Use Doubles to Improve Singles

As a high school coach, you probably do not have enough courts for everyone to practice two to a court, or even to allow your singles players to practice on their own courts while your doubles teams practice on their own courts.

Adding to this problem is that quite often, singles players never practice playing doubles because they believe it doesn’t help them improve their singles skills.

Actually, a number of the dominant singles player of the modern game were also the top doubles players of their era, most notably John McEnroe and Martina Navratilova, who simultaneously claimed the titles of top singles and doubles player during their heyday. What are the benefits for your players, however, if they practice and play doubles more often?

#1 Doubles Play Improves Singles Skills
Because the court is protected by two players, there is less room to work with, and so a doubles player’s strokes must be more accurate. Additionally, in order to win in doubles at higher levels, players must learn to take and play the net, adding a variety of technical and tactical skills to their games.

#2 Improved Competition for Your Doubles Teams
If your singles players do not practice with any doubles, your doubles players are never going to get a chance to practice against the best members of your team. Let your singles players know that as part of a team, they have a responsibility to help their teammates improve.

#3 Increased Opportunity to Play Collegiate Tennis
Additionally, if your players wish to increase their chances of playing at the collegiate level, they must learn to play doubles. With possible rules changes that may prohibit players from playing singles and doubles in the same dual match, and with more points decided by doubles than singles, players who can play doubles have a better chance to make a college team as more and more college coaches specifically look to recruit doubles players.

If your singles players are reticent about playing doubles during practice, show them how playing doubles improves their skills in the following ways.

The Serve
In order to win at competitive levels of play, players must learn to serve down the middle in order to take away the return down the alley and the severe, crosscourt angle. A serve down the middle also forces the receiver to hit the ball inside out if they wish to keep their return away from the net player.

Playing doubles helps your players improve the placement of their serves.

The Return
The return of serve is more difficult in doubles because the receiver has less room to work with, due to the fact that, in order to keep the return from being picked off, the receiver must either lob or return crosscourt. Additionally, at higher levels of play, the receiver will have to hit this shot using an inside-out stroke in because the ball will usually be served down the middle.

Playing doubles helps your players improve their return.

The Volley
The oldest axiom in doubles still remains, “The team that gets to the net first, wins.”

In addition to putting away volleys from up close to the net, players must learn to volley from the mid-court as they work their way in. They must learn how to hit volleys moving both forward and laterally (during a poach).

Even if your players play a one-up, one-back formation, the will still need to play the net each time their partner serves.

Playing doubles helps your players improve their volleys.

The Overhead
Once your players are at the net, they will undoubtedly be lobbed, and will have to learn how to aggressively judge lobs and hit overheads.

Playing doubles helps your players improve their overheads.

The Lob
If the opposing team takes the net first, your players will have to learn how to hit lobs, including topspin lobs at higher levels of play, and how to advance off lobs.

Playing doubles helps your players improve their lob.

Practicing doubles helps every facet of a singles player’s game, and demands even more precision and accuracy than singles. If your players can do it in a doubles match, they’ll probably be able to do it during a singles match.

Point out to your singles players all of the advantages of using doubles practice to improve their stroke and shot-making skills, and they’ll willingly agree to work on this important area of the game.