Would you enjoy playing doubles? The majority of ping pong players love a good doubles match now and then. Since there are two of you to share the glory and celebrate with, playing and winning in a doubles match can be just as fulfilling and enjoyable as playing in a singles match.
However, the majority of writings on table tennis balls tactics and techniques tend to concentrate on the singles side of the sport, with doubles play being considered as an afterthought. Let's take a closer look at the fundamentals of good doubles play since there are some significant distinctions between the strategies used for doubles play and singles play.
You Need Two
Experts believe that a doubles team of weaker singles players compete against and defeat a pair of stronger singles players. The cause? A champion team will defeat a champion team, as the adage goes. Two inferior players who are familiar with one another's strengths and weaknesses can be a more difficult squad to defeat than two strong players who don't get along.
Some players are also regarded as outstanding doubles players simply because they are familiar with and employ many of the strategies listed below. Therefore, regardless of your partner, if you can comprehend and apply these suggestions, you should be well on your way to improving your doubles game.
Serving advice for doubles
In doubles, you must serve your opponent from your right hand half of the court to their right hand half of the court in a diagonal motion. By allowing most opponents to cover the entire half court with either their forehand or backhand side, this effectively eliminates the strategy of aiming at their playing elbow and decreases the amount of deception you may gain from placing the ball well.
Longer serves become less successful as a result, thus in doubles you should mostly use double bounce serves that bounce low over the net and are challenging to block. It's crucial to keep in mind that when serving, your partner must make the third stroke, not you. You should strive to use services that will help set up your partner's best attacks in order to increase the likelihood that they will make a successful third ball attack.
Serving short backspin serves that compel your opponents to push the ball back, for instance, doesn't make much sense if your partner isn't very adept at hitting backspin balls. Serving with short, low topspin/sidespin or float that your opponent can flick (but not with too much force) may increase the likelihood that your partner will launch an attack.
When serving, you can also employ a set of signals to let your partner know what serves you'll be using without letting your opponents know. To indicate the spin of the ball, point your finger in the direction it will travel from your opponent's racket in the first of two successive signs (i.e. down for backspin, up for topspin, a fist for float, and point in any direction that your sidespin will take the ball).
The length of the ball can then be determined using a second signal (i.e., pointing forward for a long serve, a fist for a normal double bounce serve, and pointing backwards for a very short serve).
Several factors can determine whether the signals are sent by the server or his companion. When one player is significantly stronger than the other, the stronger player will frequently make the calls and choose what to serve next based on his knowledge. Unless his partner has a specific plan in mind, in which case the partner will indicate his suggestions to the server, the server will often make the call if both players are quite equal in level.
Tips & Tricks for Doubles Return of Serve
Experts also believe that a victorious doubles team is often determined by the serve return. A competent receiver may often control the point by preventing his opponents from attacking and setting up his own partner's attempts because the degree of trickery is reduced while serving.
Receiving can be approached similarly to returning serves in singles, with the additional caveat that you should aim to steer play toward your partner's preferred style of game. Using largely crosscourt returns will tend to push the line of play from your opponents move crosscourt towards your partners if you are playing with a skilled forehand looper who can attack off topspin or backspin.
Similarly, you should strive to use flicks and loop returns more frequently than pushing returns short if your partner is a powerful blocker.
If your partner is a little clumsy, focus more of your returns in the centre of the table rather than frequently going to the wide angles, which will put more strain on his footwork.
Tips and Strategies for Doubles Rallies
Staying out of your partner's path while playing doubles is one of the most crucial aspects. In seasoned doubles teams, players learn to anticipate where their partner will be at any given moment, so you don't often see them cross paths.
When you pay attention to where your partner likes to play from, you will eventually develop the automatic ability to leave such places when he is hitting the ball. Okay, that's all for now. Now is the time to put these suggestions into action.