Here is my first guest post from an incredible tennis pro that I have been working with for the past few years. Brian Montez is a teaching pro working with players of all levels and abilities, from kids to adults, beginners to open-level, and everything in between. Here, Brian gives a great doubles tip.
Everybody has been beaten by the infamous lobber. So how do you defend it? Staying back is an option, but does this really allow you to play offensively or are you just playing defensively and waiting for your opponent to make a mistake? In my opinion doubles is won at the net in most situations, so here is my solution:
As a team you should be in the net zone together as much as possible. When you are both in the net zone one of you should be on the offensive, moving forward, while the other is positioned in a neutral spot, the service line, to cover the lob as well as a possible shot that may be hit in your direction (the offensive player should be the one that is directly involved in the rally). As the ball is switched from player to player your positions should change as well. If you were the offensive player and the ball has been hit to your partner in the neutral position, you should then become the neutral player, sliding back to the service line, as your partner becomes the offensive player and moves forward. This type of movement should be incorporated on every shot to effectively cover that pesky lob!
If you want to contact Brian for lessons, call him at 713.417.6780.
© Kim Selzman 2009
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