Doubles Tactics · Session Plan

00

Warm-Up & Orientation

0:00 – 0:10

Dynamic warm-up and session framing

10 min Both players

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Dynamic court movement

5 min

Movement Split-step

Side shuffles, cross-steps, and split-step drills along the baseline and net T
Emphasise doubles split-step timing — land as opponent's racket makes contact

Short court cross-court rally

5 min

Touch Warm-up

Rally from service boxes only, keeping ball low over the net
Activates wrist and shoulder, builds compact court awareness

Coach's note Brief whiteboard moment: outline today's four focus areas. Cover the core doubles principle — control the net together. Set the expectation that every drill has a specific tactical reason.

01

Poaching at the Net

0:10 – 0:35

Reading cues, commitment timing, and recovery

25 min 3 drills

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Poach trigger drill

10 min

Decision-making Reactions

Coach feeds cross-court to the server's partner side
Net player must poach any ball crossing the middle T or landing soft
Eric tracks width of movement; rotate after 10 attempts each

Planned poach + switch

8 min

Teamwork Signals

Server signals a planned poach behind their back before serving
Net player commits; server must switch to cover vacated side
Closed fist = poach · open palm = fake

Fake poach + reset

7 min

Deception Court awareness

Net player steps aggressively across the centre but does not volley
Resets to original position to draw an error or down-the-line pass
Server covers vacated side as if a real poach occurred

Key technical cues Move before or just as the opponent strikes — not after the ball is in flight. The poach is a commitment; a half-hearted step gets punished by a lob. Finish volleys into the open court, never back at the feet.

Josh At UTR 1.75s, Josh may hesitate to commit. Emphasise that poaching a short or central ball is the correct percentage play — it's not risky, it's the right tactical decision.

Eric Eric should not watch Josh poach — his job is to immediately cover the vacated side. Trust the signal system and move without watching the poach unfold.

02

Net Positioning

0:35 – 1:00

Formation, angles, and moving as a unit

25 min 3 drills

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The shadow drill

5 min

Formation Movement

Both players at the net; coach calls ball locations ("wide deuce", "centre", "ad lob")
Both move laterally together, maintaining a 2–3 m gap — no ball, pure synchronisation

Both-up volley rally

10 min

Net control Competitive

Both pairs at net volleying cross-court from a mid-court feed
Each player holds their corridor; ball through the middle = point to opponents

Lob recovery positioning

10 min

Recovery Communication

Serve and volley approach, then opponent feeds a lob mid-rally
Practice "mine / yours" calls, chasing the lob, and resetting the pair to correct formation
Alternate which player receives the lob

Positioning principles Net player should be inside the service box, roughly halfway between the net and the service line — not crowding the net. When a partner is pulled wide, slide with them. When both are at net, close the gap to eliminate the body shot.

Josh Encourage Josh to be more active and forward at net. His instinct may be to retreat. Reward forward movement even if the volley goes out — building the habit is the priority right now.

03

Doubles Returning

1:00 – 1:20

Return positioning, targets, and playing through the net player

20 min 3 drills

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Return target zones

8 min

Targeting Decision-making

Cones in three zones: cross-court low, down the line, dipping at net player's feet
Returner hits 5 to each zone; coach confirms target based on net player's position
Go down the line only when the net player is leaning in

I-formation return drill

7 min

Reading play Pressure

Serving team sets up in I-formation (net player crouching at the centre strap)
Returner reads net player's direction post-serve and adapts target accordingly

Returner's partner positioning

5 min

Partnership Positioning

Non-returning partner starts at the service line — not the baseline or net
They call "in play" or "error" and adjust forward/backward accordingly
Rush the net if the return is deep and forcing

The golden rule of doubles returning Keep the return low and cross-court 70% of the time. This neutralises the net player and gives the returner time to recover. Go down the line only when the net player gifts you the angle. An aggressive return into the net is worse than a safe dip at the server's feet.

Eric Eric's singles UTR (3.39) means he generates natural pace. Teach him to trade raw pace for control and placement on returns — a 70% pace return dipping at the server's feet beats a full rip that floats up.

Josh Focus on chip-and-charge when the second serve is weak. Getting to net on a return game beats grinding from the baseline in doubles.

04

Team Communication

1:20 – 1:40

Signals, calling, and between-point habits

20 min 3 drills

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Signal system introduction

7 min

Signals Strategy

3-signal system behind the back: index = poach, open palm = stay / fake, fist = I-formation shift
Practice during serve-and-return-only points until both players use it without discussion

Between-point routine

8 min

Habits Mental game

After every point, both players meet at the centre, make eye contact, and confirm the plan
Coach times the meeting — 20 seconds maximum
This becomes a non-negotiable match habit

Calling "mine / yours / bounce"

5 min

Calling Lobs

Coach feeds random lobs mid-rally; players must call loudly before moving
Silent = automatic loss of the point regardless of outcome

Communication philosophy Good doubles communication is constant and quiet — not just for big moments. Players should be talking before every serve, after every missed shot, and adjusting in real time. Silence on a doubles court usually means both players are operating independently.

UTR mismatch note With a ~1.6 singles UTR gap, Eric will naturally make more decisions. Structure this intentionally: Eric is the "decision-caller" on ambiguous balls down the middle, and should give Josh clear, simple cues — "you've got it", "leave it" — rather than crowding him out.

05

Applied Match Play

1:40 – 2:00

Bring it all together under match conditions

20 min 2 drills

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Constrained points game

10 min

Competitive Constrained

Full doubles points with one rule: both pairs must attempt at least one poach per service game
Failure to attempt = automatic point to opponents
Score to 7 points, then brief debrief

Free play with coaching stops

10 min

Awareness Open play

Open doubles play; coach calls "freeze" at any moment
Players must verbalise their positioning choice or next intended shot
No silent tennis — develops tactical awareness mid-point

Session debrief — final 3 minutes Ask each player: (1) What was the hardest thing today? (2) Name one tactical thing you'll bring to your next match. Set 2–3 specific take-home targets — e.g. "use the signal system every serve game" and "meet at the centre after every point."

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Tactics