Most doubles players have heard "watch your alley" but what
exactly does that mean? For most players, it means don't
let the opponent get a shot passed the server's partner.
Obviously we don't want any shot to get by us but there are
a couple of things you can do to make sure that those down
the line winners against you aren't so frequent.
One of the most important things to remember is when to
move. Most players remember to move when a ball goes out
wide but sometimes that isn't good enough. A good rule of
thumb is to make sure you have already moved wide and are
in a good ready position by the time the receiver hits the
ball. This way you can move in and hit an aggressive
volley rather than lunging to make contact. Having your
line or alley covered means you are in position to hit
the shot not just making contact to prevent a clean
winner.
Another important thing to remember is that a down the
line shot is more likely off of a wide serve. Communicate
with your partner so that you know when that will be
coming. If your partner can't let you know that he/she
might hit wide, it is going to be difficult for you to get
the jump on the receiver. If you are having problems
getting passed, you might encourage your partner to
attempt more serves into the body or down the center
service line. Servers need to know where there serve is
going! The server's partner gets blamed for the pass but
it's the server that either sets up an offensive volley or
a struggling one.
Work on your movement at the net. Not only will you
increase the number of shots that you get but you will
decrease the number of winners your opponents hit down
the line. Remember to poach or fake but never stand
still. If you react to your partner's serve rather
than your opponent's shot, you will definitely be more
prepared to cover your line.
