I don’t know. Five, six, seven at least.

—Pete Sampras in August 2001 on years he has left

Strategy is all about positioning. I had a blind Cairn Terrier better than Napoleon at it. For the
prize of a carrot, she always out-maneuvered me to the refrigerator.

 

Standing still is the most common mistake in doubles net play. It stems from viewing the lines
on the court as a positioning grid. They are not! Your positioning grid is the constantly chang-
ing situation, which depends on the teams’ formations, whose court the ball is in, and the
Angle of Return. Sounds more complicated than it is.

 

Good maneuvering at net is more important in the Up-and-Back Formation than in the Both-
Up Formation. In fact, if you know how to play net when both teams are in the Up-and-Back
Formation, you know how to play net.

 

 

Up-and-Back Net Play

 

The typical Up-and-Back point is a crosscourt rally between the two back-players. Meanwhile,
the net players look for a chance to cut off a shot and volley through the Hole. During the
exchange, this is how you should maneuver at net:

1. While your partner hits, make way by stepping back at an angle toward your alley.

2. While the opposing back-player hits, front the shot by stepping forward at an angle toward
the self line.

 

Step 1 widens your partner’s hitting lane. And, widening your partner’s hitting lane is team-
work.

 

Step 2 narrows the opposing back-player’s hitting lane. Front the shot, making the hitter
choose between two narrow hitting lanes, one on either side of you. I couldn’t overstate the
importance of thus making your alley an option: one of the best ways to pressure people is to
confront them with choices. (They fear making the “wrong” one.) True, you must be careful
about your alley, because down-the-line shots arrive quicker and you have little hope of back-
up on that side. But don’t park with one foot in your alley as if it would be a mortal sin to have
one get past you on that side. It’s quite the other way around: if you never get passed down
your alley, you are not playing the net well. The match rides on what happens over the self,
so make your presence a force to be reckoned with there. Good net play wins many points
without touching the ball.

 

This basic footwork pattern combines with the basic eyework pattern (see Article #005).

Eyework and Footwork:

 

1. When the ball enters your
court and passes behind
you, watch the opposing up-
player, and make room for
your partner‘s shot by step-
ping back at an angle
toward your alley.

2. When the ball enters the
opposition’s court, passing
into view in front of you,
watch the opposing back-
player, and front his or her
shot by stepping forward at
an angle toward the self
line.

 

It‘s easier than it reads. Simply
aim to stay out of your partner’s
way and in your opponent‘s way.
It will surprise you how little
practice it takes. Proper eyework
and footwork quickly become
habitual. When you’ve formed
the habit, you‘ll be winning truck-
loads of points you used to lose.

 

Occasionally, your partner’s shot
goes to the opposing up-player.
Oh-oh. That disrupts the pattern.
In that event, forget STEP 2,
visit Maneuvering at Net — Part
2 and carry on.