DOUBLES COURT SENSE. A ball machine test and manual for improving your percentage play. by Mark Williams, USPTA

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1 Mark Williams has been a tennis professional at the Kingsbury Club (Kingston, MA) for 10 years and is currently the Head Pro. He has been teaching for over 20 years and has been UPTA certified for over 10 years. Renting the Playmate Ball Machine The ball machine is available to rent during non prime time only (prime time is Monday through Friday, 5 pm - 9 pm). The rental fee is the court fee. If you have any questions concerning oubles Court ense or need help setting up the ball machine, any of our Pro staff will be happy to assist you. OUBL COURT N A ball machine test and manual for improving your percentage play by Mark Williams, UPTA Copyright 1997

2 2 OUBL oubles is a game of player positioning and ball placement. Control and consistency are far more important than power. By hitting the ball steadily crosscourt at your opponent s feet your team can take control of the net where any high ball can be spiked down past the opposing volleyer. The serving team has the advantage in the game. A deep serve followed by a well controlled crosscourt volley or half volley gives the serving team position at the net. Any high ball can now be put away either down the center T or down the alley. Low balls, however, need to be patiently played back to the receiver s feet. R R backhand, keep your left hand forward. On the one handed backhand, keep your knuckles forward. Volleys Prepare early by turning your shoulders slightly sideways. Try to keep the racket head up and in line with your eyes. Keep your wrist very firm and aim with your hand. tep with the opposite foot as you move forward to contact the ball. Lift low volleys by bending your knees and pushing up from underneath the ball. On higher volleys hit straight forward, not downwards. You always want to have good clearance (1-2 feet) over the net. Overheads Turn sideways immediately so you can back up quickly. Line the ball up as if you were going to catch it in your outstretched left hand. wing slowly and early, snapping your wrist to get the racket up to vertical at contact RP 1 RP 2 While the overhead is like a serve, it is much more difficult to time. Be careful not to overhit. P P erves To serve efficiently your arm needs to stay loose so it can act like a whip. Rotate your shoulder forward and up but then stop it abruptly before hitting the ball. This will force the wrist to snap upwards, greatly accelerating the racket head. You must keep your head up at contact, both to see the ball and to stop the shoulder in the right place. Volley plit tep TOTAL Gain Position erver () hits a deep first serve to receiver s (R) backhand O1. erver split steps and moves into position to volley/half volley safely crosscourt O2. Put Away Any high ball to server s partner (P) goes to center T O1. erver s high backhand volley goes to center T O1. erver s high forehand volley goes to alley O2. Note how the serving team has shifted to the left in the Put Away illustration. The server s partner covers the left third of the court. The server covers the RTUR N MI COUR T PUT AWAY OF RV LOB VOLLY VOLLY OVRHA RV OVRAL L COR UCC 5= %.83= % COR UCC 5= %.83= % COR UCC 5= %.83= % COR UCC 5= %.83= % COR UCC 5= %.83= %

3 10 APPROACH AN PUT AWAY RILL (this drill is not part of the test) Forecourt Zone Midcourt Zone Backcourt Zone TROKING TIP FOR IMPROVING YOUR Return of erve/groundstrokes Crosscourt return of serve Crosscourt mid court volley own the line put away TTING: P 65 INTRVAL 40 LVATION 7 from full minus OCILLATION full minus White pin in C1 ONLY Use this drill to practice moving through the 3 court zones. There will be a short pause after the third shot to allow you to return to the start, but this drill is best done with a partner. Adjust the machine s position to allow you to work on both forehands and backhands (a high backhand put away volley should be hit down the center). Remember to splitstep before each volley. oubles is a much quicker game than singles. arly preparation and short strokes are a must. Whenever possible move forward inside the baseline to hit the ball on the rise or at the peak of the bounce. Your reflexes and timing are much better when you are stepping in with your front foot. To improve your accuracy you need to have a good sense of where your hand is pointing at contact. On the forehand keep your palm moving forward to the target. Try not to bend your wrist or elbow before or during contact. On the two handed center and right thirds of the court. The server covers the right third by moving diagonally forward and cutting off the angle. hould the server put in a short slow second serve the receiving team gains the advantage. A well controlled crosscourt return at the server s feet allows the receiving team to take the net, reversing the above pattern. The receiver always comes in when the server does not. You can play a much more effective doubles game with just a little more attention to ball control and shot selection. By choosing the right type of shot for each stage of the point you greatly increase your chances of sucess. UING YOUR COURT N By using this Court ense booklet as a guide you can easily test your ball control and shot selection. It does not take long and it will pinpoint your strengths and weaknesses. After you take the test you should continue to use Court ense as a practice manual. The ball machine is easy and inexpensive to use. It will give you an excellent practice session and you may retest yourself at any time to measure your progress. If you have a mechanical problem with your stroke you should contact a pro. ven a half-hour lesson on a particular stroke can give you a focus and greatly help your control and consistency. TAKING TH TT The test is divided into six parts which represent the various stages of a point. You will be hitting a total of 120 shots into well defined target areas. These areas may be marked out with cones, polyspots, or the yellow ropes available at the desk. The ball machine settings are spelled out on each page. You may adjust them to your level of play. The test may be taken from either the right or the left side. Consider using the ball maching with a partner who can help you with adjustments and alternate in with you. Good luck and have fun! 3

4 4 9 OUBL RTURN OF RV OUBL RV 20 Crosscourt 10 to right half of euce box 10 to right half of Ad box TTING: P 70 INTRVAL 65 LVATION 5 from full minus OCILLATION 15 from full plus Move diagonally forward Your objective is to consistently return serve crosscourt with both forehands and backhands. It is helpful to move forward into the return with a compact swing. Often a player will just let the ball come to him and take a full swing. The result is a late, wristy hit with too much speed. Remember your main goal is to return serve consistenly, NOT to hit winners. The serve is the most important shot in tennis. Good placement is more important than speed. You need a high percentage of first serves deep to the backhand corner to force weak returns. Remember to hit up on the ball with quick forearm acceleration. Note: To find the elevation setting turn the adjusting wheel all the way to minus. Then turn it 5 full revolutions toward plus. To find the oscillation setting turn the adjusting wheel all the way to plus. Then turn it 15 full revolutions toward minus.

5 8 5 OUBL OVRHA OUBL LOB 10 to Center 20 Lobs own the Line 10 to Alley TTING: TTING: P 70 P INTRVAL 40 INTRVAL 45 LVATION 5 from full minus LVATION full plus OCILLATION 15 from full plus OCILLATION 15 from full plus A short lob can be put away by hitting your overhead straight past the volleyer. Hit from alley to alley, or from center to center. Remember to keep the ball in front of you and to keep your eyes up. wing your arm slowly but snap your wrist quickly. Your objective is to hit forehand and backhand underspin lobs down the line. These are effective as a return of serve, when you are off balance, or when your opponent is too close to the net. This is a touch shot so a slow swing with a full follow through is required. Note: An important variation to this drill would be to hit a crosscourt overhead while standing nearer to the baseline. eep lobs cannot be put away and must be directed away from the volleyer. et the ball speed to 50.

6 6 7 OUBL MI COURT VOLLY 20 Crosscourt TTING: P 70 INTRVAL 65 LVATION 5 from full minus OCILLATION 15 from full plus OUBL PUT AWAY VOLLY 10 to Center T 10 to Alley TTING: P 65 INTRVAL 70 LVATION 7 from full minus OCILLATION 15 from full plus Move diagonally forward Your goal in doubles is to join your partner at the net. As you work your way forward you must usually play a volley from the mid-court area. These are played back crosscourt by bending down and lifting from underneath the ball. Keep your wrist firm and racket speed slow. You need to keep this ball in play. Move diagonally forward Having reached the forecourt you are now in a position to put a HIGH ball away. Usually these are hit straight ahead past the opposing volleyer. Your forehand goes down the alley and your backhand goes down the center. Keep your racket head up and punch straight forward quickly. o not swing down. Watch the ball, not the target! Note: An important variation to this drill would be to stand back a few steps and to play these off the bounce as half volleys.