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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).
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