High Percentage Overhead Options for Excellent Positioning Control
After watching a few of our recent matches, there are some clear ideas about how to improve and be a better doubles team. Here is a list of the simple big ideas.
Commit to missing less.
Lob with a purpose twice as much as you hit a purposeless drive.
Commit to getting better knowledge of shot selection (see below).
There are always simple racquet sport skills like topspin, slice, and different spins and tempos which can help us greatly, but there is also the understanding of high percentage overhead placement to maintain your team’s optimal positioning. Shot selection errors create space and opportunity for the opponents to hit their best shots. If you can hit shots that keep you in a better position off of deep lobs, then you will miss fewer volleys and feel more connection as a team.
Today’s post is about how to limit these shot selection choices and cover the net better by making better choices as a team. These are key shots from lobs that are fairly deep in the court and challenge you to focus on avoiding the opponent’s strengths.
Deep Overheads from #6
This overhead is very tricky and baits the overhead player into a bad shot selection. There needs to be a very disciplined approach in this area to keep your positioning simple. Anything going crosscourt is at risk of being "eaten by a shark" forehand. Your positioning is a disaster to try any other shot than hitting it between target #3 & #1. Hitting this shot right at the opponent makes them move around the ball and will not allow them to rip it. Trying for target #2 is decent, but if the ad court player pinches over you might be in trouble from a forehand drive. Put screen #3 on repeat and be a robot for your partner.
Deep Overheads from #5
This overhead should be taken by the ad court forehand player (purple) at the higher level. The player on the right should take a step to the right and let the partner hit this overhead as drawn. If this happens, anything to screen #4 is an awful choice and screen #2 is risky for a quick counter punch. The best choice is to keep a push overhead to screen #3 or #1 and recover quickly. Again, the better teams will not have the player on the right take this overhead.
Deep Overheads from #3 & #4
This area gives the player the most options to neutralize a deep lob. The only dangerous target area would be screen #4 as the player would need to recover quickly up to the net and cover the down-the-line drive from a forehand. Keeping the push overhead deep to screens #1,2, or 3, will keep your positioning fairly simple. Pushing the ball deep into #3 can jam a strong forehand.
Deep Overheads from #1 & #2
These overheads can create some problems in positioning for a team if a player hits to screen #3 and the opponent is quick to drive the forehand. It is better to find a soft or spin shot to screen #1 or #2. Target #2 keeps the ball to the opponent’s backhand is the safest.
