Shrinking the court is a strategic adjustment you can make when your tennis game is a little bit off. It allows you to build confidence and raise the level of your play.  All tennis players have experienced the following: You aren't playing well and, as a result, you lose confidence in your shots. 

Be a neutralizer and not a terminator from the baseline from www.tennisoxygen.com

Before I get into this particular strategy you must buy into the theory that winners should be hit from inside the service line making contact above the net and not from the baseline. Learning to setup, build a point or as I call it “to set the table” is what separates players that know how to play doubles from players that just play doubles.

To “set the table” in baseball lingo means that you want players safely get on base with boring singles or walks ahead of the big sluggers who hit home runs and clean up the bases to score runs. Well relating this to doubles strategy, you want to set up the point with safe and boring low shots to and at the net players forcing short defensive volleys so you can then move in and hit winners when closer to the net.

We all know the first team to the net has a greater chance to win the point. But how close should you get to the net? You and your opponent’s court positioning plus the characteristics of the ball you have hit will determine how close you should get to the net. Too many of my students shy away from going the net because they are afraid of being lobbed. This only leaves them vulnerable to low volleys at their feet or passing shots.

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This video shows the transition from the baseline to the net using a doubles position.  The split step is what allows a player to explode to the next shot.   

The poach is a job for both the net player and the server. This article will outline the roles of  the server and the net player.

Good teamwork in doubles is essential as it not only allows for partners to communicate what they're doing to one another, and builds a rhythm but also can allow for a much stronger attack or solid defense.

This week's article is about why you need to be at the net as much as possible in your doubles play. In lower level and intermediate team practices that I teach there seems to be a constant debate over whether coming to the net all the time is good or not

Doubles compliments your overall game by forcing you to become comfortable at the net using volleys and overheads, so if you're not already mixing up your play time with both singles and doubles definitely start!