Alan Margot Tennis

Alan Margot TennisAlan Margot TennisAlan Margot Tennis

Alan Margot Tennis

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Go Ahead and Poach

Tennis points - you make some, you miss some.  But poaching and making an error?  Whoa...that brings up Drama! ..     ...play,  laugh,  learn!

Middle Brings Middle

Middle Brings Middle! (Video)

Middle Brings Middle! (Video)...Video shot in Mazatlan, Mexico. A common tactic that everyone uses when playing doubles is volleying to the middle between your opponents.  And there are also certain instincts that just “happen” when hitting to that middle.  Now,...as you all know,  all kinds of things happen when you’re at the net and you hit the ball down the middle in doubles.

There can be confusion or indecision as to whose ball it is, is it yours or mine? And there’s that infamous situation where the volley goes between you and your partner and you end up staring at each other thinking… “I thought you had it!” “I thought you had it!” So hitting to the middle is an effective and powerful concept. Now this is nothing new…It’s the way it’s played. Good doubles players will volley and reflex it back two or three times in the middle until something happens.

But what’s interesting, is at the 3.5 level there’s this instinct that happens when you’re at the net and you volley down the middle.  The instinct is to move to the middle, punch the volley offensively, and then move back to your side of the court.  So, “whaddup with that?”

Well, it makes sense and feels right. Your side’s a little open so you instinctively want to move back over to cover your side, and being close to the middle also feels uncomfortable like you’re hogging the court.   It’s like one of those socially awkward things,  you naturally want to move back over to your side of the court and feel balanced with your partner.   And then what happens?   The volley you just smacked into the middle?…Yes, gets reflexed back to the middle.  It happens quickly!  In the heat of the moment, it’s hard to reflex a volley to the side with an angle.  It’s fast –  it’s a reflex, so… middle brings middle! Check out the video:

The Service Return And Pressure Situations!

How do you return serve under pressure? Do you go for it? Do you just get it back and play it safe?  What's in your footwork??  Here are some common circumstances that happen to players when returning serve under a pressure situation.

What's in your Footwork?

THE VOLLEY SHUFFLE

It's better that I make these mistakes than you! 


PLAYING BACK Paribas Open, Indian Wells, CA.

So what are some of the reasons why you’d want to play back with your partner? Here are just a few to consider:


1)  Your opponent has a huge first serve and you’re having trouble getting the ball back into play.


2)  You’ve got an active netman in front of you who’s poaching, cutting off your returns and smacking them at your partner.


3)  You didn’t get a good warm-up before your match and you haven’t quite found your timing or your game space yet.


4)  Or maybe you just want to mess with your opponents and give them another look!


Remember, rumor has it,  “it’s a game”, right?  And – you always have choices.  If you’re not getting close to breaking serve, play back with your partner, take off some of the pressure in hitting that “good” service return and get the ball into play. Once the serve is returned and the ball’s in play, you have a chance to win the point.  Here’s where you rally, work the ball, slow the game down, be patient and give your opponents the chance to press and make an error.

Good defense is a real art.  By playing good defense and getting your opponents away from the net, you can neutralize their offense and yes, you can change defense into offense and now gain control of the point! 


DO YOU CLOSE?

CLOSING IN ONTHE NET

Are you standing there volleying – or are you closing in on the net?

Covering the Court Effectively

We combined two of our clips,  “Cut ’em Off At The Pass” and  “The Net Man’s Position”, with the concept of putting them together for a more holistic strategy . This a fun new twist on some of the shots you may be familiar with!

Good doubles teams have the ability to cover the court effectively.  They always seem to be in the right place at the right time, balanced and expecting the next shot.  Their positioning and movement are in sync with each other, and also with their opponent’s movement.  How do they do that!?

In this video segment we’re going to look at how you can cover your alley and also cut off the return.  We’ll look at the concept of mirroring your opponent’s movement and we’ll also show you how to neutralize those obnoxious lobbers and maintain an aggressive position at net!

WORKING THE ALLEY IN DOUBLES

In this video we’re going to look at using the alley in doubles.  As you all know, the common direction of play in doubles is cross court. Returns are hit cross court keeping the ball away from the net man, the net is lower in the middle, and you have more court to work with when you hit diagonally.

So when should you hit to the alley? It appears to me that most players don’t feel as comfortable hitting the ball to the alley as they do hitting their returns crosscourt. I think with the right information, hitting to the alley becomes a powerful concept and a lot of fun!  Remember, you’ve always got choices. Here are some strategies to show you when to use the alley and how to make it effective!  

Here we go!

BOUNCE HIT!

Here’s the picture: You leave the office and get stuck in freeway traffic, or you pick the kids up from school, drop them off at home and you race to get to your match! “Don’t be late!” you say to yourself. You get to the club and run onto the court where your partner and opponents are warming up. Your partner says “Wow! You just made it!” Three minutes later, you’re playing……are you ready to compete?

The Service Return Shift

Thia is a great  Doubles tactic when returning  serve!

The Game Changer

You’ve all had matches like this.  It is brutal! It wears on your psyche and it can make you impatient and think bad words!  Yes, the perpetual lobber… Don’t ya just hate that?  So how do you get out of this predicament??

Get Into The Game

This is the first tip in our series called “Get into the Game!”, about doubles tactics and instinctive patterns that players do at the 3.0 to 4.0 level. These are tactics we all understand, but, in a match, what are YOUR instinctive patterns? Are you really in the game?

Don't Burn Your Partner

THIS SCENARIO HAPPENS AT THE 3.0 TO 3.5 LEVEL 

And you volleyed crosscourt???   

Recovering When At Net

(Video shot in Manzanillo, Mexico)…  Here’s the scenario: You’re playing doubles and all four of you end up at the net. The volleys are quick and everybody’s involved. Bang!!  Smack!!  Wham!!   Then whaack!! right into the net!  Don’t ya just hate that!!!  What happened?

Chip And Salsa

Here’s a great tactic that you can use as a change up when you’re receiving serve. We call it the Chip And Salsa! Because it’s got everything in it but the guacamole!

Hitting The Big Overhead

Video shot in Manzanillo, Mexico)…  Nothing is more fun than hitting a big overhead well, and you’ve all done it! You hit a penetrating volley to the corner, move into the net forcing your opponent to lob, you move back and crush it for a winner! yeah baby! That’s what everybody expects to do, but that’s not always what happens. Here’s a clever key to this scenario…..

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