One Up One Back
By Kevin Pope
Continuing the series, here is another drill
to do if your best laid plans for a great doubles game get blindsided
when one your foursome either gets hung up or can’t make
it at all.
This is a great drill for practicing volleys
and volleying decisions. Two players start on one side of the
court, while the single player goes to the other side. On the
doubles side of the court, the players line up in a one up-one
back formation, with the back person lining up on the right hand
side of the court to start off. Stay in this formation throughout
the drill although the players may eventually alternate positions
so that everyone plays every position. On the single side of
the court the player will be up at net on the right hand side
of the court, face up to the net person on the doubles side of
the court. 
The ball exchanges begin between the single
net person and the back person in the doubles formation. The
back person will continually hit the ball crosscourt to the net
person either working on keeping the ball low so that the net
person has to hit up, or hitting it forcefully enough that it
gives the net person some trouble. The net person in turn works
on making good decisions and executing well off the groundstrokers
passing shots. The net person may go with their shot either back
to the groundstroker or at the opposite net person. If the ball
is hung up high, he or she might want to go hard at the net person
directly facing them. If it is a ball they are forced to hit
up on, or one that has them off balance, they will probably want
to try and hit it to the deep person, back crosscourt. The net
person on the doubles side can work on taking this all in, and
reacting to the shots their partner plays. If their partner (the
groundstroker) has played a shot that is probably going to elicit
a weak volley from the net person, they might look to poach or
close in on the net a little harder. If the net person has gotten
a ball they are obviously going to drive at them they can work
on the reflexes that are going to give them a better chance of
getting a racquet on the ball.
Overall, this is a great drill to improve
the decision making process. It recreates a lot of situations
in doubles that you don’t often get in ordinary hitting
or drilling. After everyone has rotated through all the positions
in this formation, reverse sides of the court so that the single
net person and groundstroker are starting the feeds from the
left-hand side of the court. |
