Four Back
By A. J. Chabria
Bolle's sunglasses designed especially for
tennis make the ball literally leap out of the background. On
sale now!
Click
here to Purchase
|
Most doubles players play a lot of sets, but tend not to practice
enough doubles-specific drills. Here's one that'll get you practicing the
right things, and it can be played two-on-one, in case your fourth doesn't
show.
In doubles we begin 50 percent of all points at the net, and we all
know that's where doubles is usually won. It is easy to dominate a point
when you’re already up there and you are given opportunities. In this
drill, you'll need to develop the skills necessary to dominate a point
starting from the baseline and create opportunities to attack, or get
better at the defensive aspects of doubles. In this drill, you've got to
prove your mettle without the use of a dominant serve or big return. Those
can be practiced separately.
The drill is called 4 back, and as the name indicates, all four players
begin the point at the baseline as a player feeds in a medium-paced
groundstroke. After the ball crosses the net twice, the point is alive and
should be played normally and competitively. The first team to seven wins,
then you can change ends and/or change partners. Play 3 back if you've
only got enough for "Canadian doubles". In 3 back, again, all
three players start at the baseline, but the team of two are only allowed
to hit to the half of the court the loner is covering (alternating deuce
and ad courts). For 3 back you may have to draw a line (chalk, tape or
imaginary) extending from the "T" all the way back to the center
mark. 3 back is also a great way to practice avoiding a strong net player.
Whether you're playing 4 back or 3 back, all players should immediately
look for short balls or high floaters they can move in on, together. The
team which first assumes the attacking role gets to practice volleys and
overheads while the team that stays back gets to hone their dipping shots,
passing shots and lobs -- all while playing points.
As a team and as an individual, you'll discover which of your shots
work best in certain situations. You'll also learn how strong your
positioning and recovery skills are. Use this drill to ask yourself a few
questions and learn from the answers. Observe which groundstrokes and
approach shots cause weak, attackable responses, and which ones you should
simply not follow to the net. With which shots are you most capable of
creating a hole in your opponents' defenses? With which shots can you hit
to that hole? How can you and your partner limit your opponents' options?
When should you drive a volley/overhead smash deep? When is it best to
angle a volley/overhead smash? How about a drop volley?
You'll also get to test your defensive skills. When should you rip a
pass down the middle? Under which circumstances should you pass with an
angle? When is the best time to lob, where is the best place to lob? When
should you hit right at an opponent? Which of your opponents' attacking
shots can you use to mount a counterattack, like an approach off a weak
volley?
Intellectually and on paper, the answers to these questions seem
apparent. Drilling 4 or 3 back can help flesh out the actual answers on
the tennis court itself! Drill to discover...drill to win!
You
will need real player G2 to view the video If you do not have it
installed on your system, click on the icon to download the free
software. |
Your comments are welcome. Let us know what you about the 4 back drill by emailing
us here at TennisONE.
|