Handling a Two-Back Doubles Formation

The following is a true story.

Kim and Betty, a #1 doubles team, had just won their first set 6-1. As they began the next set, they saw that their opponents had made a strategy decision — both players would play from the baseline.Their coach, watching from the side of the court, slapped his forehead. He knew they were going to lose. He knew what their strategy was going to be and he had not yet taught his team how to handle this formation.

Kim and Betty lost the next two sets 2-6, 3-6.

What went wrong?

First, Kim and Betty had never seen this formation before, had never been told how to play against it and had never practiced against it. Second, rather than playing their normal game, Kim and Betty began to try a new style of play neither had used before. Having never seen this formation before, Kim and Betty began hitting short, trying to take advantage of their opponents’ position at the baseline. By trying to hit short balls, Kim and Betty were no longer forcing errors, producing short balls they could attack or creating weak shots they could put away. When

Kim was returning serve, Betty stayed at her normal position at the service line. Why? There was no opponent at the net to pick off returns.

In short, Kim and Betty’s opponents forced got them  to abandon their original, winning strategy of forcing tennis, and use strategies against a one-up, one-back formation instead of a two-back formation.

Stick with Deep Groundstrokes

If your players have been taught to use deep groundstrokes to produce errors, short balls and weak shots, they should continue to use depth to do this. When your players encounter a two-back formation, in most situations, they should not start hitting short balls.

If your players think that they will be able to “dink” their opponents or force them to run up to the net, they will most likely hit weak balls their opponents can run down and hit offensively. Now, instead of being on the offensive, your players will find themselves on the defensive.

Why do some doubles teams play two back? Often, it’s because the other team is too dominant and is taking advantage of any weak or short balls with aggressive shots. But if the aggressive team hits neutral or weak short balls, the other team won’t mind coming to the net to play these balls.

If you have been playing aggressively against a one-up, one-back or a two-up formation team that suddenly changes to a two-back formation, continue to play aggressively — but now, take advantage of the angles open on both sides of the court — once you have produced a ball you can easily volley away!

Hit More Balls Down the Middle

While facing a one-up, one-back formation, your players need to keep balls crosscourt and out of reach of the net person. Against a two-back formation, the directional pressure is now off your players, and they can hit deep balls to either side of the court, as well as down the middle, to force errors, produce short balls or create weak shots.

While facing a two-up formation, your players should primarily hit deep and down the middle. This causes confusion between the two opponents (“Yours?”) and reduces their angles.

Try Playing One-Up, One-Back

If a two-back team resorts to the lob point after point, your team can play a one-up, one-back formation with the baseline player taking lobs with a forehand. For a right-handed player, this means he or she would play the ad court from the baseline. The net player is then free to roam, picking off weak balls, because he or she knows their partner is staying back to take all lobs.

What you lose against a two-back formation is the ability to lob over the net person or to volley at his feet. What you gain against a two-back formation is the ability to angle short, winning volleys to either side of the court and to hit deep and down the middle, creating confusion in “husband-and-wife” territory.

Your players can start this way when they are returning serve, as well as when they are returning. If their is no opponent at the net when your players are receiving, why should one of your players (the receiver’s partner) start the point at the serving line? That starting point is for protection against a net player who receives a ball from the returner.

Practice This During the Pre-Season

As a coach, it’s important that you prepare your doubles players for this situation.

This means not only giving them tactical instruction, but letting them practice this way. A good way to prepare your doubles player for this type of formation is to have them practice against it. You may have your doubles players play against your singles players who take a two-back formation.

Before you discuss how to solve this problem, let your players try to figure it out for several games or a full set. After they have tried to find a solution to this problem, then discuss tactics with them and have them go back to playing against this formation with the new tactics you have discussed with them.

Often, if your players simply pretend that there is a player at the net, they will see their basic strategy of forcing tennis will work just fine against this formation.

Of course, a major advantage you lose against a two-back formation is the ability to hit at the forward player’s feet and to hit volleys into the gap between and behind players. However, the short angle volley is now open to either side — if you have properly pinned opponents back on the baseline.

Summary
Remember…

#1 — The key to beating a two-back formation is to not panic: don’t change your basic strategy of forcing tennis (forcing errors, producing short balls and picking off weak balls); don’t go to the short ball to bring players to the net or try for angles that aren’t there; use a one-up, one-back formation to guard against the lob.

#2 — Have the returner’s partner start at the net, the same as when her partner serves.

#3 — The key to not panicking is to have practiced against this formation prior to seeing it.