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Brain Game Tennis

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  • Webinars
    • 1: Winning Singles Strategy
    • 2: Winning Doubles Strategy
    • 3: Serve Strategy & Patterns
    • 4: Return Strategy & Patterns
    • 5 FREE 2022 US Open: Alcaraz v Sinner Analysis
    • 6 Net Strategy & Patterns
    • 7: Baseline Strategy & Patterns
    • 8: The Mental Game
    • 9: 25 Favorite Drills
    • 10: Primary & Secondary
    • 11: Break Points & Tie-Breaks
    • 12: Team Djokovic
    • 13: How Not To Lose
    • 14: Forehand Playbook
    • 15: Backhand Playbook
    • 16: Serve +1 Strategy
    • 17: Return +1 Strategy
    • 18: FREE Djokovic 2023 Australia Analysis
    • 19: Drop Shots & Lobs
    • 20: Own The Net & Cover The Lob
  • Strategy Courses
    • The First 4 Shots
      • The Mode = 1
      • Men: 2015/16 Australian Open Round by Round
      • Men: 2015/16 Australian Open Average Rally Length
      • Women: 2015/16 Australian Open Round by Round
      • Women: 2015/16 Australian Open Average Rally Length
      • 2015/16 Australian Open: Bullseye = 3 Shots
      • 2015/16 Australian Open: 1-7 Shots Breakdown
      • 2015/16 Australian Open: Shorter > Longer
      • Men 2015/16 Australian Open: Champion Analysis
      • North Carolina High School Tennis
      • The Serve Shockwave
      • Everyone’s Game Style = First Strike
      • Where Players Lose
      • Junior to Pro First Strike Pathway
      • Men’s College Tennis
      • Women’s College Tennis
      • Boy’s 12’s
      • Boy’s 14’s
      • Boy’s 16’s
      • Boy’s 18’s
      • Girl’s 18’s
    • Short Ball Hunter
      • Baseline v Net
      • Wimbledon Approaching 2002 – 2015
      • 2015 US Open: 2nd Week
      • 2015 US Open: Approach To The Backhand
      • 2015 US Open: Approach To The Forehand
      • Junior & College Data
      • Roger Federer Prowling
      • Roger Federer: Hitting A FH v BH Approach
      • Roger Federer: Approach to Forehand v Backhand
      • Roger Federer: Approach Situations
      • Roger Federer: SABR
      • 2015 Australian Open Men: Best Time To Approach
      • 2015 Australian Open Women: Best Time To Approach
      • 2015 Australian Open Juniors: Best Time To Approach
      • 50-50 Ball
      • Approach Middle
      • Half Court Players
      • Court Position & Time
    • 25 GR Singles
      • Foundations
      • #1 Eight Serve Locations
      • #2 Eight Serve Factors
      • #3 Serve + 1
      • #4 Serve & Volley Part 1
      • #4 Serve & Volley Part 2
      • #5 Serve Situations
      • #6 First Serves
      • #7 Second Serves
      • #8 Return Situations
      • #9 Returning 1st Serves
      • #10 Returning 2nd Serves
      • #11 Break Points
      • #12 Return Approach
      • #13 Return Winner
      • #14 A B C D
      • #15 Rally Percentages
      • #16 Sword & Shield
      • #17 Run Around Forehand
      • #18 The 2-1
      • #19 Climbing The Ladder
      • #20 Backhand Cage
      • #21 Backhand Line
      • #22 Drop Shots
      • #23 Approaching
      • #24 1st Volley Behind
      • #25 Pass Cross
    • 25 GR Doubles
      • #1 Center Window
      • #2 Where To Stand
      • #3 Forget The Lines
      • #4 Don’t Follow The Ball
      • #5 Don’t Change Directions
      • #6 Don’t Cover The Line
      • #7 Best Serve Locations
      • #8 Best Return Locations
      • #9 The J
      • #10 The V
      • #11 Volley Targets
      • #12 Two Back
      • #13 Lob Returns
      • #14 Lobbing
      • #15 Serve Formations
      • #16 Low Middle
      • #17 Assign The Middle
      • #18 Power Play
      • #19 Home Base
      • #20 Three Feet
      • #21 R. Partner Neutral
      • #22 Fake & Bake
      • #23 Beach Volleyball
      • #24 Not Hitting = Moving
      • #25 Communicate
    • Num3ers
      • 3 Types of Points – Men
      • 3 Types of Points – Women
      • Average Rally Length
      • Ideal Point
      • Be A High % Player
      • Faster Future
      • Grinding
      • Long Rallies Don’t Matter
      • The Bottom Line: Women
      • The Bottom Line: Men
    • Dou8les Num3ers
      • Building Blocks
      • 3 Types of Points – Men
      • 3 Types of Points – Women
      • Average Rally Length
      • Last Shot: Net v Baseline
      • Last Shot: Server v Returner
      • Last Shot: Winner v Error
      • Last Shot: Serving Team
      • Last Shot: Returning Team
      • 1st Serves
      • 2nd Serves
      • Unreturned Serves
      • Return Winners
      • Groundstroke Winners
      • Stephen Huss – 2005 Wimbledon Champion
    • Between The Points
      • Introduction
      • Two Matches
      • 5 Step Routine
      • 3 Opponents
      • Strings
      • Voices In My Head
      • 55%
      • Leaking Cup
      • Storm Cloud
      • Finish Line
      • Getting Tight: Sample Page
      • Federico Coria: Fear
      • Andre Agassi: Shower
      • Djokovic 2014 Wimbledon
    • Million Pts College Tennis
      • Points Won/Lost
      • Total Net Points
      • Net Points Won
      • Serve +1 FH / BH
      • Serve +1 Errors
      • Serve +1 Winners
      • Serve +1: 3 Outcomes
      • Return +1 FH / BH
      • Return +1 Winners
      • Return +1 Errors
      • Return +1: 3 Outcomes
      • 1st Serve Percentage
      • 1st Serve Points Won
      • 1st Serves Deuce Court
      • 1st Serves Ad Court
      • 2nd Serve Points Won
      • 2nd Serves Deuce Court
      • 2nd Serves Ad Court
      • Deuce Court Aces
      • Ad Court Aces
      • Double Faults / 2nd Serves Lost
      • Deuce Court Double Faults
      • Ad Court Double Faults
      • Serving: Deuce & Ad Combined
      • Return Errors
      • Return Errors – Deuce Ct
      • Return Errors – Ad Court
      • Return Errors vs 1st Serves
      • Return Errors vs 2nd Serves
      • Return Winners
      • Deuce Ct: 1st Serve Returns
      • Deuce Ct: 2nd Serve Returns
      • Ad Ct: 1st Serve Returns
      • Ad Ct: 2nd Serve Returns
    • Getting Tight
      • Getting Tight – Introduction
      • Getting Hijacked
      • Permission To Miss
      • Pre-Match 1 – Expectations
      • Pre-Match 2 – Visualize
      • Pre-Match 3 – Filters
      • Pre-Match 4 – Arousal
      • Set 1 – Adrenalin
      • Set 1 – Internally Focused
      • Set 1 Permission Slips
      • Sets 2&3 – Exhausted
      • Sets 2&3 – Survival Mode
      • Sets 2&3 – Backhand Permission
      • Match Analytics 1
      • Match Analytics 2
      • Match Analytics 3
      • Match Analytics 4
      • Match Analytics 5
      • On Court – Drop Shot
      • On Court – Backhand Line
      • On Court – Return Of Serve
      • Francisco Clavet – 1
      • Francisco Clavet – 2
      • Francisco Clavet – 3
      • Review 1
      • Review 2
      • Review 3
      • Match: Jeff 1st Serves
      • Match: Jeff 2nd Serves
      • Match: Francisco 1st Serves
      • Match: Francisco’s 2nd Serves
      • Match Intelligence 1
      • Match Intelligence 2
      • Match Intelligence 3
    • GamePlan
      • Welcome To GAMEPLAN
      • 1st Serve Percentage
      • 1st Serve Points Won
      • First Point Serving
      • The 43% Upgrade
      • 2nd Serve Points Won
      • Break Points
      • Returns: Forehand v Backhand
      • Returns: Made/Winners/Errors
      • Returns: Deuce Court
      • Returns: Ad Court
      • Double Faults
      • The First 4 Shots: Murray v Nishikori
      • Strategy Analysis 1 – Becoming No. 1 In The World
      • Strategy Analysis 2 – Climbing The Rankings
    • Dirtballer
      • START HERE — Introduction
      • Men Rally Length: 2017 RG vs US Open
      • Women Rally Length: 2017 RG vs. US Open
      • 2016 RG vs 2017 Australian Open
      • Nadal Dominance On Clay
      • Nadal Career Stats – Clay vs Hard
      • Rafael Nadal: 23 Masters 1000 Matches
      • More Lessons
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  • Home
  • Rafael Nadal
  • Archive from category "Rafael Nadal"

The Art Of Winning 2nd Serve Points

Wednesday, 10 August 2022 by Craig O'Shannessy
G’day, Is your second serve a strength of your game? I can say with almost certainty that it is not because it’s not for almost everyone on the 🌏. Winning more points on 2nd serve will be covered in extensive detail in the webinar Serve Strategy: Patterns, Percentages & Drills, which is now available for
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  • Published in 2nd Serves, Novak Djokovic, Rafael Nadal, Roger Federer, US Open, Webinars
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Serve Webinar: The Eight Serve Factors

Monday, 08 August 2022 by Craig O'Shannessy
G’day! You always play two matches when you step onto the court to compete. During the point. Between the points. We have all heard how tennis is such a mental game. Staying focused on your game plan and the opponent is a crucial element of that. The August 18th webinar (Serve Strategy: Patterns, Percentages &
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  • Published in Novak Djokovic, Rafael Nadal, Roger Federer, Serve Webinar, Serving, Stefanos Tsitsipas
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Pro Forehands: Technique & Tactics

Friday, 15 July 2022 by Craig O'Shannessy
  G’day! This is a very cool way to watch a forehand = on repeat! Let yourself be mesmerized by the forehands playing again & again every 1-2 seconds. These GIFs are meant to be watched for 30 seconds to a minute and sometimes more before you go on to the next one. Here’s how
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  • Published in Alex De Minaur, Andre Agassi, Andrey Rublev, ATP Tour, Carlos Alcaraz, Dan Evans, Daniil Medvedev, David Goffin, Denis Shapovalov, Dominic Thiem, Forehands, Francisco Cerundolo, Naomi Osaka, Novak Djokovic, Rafael Nadal, Roger Federer, Stefanos Tsitsipas
No Comments

Rafael Nadal: Roland Garros Serve/Return Analysis

Thursday, 02 June 2022 by Craig O'Shannessy
G’day, Rafael Nadal is through to the semi-finals of Roland Garros, chasing an unprecedented 14th title in Paris. Here’s the road he has taken so far: Rd 1 def. Jordan Thompson 6-2, 6-2, 6-2 Rd 2 def. Corentin Moutet 6-3, 6-1, 6-4 Rd 3 def. Botic Van De Zandschulp 6-3, 6-2, 6-4 Rd 4 def.
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  • Published in Rafael Nadal, Roland Garros
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2022 Roland Garros Preview: 25 Match Metrics For Nadal & Djokovic

Monday, 30 May 2022 by Craig O'Shannessy
G’day from Paris, Rafael Nadal and Novak Djokovic will play for the 59th time in the quarter-finals of Roland Garros on Wednesday. Overall, Djokovic leads the head-to-head 30-28. Djokovic won their last meeting, which was at Roland Garros in 2021. All of that will be water under the bridge when they do battle in the
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  • Published in Novak Djokovic, Rafael Nadal, Rally Length, Roland Garros
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Rome 2022: Return Serve Position Analysis

Sunday, 15 May 2022 by Craig O'Shannessy
G’day from Roma, You can break down what happens in a tennis match into four simple categories. Serving Returning Rallying Approaching Different players are going to employ different strategies, but in general, you are going to find minor variations in the patterns of play because players know what works and what doesn’t from playing hundreds
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  • Published in ATP Tour, Novak Djokovic, Rafael Nadal, Return Of Serve, Rome
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Rafael Nadal Simulcam & Stromotion Forehands

Thursday, 28 April 2022 by Craig O'Shannessy
G’day Watching two Rafa’s spank forehands instead of one is simply mesmerizing! Stromotion and Simulcam are two very cool tools in the Dartfish suite that I don’t typically use a lot. But these videos of Rafael Nadal practicing in Rome in 2021 seemed like a good idea! The Simulcam tool puts two Rafa’s on the
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  • Published in Rafael Nadal, Rome, Simulcam
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Rafael Nadal: How He Thrives From A Ultra-Deep Return Position

Tuesday, 26 April 2022 by Craig O'Shannessy
G’day, Thanks to Rafael Nadal, we are in the age of the ultra-deep returner. Rafa started the revolution of standing wayyyy back near the back fence to return, and now other players such as Daniil Medvedev, Casper Ruud, and more are following suit. What’s the benefit? Glad you asked! The end game for Rafa to
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  • Published in Rafael Nadal, Return Of Serve, Rome
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Nadal def. Kyrgios. Returning & Rallying. What Were Their Targets?

Friday, 18 March 2022 by Craig O'Shannessy
Rafael Nadal def. Nick Kyrgios 7-6(0), 5-7, 6-4 Where you return serve and where you rally are the not same locations. The 2022 Indian Wells quarter-final between Rafael Nadal and Nick Kyrgios offers a prime example of players’ different targets when returning a serve and developing a rally. Return Of Serve Players generally have a
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  • Published in ATP Tour, Nick Kyrgios, Rafael Nadal, Return Of Serve
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Nadal is 15-0 to start the season. One metric stands out…

Monday, 28 February 2022 by Craig O'Shannessy
Rafael’s 2022 Renaissance. The 35-year-old Spaniard has: won his first 15 matches in a row to start 2022. That’s the best start to a season ever for the Spaniard. won 13 sets in a row. won the last 11 finals in a row he has competed in. moved up one spot in the ATP Rankings
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  • Published in ATP Tour, Australian Open, Daniil Medvedev, Rafael Nadal
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Nadal def. Medvedev. The 3 Strategic Reasons Why.

Saturday, 26 February 2022 by Craig O'Shannessy
Droppers. S&V. Run-arounds. Rafael Nadal defeated Daniil Medvedev 6-3, 6-3 in the semi-finals of the ATP500 Acapulco Open on Friday night. The scoreboard looks fairly routine. It was far from it. The first thing to understand is that Nadal converted 3/6 break points, while Medvedev went… wait for it… 0/11. 0 for California. 0 for
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  • Published in ATP Tour, Daniil Medvedev, Rafael Nadal
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2022 Australian Open Final: Nadal d Medvedev Analysis In 42 Enhanced Tweets

Tuesday, 15 February 2022 by Craig O'Shannessy
G’day! I think most of us are still scratching our heads trying to figure out how Rafael Nadal staged such a brilliant comeback in the 2022 Australian Open final against Daniil Medvedev. I was fortunate enough to be at the match and tweeted throughout it. A couple of days ago, I started re-reading the tweets
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  • Published in Australian Open, Daniil Medvedev, Rafael Nadal
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The Numbers: Nadal v Medvedev

Saturday, 29 January 2022 by Craig O'Shannessy
Rafael Nadal v Daniil Medvedev in the 2022 Australian Open Final. Six matches down. One to go. Who do you think is going to win the Aussie Open final? It’s time to look back at the six matches both players have played to figure out where the strengths are and where the opponent will likely
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  • Published in Australian Open, Daniil Medvedev, Rafael Nadal
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2022 Australian Open: Men’s Semi-Finalists. 22 Match Metrics

Thursday, 27 January 2022 by Craig O'Shannessy
It’s semi-final time at the 2022 Australian Open. Who have you got? Nadal or Berrettini? Or how about Tsitsipas or Medvedev? I have compiled 22 match metrics to help you figure out who is doing what better in their five matches leading up to the semi-finals. Enjoy the stats and let’s hope for some great
Daniil Medvedev
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  • Published in Australian Open, Daniil Medvedev, Matteo Berrettini, Rafael Nadal, Stefanos Tsitsipas
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If Rafael Nadal was a stock, he would be a BUY at the 2022 Australian Open

Friday, 21 January 2022 by Craig O'Shannessy
Rafael Nadal is ticking all the right boxes through the first three rounds of the 2022 Australian Open. Here’s his tournament to date. Rd 1 def. Marcos Giron 6-1, 6-4, 6-2 Rd 2 def. Yannick Hanfmann 6-2, 6-3, 6-4 Rd 3 def. Karen Khachanov 6-3, 6-2, 3-6, 6-1 SERVING GRADE = A- 1ST SERVE POINTS
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  • Published in Australian Open, Rafael Nadal
No Comments

Rafael Nadal’s 1st Serve Return Footwork

Sunday, 02 January 2022 by Craig O'Shannessy
I learned something new about Rafael Nadal yesterday. I have watched Rafa play A LOT of matches throughout his long career. I have poured over his match statistics. I have studied his mannerisms and even coached against him – with mixed success. I took a few short videos of his practice yesterday at the 2022
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  • Published in Australian Open, Rafael Nadal, Return Of Serve
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Ten Tennis Strategy Products

Brain Game Tennis is the world leader researching and teaching strategy in tennis. Below are ten products to choose from to remove the guesswork and opinion from your game.

THE FIRST 4 SHOTS

The practice court is clearly broken. Here’s the proof.

Points are "front loaded". By far the majority of the action, and the winning, takes place in THE FIRST 4 SHOTS. The practice court is full of long rallies. Matches are dominated by short rallies. There is a massive disconnect occurring.

We spend too much time grinding, banging balls up and down the middle of the court – that have no real benefit to winning tennis matches.

There are 3 specific rally lengths in tennis. Here is their percentage breakdown of total points.

0-4 Shots = 70%
5-8 Shots = 20%
9+ Shots = 10%

The First 4 Shots is specifically the serve, return, Serve +1 groundstroke and Return +1 groundstroke. Those are normally the shots that get practiced the least, but matter the most to winning tennis matches.

Short Ball Hunter

The net is an extremely high percentage place to be!

If you love playing tennis for fun, spend as much time at the baseline as you like. But if you compete – if the score matters – then you must turn your attention to the net to maximize your potential.

The “herd mentality” in tennis thinks it’s too tough to approach the net in today’s game. The conversation starts with improved string technology, more powerful rackets, and finishes with stronger, faster athletes. The herd think approaching is a relic of the past. The herd is WRONG!

AVERAGE WIN %
Baseline = 46%
Net = 66%

Data from ALL Grand Slams provides the facts about approach and volley, and the data is crystal clear – it’s immensely better than staying back at the baseline, grinding for a living.

Num3ers

The baseline is a tough place to create separation. Here's how to do it.

At the 2012 US Open, only 7 men and 14 women had a winning percentage from the baseline. At Wimbledon 2016, Andy Murray won the title only winning 52% of his baseline points - and he is one of the very best at it in the world!

Num3ers deeply explores the data that rules points, especially from the back of the court. Take a "deep dive" into all three rally lengths (0-4, 5-8, 9+), and winner and errors totals from the elite level of our game. The numbers will shock you!

All 4 Grand Slams

Forcing Errors = 41% Men / 37% Women
Winners = 32% Men / 29% Women
Unforced Errors = 27% Men / 34% Women

Num3ers is very much like putting a jigsaw puzzle together. It's about bringing together different data sets together to create the big picture.

Dou8les Num3ers

Doubles Numbers

Every recorded match from the 2015 Australian Open - Rd2 to the final.

There is a lot happening on a doubles court. Situations and strategies are constantly being adjusted to create mis-matches with court position. It's hard to keep track of - until now. Dou8les Num3ers is the most comprehensive analysis of doubles data in our sport. The focus is on how a point ends, and it's broken down eight ways to Sunday. Specifically, you find critical information on:

Winners rise to the #1 way a point ends (over forced & unforced errors)

- The last shot of the rally is overwhelmingly struck at the net.
- Center Window: the most important part of a doubles court to control.
- Stephen Huss: an in-depth interview on Wimbledon's Centre Court with the 2005 Wimbledon Doubles Champion.

Dou8les Num3ers leaves no stone unturned. Percentage breakdowns of how often the server or receiver hits the last shot highlight the dramatic influence of the serve. The last shot of the rally is significant, and is broken down into the following categories: volleys, overheads, passing shots, lobs and groundstrokes.

between the points

When you play a match, you actually play two matches.

When you walk out onto a tennis court, there are two matches that you are about to play. The first is during the point - a part of the match that you have spent a lot of time preparing for on the practice court. But there is a second match, that takes place in the 20 seconds between the points. This is where the mental and emotional aspects of our sport kick in.

Let's face it, there will be adversity in almost every tennis match that you play. The storm clouds are coming. How bug they are, and how long they last for, are up to you.

Between the points is very tennis specific. It provides a roadmap for the 20 seconds between the points, teaching how to handle the adversity that will surely come, and how to build on the successes that will also be present. Your mind is your biggest asset in a match, and Between the Points takes your hand off the self destruct button and stops you beating yourself.

25 golden rules of singles strategy

You don't have to be good at everything, but you have got to be good at something.

You can break tennis down into four key elements - serving, returning, rallying and approaching. Each part has specific patterns of play that consistently deliver higher winning percentages than the others. No more guessing. No more opinions. All facets of our sport are covered in this exceptional product, clearly outlining what patterns to gravitate to, and how to best construct the practice court. Data comes primarily from the 2015 Australian Open.

Building Blocks

MEN = 70% errors / 30% winners
WOMEN = 74% errors / 26% winners

Forcing errors is the best way to construct a point.
You can simply break tennis down into primary and secondary patterns of play - and they are all covered here. Primary patterns include serve and return direction, forehands v backhands, and the best way to approach the net. Secondary patterns include drop shots, serve & volley and 1st volley options. If you play tournaments, this product will greatly help you simplify the singles court.

25 golden rules of doubles

The conversation starts & ends with the Center Window.

The doubles court is like an hourglass. There are two big ends, but a small neck in the middle where all the action happens. Once you learn the power of the Center Window, where you stand to start the point will take on a lot more significance.

Doubles is a lot more about situations, with four people on the court all "dancing" with one another. Learn all the best doubles patterns, broken down for the server, returner, server's partner and the returner's partner.

Doubles Situations

The "J" - the most ideal movement for the returner's partner to attack the net.

The "V" - a better way of understanding where the server's partner should move to.

Volley Targets - there are four main areas to attack. Know which ones are higher percentage. Beach Volleyball - the idea of a "setter" and "spiker" is ideal for the doubles court.

There are certain parts of the court that the ball travels to a lot, and other low percentage areas that you really don't want to cover at all - like the alley! In general, the serving team wants to keep the ball in the middle of the court as much as possible (to help the server's partner), while the returning team benefits from hitting wider and creating more chaos in the point.

Dirtballer

Dirtballer clay court tennis course

Getting Tight

Getting Tight tennis strategy course

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