitting, and your legs usually do the automatic go-to that you have trained without making you think "oh, I should hit an open stance shot here." That being said, it's important to train these stances the right way, because it will give your forehand more power if you do it right.

So, what are these stances, you ask? Open stance refers to the stance where your left and right leg are parallel to the baseline. Your legs are often referred to as outer leg versus inner leg so as to not confuse lefties. For a righty, your inner leg is your left leg, and your outer leg is your right. Hence why your right leg, or outer leg, is the leg that is stepping out to the shot. If you check out Andy Roddick and ignore the guy talking about open stances/closed stances, you'll the easy way to visualize the inner and outer leg. Inside or outside leg is also a label used. Fun fact: Andy Roddick is not a lefty. I hope you noticed that he was flipped to show how for a lefty the inner leg would be the right leg, and the outer leg the right. :)
The good side: open stance allows for more hip rotation, and thus more power through your torso into your shot. It also is a shot that is focused on side to side movement to get you in and out of the shot, relying on your legs to propel you to step into the shot and then push you back to the middle of the court. This conservation of steps may be both a good and bad thing-- it'll get you back to the middle faster, but does not allow you to adjust to the ball as much as the closed stance does. For windy conditions and approach shots, you do need more adjustment. The bad side (and there always is a bad side): this shot puts pressure on your shoulder if you do not contact the ball at the right contact point.


Closed stance: this, essentially, is when your inner leg crosses over your outer leg to hit the shot. While "full" closed stance is not the greatest shot, crossing over your inner leg over your outer leg is essential for shots that require more adjustment as well as a more specific contact point, such as approach shots or slower balls. Closed stance propels you into the shot by the use of your outer leg swinging you forward to then return to where your legs are parallel. So, opposite of the open stance, which propels you towards and away from the ball with side to side movement versus front to back movement. This stance does keep your hop rotation at minimum, so the second step out of the ball is essential for the forehand to go over the net at a speed higher than two miles per hour. :) To the left, a visual.

There is a third stance. How shocking! Yes, this stance is called the neutral stance, because your inner and outer leg are perpendicular to the baseline. If you draw a line through your shoes, this line will create right angles when it crosses the baseline (for those of you who did a math refresher). Federer is completing a sort-of neutral stance in the picture to the right. You'll use this shot when the ball is coming at your body, for approach shots, and for returns often. Is it better than any other stance? Not really, but you'll use it. It's kind of a hybrid of the closed stance, because it allows for more hip rotation but still relies on a forward/backward movement.

Which is the best? There is no "best" stance, in my opinion. It is something that you adjust to, and also is based on preference. Your coach will be able to see which stance is better for you, but keep in mind you'll use all three stances for different shots in tennis, and it is up to the correct execution of these shots whether you get the ball into the court, and well!