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WELCOME DOUBLES 5 Keys to a Successful Doubles Team Happy New Year!!!! #1 is simple when you play doubles. Find a partner you like. I would like to thank all of you for They may not be the best but you will have the most fun. continued support of Wilson. Teams are built on fun. You will practice more and play big matches better because you will enjoy playing with the As we begin 2009, I would like you to person next to you. welcome Andy Benedict, National Promotions Manager for Wilson #2. In dubs, opposites work best! If you are a power player Racquet Sports. find a steady back board for a partner. Each player needs to bring a special strength that can help the team win! If two Andy will be taking over the Wilson’s players play too big it becomes too much of a hot and cold Coaches for Life Newsletter and team. If both players are steady then there is not enough fire overseeing our high school ball power to end points for your team. adoption partnerships. #3 This is all about winning! That is why we keep score to This past year has been a great find out who is the best on that day. The game of tennis is learning experience for me and thank about keeping the ball in play. In doubles your team needs to you for all of your efforts on behalf of focus on getting the point started. The first two shots are key. Wilson and the great game of tennis. Serve and next shot or return and next shot. Do NOT go for a This edition focuses on the game of big power shot unless it is a very easy one to hit. Too many doubles. As in high school tennis, players lose because they fail to get into the point by going doubles gives players the opportunity for a huge return or 2nd shot. to experience tennis in a fun team #4, LOB,LOB and then LOB again! At every level the lob is environment. the high percentage shot that turns a point into your favor. Thank you to the dedicated Wilson Off the return of serve or after a drop shot the lob will Advisory Staff pro’s in contributing frustrate your opponent and win you tons of key points! articles for this edition of Wilson #5 placement is more important than power in doubles. Use Coaches for Life. angle shots and deep balls to keep the other team moving. We hope you find it helpful and Hitting back to a player just sets them up to nail another insightful. shot. Use an angle to pull you opponent out of position. Position is key because a team that uses the entire court WINS! Until next time keep going for the lines with the #1 factor in winning tennis.... Have a great 2009!!! Using a K Factor by Wilson. My K Blade ROCKS!!! Tracy Almeda-Singian Coach Luke Jensen 93 French Open Doubles Champ! Luke Jensen is the current Women’s Head Tennis Coach at Syracuse University. He is a former ATP Tour player with 10 Doubles titles including 1993 French Open Men’s Doubles Title with brother Murphy Jensen. SHOULD YOU PLAY DEUCE OR ADD COURT? The proverbial “to be or not to be” is not as important as “play deuce or add?” Coaches and players spend time ad nauseam trying to get the magic formula. It is my hope that I can help simplify this innocuous, yet potent, question. In order to find the answer to this question, here are questions you should be asking your players: What is your best shot? Understanding your strengths is key. Once you know what your best shot is, you and your partner can start working together to create patterns and point situations where you will set each other up to be successful to hit your best shots. What is your best inside shot? Thinking inside and outside is integral part of successful doubles. The inside shot is your shot closest to the center of the court. So if you are righty, the backhand will be your inside shot on the deuce side and the forehand is your inside shot on the ad side. You might consider your forehand your best shot, but would you rather hit forehands crosscourt or forehands inside out? Having the ability to hit inside and outside shots, especially midcourt volleys is critical. So if you play the deuce court and have a strong forehand return, but struggle with inside backhand volleys, you are not going to be effective. Assuming you and your partner have compatible returns, you should play the ad side. Your BH volley is now an outside volley, which is typically easier to maneuver. Doubles is truly a game of crosscourt rallies and having the ability to keep the ball crosscourt, regardless of being an inside or outside shot, is a huge advantage. Can you handle the pressure of being the player who will win or lose the break point opportunities? Each side has different pressures. Typically, the ad side player tends to have better returns and thrives on the big moments. Which of your players enjoys the pressure associated with winning, or losing, the “go ahead” point? Here are general guidelines to follow for deuce and ad sides: Play the deuce court if you, • Love to use your FH return as a weapon. • Are able to not let the server attack your BH. • Are comfortable going down the line at server’s partner with BH return. • Like the pressure associated with setting up your partner with the “go ahead” point. Play the ad court if you, • Love to use your BH return as a weapon. • Are able to not let the server attack your FH. • Are comfortable going down the line at server’s partner with FH return. • Love to use your FH return inside out to server. • Love to run around BH and hit inside out FH, especially on weaker serves. • Like the pressure associated with winning, or losing, the “go ahead” point. Help your players think through pros and cons of ad or deuce side return. Once your players answer these questions, they should have a better understanding of what side best suites their game. Now you and your players can go out on the court and try to execute a game plan. Keep up the great work with promoting our wonderful sport! Ajay Pant is currently the National Tennis Director for Tennis Corporation of America (TCA) and the General Manager for TCA owned Midtown Tennis Club in Overland Park, Kansas. Ajay is also a Master Professional, National Tester and National Clinician for the Professional Tennis Registry. If you have any questions, please email me at [email protected]. Page 2 Coaches for Life DOUBLES DRILLS “How to Hunt Down your opponents shot and Bag it!” A “poacher”, as defined by Daniel Webster in his famous Dictionary, is someone “who poaches another person’s property.” You would say on the face of this definition that this is NOT a flattering term to use to describe someone you admire as a doubles player, or to call your valued partner, now is it? “Bobby ... he’s a darn good poacher!” would seem a contradiction in terms. A good thief? A person admired for his thievery? A great criminal? What is the tennis world coming to? Don’t fret; a good “poacher” in doubles is a very positive monitor. As every tennis player who has poached successfully knows, these thieves need to be masters at their trades to be successful poachers. Good poaching is an art, and like any great art, needs to be practiced and trained like other reliable strokes in your arsenal. The essential equipment for a Good Poacher is as follows: timing, quick feet and hands, a desire to be the “center” of attention, the ability to anticipate and pick up the ball off the returners racquet, and yes, a slight bend towards the criminal mind, all contribute to the success of a good “poacher “ in doubles. The Return of Serve is the most popular and most sensible shot to “poach”, so I will deal with that play and a good drill to exercise your poaching muscles. But all the elements listed above need to be in sync to become a successful & feared poacher. You will never do anything on a tennis court to anger your opponent MORE than to poach his shot. It’s downright disrespectful, unfair, and, by strict Webster definition, ILLEGAL! Timing: the moment your partner hits their serve and you sense it passing over the net, begin your move forward and diagonally to the middle of the net. Yes, that’s right, the “middle of the net”. This is what I call the “Captain America” move, as you want to move as boldly as possible and position yourself like a Super Hero smack dab in the middle of the court at the net. Be Big when you get there, assume a take no prisoners attitude and let your opponents know you mean to steal their shot and the point in one swift move. Now you are in position early and ready to handle whatever comes your way. Quick Feet and Hands: honestly, you don’t need to be that quick if you make your move at the right time, but it helps to move quickly to the middle of the court, and then to have your hands relaxed and ready on your racquet and grip for the volley.

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