You many not have picture perfect technique but you can still be a pretty hot doubles player if you observe the golden rules, so says coach to thousands of British club players, Nick Ring
When I begin a doubles session with a new group I often quote the great Bill Tilden who once said that singles is a game of the imagination whereas doubles is an exact science.
By this he meant that in singles you need technique and the ability to explore different ways of winning by being creative. In doubles, however, technique and creativity aren’t so important. If you just follow certain good rules and tactics you’ll be a better player.
Often people who have taken up the game in later life, who’ve never had any coaching and perhaps use one grip for every shot can’t or won’t consider changing the way they hit the ball. They may have had injuries in the past which makes them play a certain way and if they tried to change their strokes old injuries would come back or new ones created.
So what does a coach do with a group that won’t or can’t change their less than perfect technique? The answer is to teach good doubles positioning, rules and tactics.
Over the years I have taught literally thousands of club players to play better doubles – not by altering how they hit the ball, but by showing them how to position themselves better on the court and teaching them some of the game’s golden rules and tactics.
Let’s start by looking at the four positions on the doubles court:
The server
Wrong: When serving players often stand too close to the centre mark as if they are playing singles. They may have a strong forehand grip and so find it easier to serve down the middle from this position. They may also be trying to prevent the return coming anywhere near their backhand. The problem with standing here is that they are leaving their half of the court wide open for the returner to hit a cross court winner into plus they are running the risk of hitting their partner on the back of the head! This in turner forces the server’s partner to cower away in the tramlines thus preventing them from covering their half properly by trying to intercept the return.
Right: The best position to serve is half way between the outside tramline and the centre mark so that the server is in the middle of the returner’s options if they return cross court. The server can now properly cover his half of the court, he can get the wide returns plus he allows his partner to get more involved in the game. Even with a forehand grip, with practice he can learn to direct the ball down the middle from this position.
