One of the most common errors I see in doubles is
when a players tries to change directions of a shot off of
an offensive shot from their opponent. Let me give an
example of what I am talking about. You are in the one up
one back position in doubles and so is your opponent to
start a point. You miss your first serve and your opponent
hits a nice offensive return of serve deep to you at the
baseline. Although the receiver's partner might have moved
to the middle of the court, the down the line pass is
probably not the shot for most players. Your best shot off
the deep ball is probably to go crosscourt or throw up a lob.
To change directions of the ball requires more
precise timing, control, and hopefully an opening your
opponent has left for you to hit. It is much easier to
place the ball on a shorter shot that you can control rather
than on a shot that pushes you back on the defensive. Many
times after a player misses this shot they are upset because
they hit the ball in the net or wide. As a teaching
professional I try to let my students know that they can hit
down the line and they can change directions of the ball but
they have to wait for the correct time to do it. The more
advanced a player is the better they can change directions
of the ball in tougher circumstances.
So they next time your opponent puts pressure on you,
remember to remain cool and wait for that perfect time before
you go down the line. I have found that most of the
matches I watch during team tennis, the person or team that
tries to first change directions of the ball off of a ball
hit deep to them usually loses the point. Hitting the ball
back in the direction it came from, as pointed out in the
example above, will reduce your errors and increase the number
of points you win. Think before you change and I bet you'll
find your opponent missing that shot instead of you.
