Doubles Strategy - Thirds Of The Court - Play Hockey Goalie at the "T"

Everything in life seems to be able to be broken down into statistics or rules or a theory. While grinding out my Sea Captain's license I learned the rule of sixths - there are 6 hours in each tide, with the most water running in and out of the tidal basins during hours two, three and four. In music, you have the circle of 5ths... a geometric relationship between the chord structures and harmonies in Western music. We all know the law of diminishing returns, and let's hope that does not pertain to our tennis games!

The Rule Of Thirds

In doubles, there is a rule which every player, from beginner to advanced, should know. The Rule of Thirds. When playing doubles, one should divide the court into thirds and cover the court in accordance with these thirds. Basically leave uncovered the third of the rectangle on your side farthest away from the ball being played by your opponents.

The red lines above delineate the court into thirds essentially. For an example, let's just say you are returning the serve and hitting the return from the "A" position and that you hit cross court back to the space where the "Player" is now hitting the ball. In effect, how would you shift to cover this wide ball? Well your partner who had been at the hotseat would hopefully close toward the net and follow the ball into the third of the court to the left and take a position close to where it is marked "C". But here's where most of us make our error.

From position "A" the returner should really move into position "B", slightly staggered in order to cover the lob. But also, really straddling the center service line. Why? Because the center service line marks the center of the middle third of the court. So, you and your partner are clearly covering the 2 thirds of the court closest to the ball being played. You cannot cover the entire rectangle that is your half of the court, so you leave the third farthest from the ball -('A') effectively uncovered - it is the hardest shot to hit for your opponent.

Where we make our mistake is not covering the alley when we are moving to the far third to position "C" - we usually do get there. Where we make out mistake is not straddling the center line and covering the "T" - where the center and service lines meet - like a goal keeper as most balls returned are going to cross that area. We have to move from "A" to "B" quickly and decisively.

By covering the two closest thirds of the court to the ball, we are in essence taking the easiest shot away from our opponents but also moving the "center" of the court to the left. The seam between us as a pair has shifted left and that is why it is essential to really straddle the center line to cover a shot that actually follows the red line through the court which is the seam between positions B and C at this point.

"But Coach, what about the uncovered third?" Well, in reality, you have most of it covered. A cross court lob deep to that third is the longest path for the ball to travel and the player in Position "B" can easily cover it given all that time. And... if the player at the "B" Position moves forward and cuts off an angled return headed toward the alley, only the alley closest to the net is completely uncovered. If your opponent makes the shot, give them a hand. It will be a rare occurrence. Good Luck!