Real Tennis Players - Like You! - Asking For, and Offering, Advice on the Sport They Love
Player to Player is USTA.com’s regular feature in which everyday tennis players are given a forum to ask advice on the sport they love – and their fellow players will dish out advice. We’ll post a number of the best responses we receive to our question of the week. PLAYER TO PLAYER DOESN'T WORK WITHOUT YOUR QUESTIONS, so please send any queries you’d like answered, or responses to other players' questions, to Player@USTA.com.
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This week's question from Yehuda: | “What is a good way of practicing and perfecting my overhead shot?" | | Please share your thoughts with Yehuda by e-mailing Player@USTA.com and include your name and hometown.
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READ OTHER PLAYERS' ADVICE
Last week’s question from Carlos:
(Please note: There's no need to send additional responses to this question)“I would like to know if there is a trick to deciding when to poach in doubles. What should I do before poaching? What should I look for from the opponent...?”
PLAYER RESPONSES:
From Nancy G.:
When my partner is serving, I always wait to see where her serve is going. If it is deep to the backhand, I usually poach then. If they are serving, I wait to see what kind of return my partner hits, again deep to the backhand or into her body, and then I poach. Sometimes I poach for no reason, other than to keep the opposing team on its toes.
From John B., Bonners Ferry, ID:
You must have great communication with your teammate when you are going to poach at the net. It is best to use hand signals between you and your partner so your partner will know when you are poaching. I like to use three signals with my partners: One says that I am poaching; another says that I'm not poaching; and the last says that I am faking to poach. My partner has to know what I am planning to do at the net so that he or she knows what part of the court they must cover.
I like to poach when I know that my opponent consistently hits the ball cross-court and away from me. I also like to do this when my partner is serving his first serve, although I must make sure that I mix things up so I don't become predictable or I can get beat at the net.
I use the following signals placed behind my back so my partner can see when he is serving: An open hand means I am poaching; a fist means that I am not poaching; my index finger pointing behind my back means that I am faking to poach, and I will hold my position, expecting the person who is receiving the serve to try to beat me.
Try this out with your partner the next time you are playing doubles recreationally, and have fun with it!
From Chip R., Derby, KS:
The easiest and safest way to poach is to communicate to your partner before each point.
If your partner is serving, find out where they are going to serve on their first and second serve, and tell your partner whether you intend to poach on the first and/or second serve or not at all. The server then should be able to move in and cover the open court left by the net person.
The same thing can be done when receiving, especially if the returner stays back after the return of serve. The partners should talk before the point, the net person should indicate if they intend to poach after the return, so that the returner can begin moving to cover the open court.
The other way to poach is to be ready at the net at all times. If a slow-moving return is heading to the other side of the court, by all means jump on it, and put it away.
The more you poach, the better your doubles team will be. It will keep the other team off guard, and you will get some easy shots right to you to put away when you don't poach, but they think you are going to!
From Dan D., Point Set Indoor Racquet Club:
I think the answer is quite simple, like most things in tennis. The problem is that we tend to complicate them.
The great players are great because they do the basics very well most often. Remember, however, that on their best days, the best players miss a minimum of 20 percent of the balls. Not bad since you usually need only 51 percent to win.
All the modern great doubles teams have used signals, in which the net player tells the server whether or not he is going to poach. Quite obviously, he/she makes up his mind before the point starts as to whether or not he is going to poach. It would be physically impossible to consciously cause a muscular motion in the time between when the return is hit and you have to hit it back at the net.
This means you must trust your instincts. The greats do this very well, rarely second-guessing themselves and almost never doing so successfully. The priority is to be focused enough on the ball leaving the receiver's racquet so that the instinctive reflex happens sooner rather than later.
Because it is a reflex, by definition it cannot have a conscious component. No team (I believe in history) has done this as well as the Bryan brothers do it. Being twins probably increases the ability to trust one another.
The second component of good poaching is making sure you know where your partner is trying to serve the ball. If he serves down the "T," there is far less potential angle for him/her to return the ball to. There is also no way he can hit the return down your alley without the ball passing in front of you.
When your partner serves wide, your opponent has far greater access to hitting down your alley and forces you to cover it. Of course, this tremendously increases the percentage of the court that your partner will have to cover him/herself. Unless your partner has an extremely great wide service, it should be rarely used.
It is important to remember the 80/20 percent rule. You will not be right all the time, but even when you are wrong, you are keeping the receiver off balance and hopefully making him watch you, instead of the ball.
In essence, it becomes a completely mental game. Which of you is going to be more focused on the ball? The more reflexive your actions, the better off you are.
Remember what happens when you touch something very hot. Your hand will pull away before you are even conscious of the pain. This is nature's way of protecting us. If we had to think about the heat before we moved, we would be more severely burned.
It is important to note that babies are not born with this ability; they have to learn it, and, thankfully, they learn it very quickly. That should provide some solace in that it means that we can learn conditioned reflexes pretty quickly... provided we don't try to control by thinking. One of my favorite lines to my students is, "I am Pavlov, and you are the salivating dogs."
Good luck, and keep your eye on the ball.
*Please note that any advice given out in this forum should in no way be confused with actual medical advice. Before starting any new exercise regimen or altering your existing one, we strongly urge you to consult with your regular physician.
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