Mixed Doubles Lesson And I Forgot To Blog My Lesson Last Monday

I will start with last Monday:


3/29/11--Lesson With K.--Concentrating On The Follow Through


K. has been riding me about my follow through for about two years now.  He has been on my case for so long that I forgot what he used to tell me to do to encourage a good follow through.  He is suggesting I "catch" my racquet way over my left shoulder every time I hit a forehand.  I bet he first told me this three years ago.  Writing down his suggestions is a good way to remind myself about my follow through goal.  I have really practiced catching the racquet all week.  On my backhand, which is one handed, I should concentrate on following up and out and mirroring that motion on my off hand.  He is not adamant about me changing my backhand because he said my style is unique and that he hates to mess with it.

4/3/11--Lesson With Suzette--Mixed Doubles

S. thinks the key to mixed doubles is the serve, the return of serve and the third ball following these two shots.  On a second serve, placement is really important.  A softer serve to to middle of the box is just not going to work.  The serve should be angled and/or deep.  There are two logical returns of the serve:  a rally ball or a extremely angled ball.  It is important to not return a high ball over the middle.  Your cross court will cross the middle but it needs to be low so that it is not poached.  Don't forget to step into the return and split step as the server hits the ball. 

Mied Doubles Lesson

3/27/11--Lesson With S.


When playing mixed doubles, women have trouble returning men's serves and men have trouble returning women's serves.  Women often can't handle the pace of a man's serve and likewise men can't handle a soft ball and tend to over-hit.  This is from improper footwork.  S. stressed the need to split step.  If you are not hitting the ball, then you should be split stepping. Return a serve with a neutral or rally ball.  /you can only hit a neutral ball if you are balanced up.


We also worked on faking out your opponent or going for a poach.  The server's partner has two choices:  fake a move (which has to be a big movement to distract the opponent) or go all the way for a poach.  There is no choice to just stand there. n When going for a poach, lead with the foot that is towards the ball, and then cross over with the other foot. 

Never Turn Your Neck Without Moving Your Feet

2/23/11--Lesson With J.--

Have you played doubles with a partner (or you yourself) who sees the ball whiz past and the partner (or you), just turns his/her neck to watch the ball sail past.  This is wrong, wrong, wrong.  If you need to turn your neck, move your feet and get into position for the next ball.  This is a good general principle to follow.  So, never turn your neck without moving your feet.


We worked on serving while having our shoulders at a 230 degree angle from the net.  This allows the server to get more spin and more bite on the ball.  There are three ways to stand:  facing the net, perpendicular to the net and greater than perpendicular to the net.  If you stand at a more acute angle, then it is really important to use a continental grip rather than a forehand grip.  (Note to self:  change to a continental grip.)  I asked J. if I have a neurological deficit that makes me use a forehand grip on my serve.  I notice that he did not answer me.


J. says I need to be able to play singles and hit 5 to 6 times over the net before I try to put it away.  He says that there is a choice to hit the ball with more control and less pace.  So far, I seem to be resisting this path.  He is hoping I can possibly follow his advice.


We practiced hitting volleys through the "goal", i.e., down the middle between the two opponents.

The Half Volley

2-9-11--Lesson With J.


First let me document my discussion with John...  I asked about poaching.  John said that the poach needs to incorporate the intention of finishing out the point.  He said that you may not always be successful in finishing the point, but if you are going to poach, you should be in the position where you have a good chance that you can close out the point or you shouldn't poach.

J. said that I need to follow through on my forehand groundies with my whole arm, not just my wrist.


With regard to the half volley, the shot requires a closed stance (with good footwork) and low, bent knees.  The ideal half volley is not a strong offensive shot, but rather a low medium pace ball.  Typically, a half volley will land short.  If the opponent is on the baseline and sees the half volley-er getting down to take that shot, he/she should start working up to the net to be in a position to make the return.  It is a good probability that half volley is not going to be a deep shot.  The return of the half volley should be a shot where you are taking it really early.


On the serve, I need to toss as I am lean forward, not leaning backward and I probably need to toss the ball higher.

Volley Lesson and General Review

1/25/11--Lesson with K.


For me, the most important thing to remember is to keep a firm wrist when I am volleying.  Using good footwork means to step into the volley with the opposite foot.  Concentrate on getting volleys past the service line.


1/27/11--Lesson with J.


We reviewed ground strokes, volleying, and serving. Concentrate on adjusting the backstroke to complement the ball that is coming to you.  A really hard ball requires a shorter take back.  If a soft high ball comes to you, you need more top spin to control the ball so that it stays in the court.  On my serve, I might need to take some pace off of it if my opponent just blocks the ball and uses my pace against me.