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The Receiver’s Partner – Hero or Target Greg Moran When your partner’s returning serve, you’re squarely in the hot seat. If he does his job and hits an effective return, you can move forward, pick off your opponents shots and be a hero. If he hits a return that your opponents can attack you’ll be a target with your only goal being self-preservation. A feast or famine position to say the least, however, with the right strategy you can turn this hot spot into an advantage for your team. Where to Stand From a positioning standpoint, you have three choices at the start of each point:
If you’re not familiar with your opponents, begin the match on the service line. As the match progresses and you develop a feel for the opposing team, as well as how your partner is returning serve, you can make adjustments.
When facing an opponent with a weak serve, a net player who never poaches, or if your teammate is having a great day returning, move a foot or two in front of the service line. This will put pressure on your opponents because now, you’re in a position to move forward after the return and do some real damage. On those days when your partner is struggling with his service return, you may very well want to move back to the baseline on your opponent’s first serve. You see this frequently at the professional level where players are often facing serves well over 100 m.p.h. Yes, you’re conceding the race to the net but you’ll give your team a better chance of staying in the point after a weak service return. Though having both players positioned at the baseline is a defensive strategy, it can actually be quite effective against an aggressive team. By mixing up lobs and drives you’ll be surprised how often your team will be able to hang in, and even turn the point around. If the first serve is missed, you can then move back up to the service line. Presumably your partner will hit a strong return off of the second serve and you can then begin to think offensively. Finally, at the 4.0 level and above, you’ll most likely be facing a strong serve and volley player as well as his active partner at the net. As your partner prepares to return serve, stand at an angle so that you’re facing the server’s partner. He’s the immediate threat to your team. By standing at this angle, you’ll be able to watch and react to his movements much quicker.
Make a Quick Assessment Once you hear your partner strike their return, you need to determine as quickly as possible what type of return your partner has hit and assess the situation. Contrary to popular opinion, this is NOT done by turning and watching your partner hit the ball. When you turn your head to look at your partner, as in the diagram, you lose sight of what the serving team is doing and this can be physically dangerous. If the opposing net decides to poach, by the time you get your head turned back around, the next thing you may see are stars after receiving a "fuzz sandwich" compliments of the poacher's volley. Focus your attention on the player serving. Then, as soon as he strikes the ball, shift your gaze to his partner. Look in his eyes and read his body language and you’ll have all the information you’ll need. Not looking back to watch your partner hit the ball will take some getting used to. We've all been told since we began playing to always keep our eyes on the ball but, the fact is there are certain instances when watching a particular player will give you a better clue as to what's coming than watching the ball. You'll be surprised by how this little bit of extra time gained by watching the server's partner, instead of your own, will allow you to prepare and hopefully, return a few more balls that in the past you've only been able to protect yourself from.
Partner Returns Serve When your partner returns serve, there are basically five scenarios: A weak return that the server or his partner is going to attack Pay attention to the net player’s eyes and body language. If you see them widen and he quickly starts moving across the court, he’s poaching. Get your hands up, take a strong split step and do the best you can to react to the hard volley which will soon be upon you. If the ball moves past him high, immediately shift your eyes toward the server. If he’s moving forward and foaming at the mouth, again prepare to react quickly because he’s probably going to drive his shot right at you. A strong, low return to the net rushing server When the server’s partner’s body language remains calm, and the ball moves low past him, it’s your turn to get excited. With the server is moving forward, the low return will force him to volley up. Look to poach. From this difficult position, the odds of him volleying down your alley are slim. To do so he must dig the ball up off the court, change it’s direction and then hit the ball over the highest part of the net.
All of these combined tell you that he’s probably going to volley back to your partner. Just before he makes contact, shoot across the court on a diagonal, pick off his volley and end the point with an aggressive shot down the middle. A deep return to the server who’s stayed back If you partner has hit a deep cross-court return, and the server has not followed his serve to the net, you then shift into attack mode. Follow the ball forward and look to be aggressive. A return at the opposing net player
When your partner returns the serve low toward the opposing net player, immediately start moving diagonally towards him. Because the ball is low, he may very well pop his shot up. When that happens, you’ll be there to pick it off. Plus, if he feels you coming at him, it will make an awkward shot even more difficult. If the return of serve is high, and you see your opponent move forward, he’s probably going to hit an aggressive volley between you and your partner. Quickly move to the center and try to hit a reflex volley. When you see the net player preparing to hit an overhead, backpedal and then, just before the ball is struck, take a strong split step and balance yourself. Many players feel that they need to get back as far as they can to reply to an oncoming overhead. As a result, they’re often caught still backing up as the ball is struck. Now, they’re totally off-balance and faced with a rocket coming right at them. You’re much better off being a bit closer to the net but balanced and stable. From this position you’ll best be able to react to the shot and, if necessary, protect yourself.
A lob If your partner lobs his return of serve over the opposing net player, and both players are scrambling back to chase the ball, be careful. You’ll see your opponents in trouble and your instincts will undoubtedly tell you and your partner to charge the net. Not so fast! Strong players, when they’re on the defensive, know that their best option is to hit a high defensive lob. If you and your partner are both charging the net, you might get caught. Instead, when you see your opponents scrambling back for a lob, both you and your partner should position yourselves on or around the service line. Then, when the likely lob comes, you’re ready for it. If it’s a weak shot, you can always move forward to play the ball. Yes, from the service line position you’re vulnerable to a low drive but, if both opponents are struggling to get to the ball, that shot is unlikely. As the receiver’s partner you are firmly planted on the hot seat. However by learning to keep your eyes forward, assess, and react properly, you can not only survive this treacherous position, but even turn the heat onto your opponents. Your comments are welcome. Let us know what you think about Greg Moran's article by emailing us here at TennisOne.
Tennis Beyond Big Shots presents a bold back-to-the-future approach. A new game that moves away from power and big shots yet is more lethal to opponents than any booming serve. Greg Moran shows players of all ages and abilities that, with simple and small changes, you can not only maximize your tennis wins and play longer, but also have much more fun doing it. Click link to purchase Greg Moran's book, Tennis Beyond Big Shots. |
