Being in the Right Place at the Right Time

In the two previous lessons, we looked at how you play the net in the most common doubles situation, the one almost every point at least starts in - a crosscourt exchange between the opposing baseliners with both teams in the Up-and-back Formation. After the return of serve, at least one of the teams may move into the Both-Up or the Both-Back Formation, but often that never happens and the whole point is a crosscourt exchange between opposing baseliners.

Until now, we've considered only what happens if the baseliners successfully keep the ball away from the net players. Now let's look at what a net player should do if the opposing net player cuts off one of those shots.

Put your imagination to work for a moment. Both teams are in the Up-and-Back Formation. You are the net player for your team. The baseliners are exchanging crosscourt drives. Whenever your partner hits, you watch the opposing net player.

What do you see?

Usually you see that opposing net player's eyes passively tracking your partner's shot. If those eyes look up, you know your partner is lobbing. If those eyes look toward her alley side, you know your partner is hitting an alley shot. Usually those eyes look crosscourt, letting you know that your partner is hitting the usual crosscourt drive.

But what if you see the opposing net player's eyes light up? What if you see her raise her racket and move to intercept the ball?

Oh-oh. You have an emergency: that opposing net player is about to cut off one of your partner's shots. What should you do? That depends.

Sometimes you're caught in a bad spot and may feel in danger of getting hit by the impending cut-off volley. If so, just step aside to your alley, conceding the point.

Usually though, you can hang in there and try to save the point. If so, move to plug the angular gap between you and your partner.

If the opposing net player knows anything about doubles, that's what she is aiming for. The gap. So, plug it by moving back and toward the "T".

Half of playing doubles is being in the right place at the right time. And this is the right place to be when the opposing volleyer gets a whack at the ball - in the gap. Make it hard for her to get her volley between you and your partner.

The diagrams below illustrate what I mean.

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In the left diagram, your net player has stepped back and toward his alley while hits partner hits (as explained in the previous lesson), so you see where he is when he sees the opposing net player start going for the ball. He reacts by going for the "T" to plug the gap.

Notice that his partner reacts too. She sees that the opposing volleyer could easily hit a sharply angled volley to her alley, so she moves forward and wider to cover that shot. Her partner's positioning lets her, because he's taking care of the center. Teamwork. It is now much harder for the opposing volleyer to score.

Now, if you're thinking, you're wondering "What if the opposing net player angles her volley to my alley (the left one), instead?"

Good question. But that will seldom happen, except in advanced doubles play. Why? Because that angle volley to your alley would nearly always have to be a reverse-crosscourt shot, and most players won't attempt one.

Even if they do, fine. By taking away the shot to the gap, you are taking away the opposing volleyer's high-percentage option and forcing her to play a low percentage shot instead. You wily fox, you.

Keep in mind that your chances of saving the point are NOT good. That's a tough shot you're going to have to volley upward from shoestring level way back there deep in no man's land. You'll have all you can do to just get the ball back. You have done well if you manage to keep your return away from that opposing net player so she doesn't get another whack at the ball.

But if you always react this way when the opposing net player is about to hit the ball, you will save quite a few points for your team. What's more, you'll pressure that opposing net player. He or she will find it hard to put the ball away. The next thing you know, that opposing net player is overplaying the ball and making errors for you.