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Seven Doubles Principles for USTA League Players

"High, You Die on the Primary Poach"

By David Brouwer

In this series of articles, I have covered many different principles on how to play more successful doubles. In this article, I'll explain what we teach our USTA league players about poaching and some drills and games that you can use to "coach the poach."

In the English dictionary, the definition of "poach" for sports is to: "to play a ball out of turn or in another's territory, as in doubles tennis." Many players when playing doubles, assume that crossing over into their partner's territory is being a ball hog and therefore don't look for chances to poach. However, we all know that the player who is closest to the net has the best angles available to them to finish the point. So poaching becomes a very good play! So what is a primary poach and what are some principles to playing it effectively?

A primary poach is when the server's partner intercepts the return of serve before the ball gets back to the server. As mentioned in a previous article, the highest percentage plays on this shot would be to go close to close by taking the volley at the returner's feet or going down the middle. The primary poach is the third shot of the doubles point and is a great way for the serving team to win some quick and easy points. What are some keys to a great poach?

First, we coach our players to plan the poach and serve accordingly. Ultimately, the server should hit a serve that will illicit a weak return so that the poacher has an easy volley put away. Depending on the server, this could be a big serve down the middle which would create little angle coming back or a jamming serve where the returner cannot get a clean hit on the ball and therefore hits it back as a floater. The slice out wide is generally a bit risky because of the angles it produces for the returner. But again, depending on the server, this could also be effective. The first key is to plan that you're going to poach before the point even starts so that the server and the poacher are both working towards the same goal.

Second, we coach our players to close in and be light on their toes as the serve is bouncing. This way, the momentum of the body is already in motion when the return is struck and the poacher will simply have to turn to get into position for the shot if it comes to them. We don't really coach the split step as much as we coach watching the seams of the ball. As in the legendary book, "The Inner Game of Tennis," anticipation comes best when there is an extreme awareness of the ball and the path of it. This is especially true in a quick doubles exchange like a return and poach.

Third, we coach our players that if their feet come in contact with the center service line as they move for the poach, they are committed to continue to the other side and make the switch with their partner. This is especially important for the server to recognize because sometimes the poacher will pick off the return and then go back to the side they started on and the server gets confused as to what half of the court they are covering. The rule of the center service line is a simple one and the server can call out "switch" when they recognize that the poacher has crossed the line.

Lastly, we coach our players to "go with the flow" on the poach and play the ball in the same direction that their body is moving. This means that they play the ball either at the net player or down the middle of the court.

So now that you know the main principles of poaching, how can you avoid being poached against? That's where the "high, you die" title comes in.

For the returner in doubles, one of the main principles is to get the return in an awkward place for the serving team to play their second shot. This means either hitting it with a low slice, a heavy top spin, a sharp angle, or with so much pace that it's tough to return. I like to coach a combination of the first three.

We coach our returners to set up for the return 2-3 steps behind where they would actually like to strike the ball. This allows for forward movement and balance when the service toss is in the air. When the server tosses the ball, we coach our players to take those 2-3 steps forward, track the ball with their eyes, and stay light on their toes. When the ball is struck, they make a quick balance step either landing on both feet, or loading off one foot, depending on how quickly their eyes pick up the ball (some players' eyes pick up the ball so quickly that they land from their hop on the foot that they need to push from rather than landing on both feet.)

At this point, the momentum of the returner's body is moving forwards and they can strike the ball on their way into the court. This hopefully allows them to play the ball lower and in a more awkward spot for the serving team. If the returner treats the return more like a singles return and doesn't aggressively move forward into the court, the return could float and be poached. If it's high, you die.

The other tip we tell our USTA league players to keep the poacher honest is to return straight at them one time per game. If you're playing against a very active poacher, this will at least send them the message that you're capable of burning them down the alley if they move too quickly.

Now you know some of the principles of poaching and also how to effectively play against the active poacher. Next, I'd like to show you some drills and games that you can use in practice to encourage poaching and also keep the ball away from the poacher.

High You Die Drill

"High, you die" is best played with three players on a team. Three balls will be played out before every rotation and one player will feed all three. Two players from each team set up in a normal doubles formation and a ball is fed across the center of the court. The poacher cuts off that ball and volleys it at the opposing net player. Meanwhile, the poacher's partner makes the switch and the player who fed the ball into play closes into the net. After the point is played, a volley to volley exchange is played out with all four players trying to keep the ball low. After that point is played, the feeder puts the last ball in play as a lob and that point is played out. When all three points have been played, the feeder's team rotates one spot to the left on their own side, the poacher rotates out, and the poacher's partner becomes the poacher. Play games side against side up to 15 and switch positions.

Check Drill

"The check drill" is more of a cooperative game working on placement of the poach and also reflexing the volley back. This game is best done with three players on court. Two players set up in a one up - one back doubles position with the net player on the service line. On the other side, a net player sets up in front of the baseliner and in the middle of the service box. The baseliner feeds the ball straight ahead to the net player and they poach it, aiming the volley at the opposing net player. The opposing net player reflexes it straight back to the poacher, who volleys it back to the baseliner and the pattern continues. If the path of the ball were drawn out on paper, it would make a checkmark, hence the name. This is a great warm up drill for teams or individuals who need work on their placement and technique on the volley and on the poach. A good game to play with this one would be to keep track of the number of hits each threesome is able to get before missing. This is a great way to work on consistency on the poach and reflex volley as well.

In closing, poaching is an excellent way for doubles teams to win quick and easy points. It's very frustrating to play against a very active net player because the pressure on the return is very high. If you want to improve your own doubles record, keep the return low and away from the poacher. If you are the poacher, be aggressive and go for everything!

Your comments are welcome. Let us know what you think about David Brouwer's article by emailing us here at TennisOne.

David Brouwer, USPTA is the Director of Tennis for three major health clubs in Grand Rapids , MI.

David was voted the USPTA Michigan Professional of the year in 2002 and has won two USPTA Outstanding Education awards.

David has been a speaker at the USPTA Midwest and National conventions and is the Director of the West Michigan Tennis Academy.

David coaches USTA league players of all levels and finds great joy in coaching strategy and tactics to build smarter tennis players.