Poaching in Doubles- The Do's and Don'ts

by Scott Mitchell / Staff Writer / Centre Court Magazine

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Doubles is a fast paced game with a lot of movement, communication and some calculated risks. Poaching is a very calculated risk. Poaching is when you are at the net and you move across the middle of the court to cut off a ball intended for your opponent. Getting to the net is still a top priority to be a successful doubles team. Once at the net, being active is a key element to keeping your opponents off balance and away from the net themselves. To be a good net player it takes quick movement, great shot placement and having the courage to take a few chances. You need to be active while at the net and ready to end certain points with a quick poach and put away volley. Here are my five key elements and some do's and don'ts for poaching.

When to move when poaching:

Do: You should move just as your opponent is getting ready to begin their forward swing on their shot. Timing is everything when it comes to poaching. You want to keep your opponent from knowing that you are about to move across and poach. Once your opponent has taken their racquet back and is ready to swing at the ball, their focus is now completely on the ball they are about to strike and not on you and your movement.

Do: Look to move when your opponent is in trouble. A good time to move is when there is a low ball at your opponent's feet or when they are hitting from deep within the middle of the court.

Don't: Do not move too soon. If you move too quickly you give up the element of surprise and your opponent will be able to change directions with their shot and hit it down your alley.

Don't: Do not move on most wide balls hit to your opponent. If you then notice that your opponent is moving wide off the court, the net player directly in front of the ball should then move towards the alley and not look to poach. This is to put the pressure on your opponent to hit cross court and not leave your alley wide open for the easy passing shot.

How to move when poaching:

Do: How to move when poaching is one element that is overlooked by most recreational players. The best way to cut off your opponent's shot is to first move closer to the net, split step then move where it across the middle at an angle towards the net strap. This will allow you to get to your opponent's shot quickly and much more efficiently, cutting off their angle from their shot with your angle of movement.

Don't: Do not move parallel with the net. This will force you to take another step or two to reach your opponents shot. A step or two late when poaching is the difference between hitting a winner or just trying to get your next shot back.

Where to hit your volley when poaching:

Do: Look to hit your volley the direction you are moving. Your first option is to hit your volley firmly between your two opponents. There is a huge gap between your opponents when they are in a one up and one back formation. Your second option is to hit a softer volley towards your opponent's net player and the direction of the alley. This is a bit tougher as there is less court space to hit to. Your opponent's net player has very little time to react to your volley so you don't have to hit a great volley, just a solid well placed one.

Don't: Don't move across the court to poach and hit the volley back the direction you came from. The baseliner has more time to react so your volley isn't going to be as effective. If you hit your volley back to the baseliner while poaching, it gives them an easy shot down the line because you have left that area open.

Don't: Do not hit your volley directly at the net player. You want to try and direct your shot to either side of your opponent or what I refer to as the two "T's" on the court. One T is where the service line and the center service line intersect and the second one is where the service line and the singles sideline intersect. This will force your opponents to reach for your shot and put them off balance, which could force a weak reply if your first volley isn't a winner. If you hit your shot directly at your opponent their reflexes take over and they don't have to move which is a good opportunity for them to get lucky and hit a winner off your volley.

Don't forget you can poach on the return too.

Do: Try to poach off your partner's serve. When your partner hits an effective serve, this is a great time to poach. It allows you the chance to move quickly through the middle of the court and put away the volley. The best places to serve when your partner wants to poach are either down the middle of the court or into your opponent's body. Both of these options give you a higher percentage chance that your opponent will hit down the middle of the court. This can also force a weaker return from your opponent which will allow for an easier put away volley for you.

Don't: Do not poach when your partner hits a wide serve. Poaching on wide serves should be done sparingly because a wide serve opens up the court for your opponent to hit cross court since you are to cover your alley. You can poach off your partner's wide serve as a surprise tactic or when you notice your opponent has hit a weak return.

Do: Learn to poach off your partner's return of serve after your opponent has served. This is a great time to poach and one that is not used as much as it should. Look to poach when your partner hits a forcing shot off the return, either forcing the server to move quickly out of position or at the feet of the serve and volley player.

Don't: Do not miss an opportunity to be aggressive when your partner hits great shots. If the server is struggling to get a shot back but you aren't helping your partner up at the net this could wear on your partner and force them into missing returns. It could also give your opponent some extra confidence getting return after return back in the court without any consequences. Communicate with your partner and look to help as much as possible.

Communicate before you poach.

Do: This is the most important key element in a good doubles team. Communicate as much as possible between points to discuss opportunities to poach. Communicating between each point will keep you and your partner on the same page and focused. Doubles is a team sport and communicating with your partner will keep you two working as a team discussing tactics that are best for the team. Always discuss when you or your partner want to poach so that you can discuss movement as well as serve or return placement.

Don't: Do not try and poach without having discussed the opportunities with your partner. If you do poach and your partner wasn't expecting it you could be in trouble. As you poach your partner will move at an angle across into the court to cover the area that you have left open. If you have not discussed poaching before the point your partner will not be in the position needed to help you cover the court.

Don't: Do not just communicate on points that you are going to poach. This won't take your opponents long to figure out what you and your partner are discussing. Communicate between each point even if it is to say "great shot" or talk about an option for your serve or return.

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Scott MitchellScott Mitchell is the Head Professional at Charlotte Country Club in North Carolina. He is our "go to" guy when it comes to instruction and advice when it comes to any part of the tennis game. When Scott talks, we here at Centre Court Magazine drop what we're doing, and listen. Scott Mitchell is a decorated veteran when it comes to tennis instruction. He was voted the PTR (Pro Tennis Registry) Clinician of the Year for 2009, and he was the PTR 5A National Clinician and Tester as well. In addition, the club where Scott is the head Tennis Professional; Charlotte Country Club, was voted #14 country club in the U.S. by Club Forum. Scott Mitchell will be writing numerous future articles for Centre Court Magazine, and we can't wait to improve our game.

If you have any questions for Scott Mitchell, feel free to email him directly at scott.mitchell@centrecourtmagazine.com.

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