Control the middle. Tennis strategist Craig O’Shannessy calls the space above the center of the net the “Center Window” because the ball travels through it constantly. “If you control this area, you control the match,” he says. Have a standing agreement with your partner about who takes the center ball in every situation. Former World No. 36 Charlie Owens suggests practicing on both sides, calling and covering the middle ball, until it’s second nature.

Use volleys to choose a side. Women’s doubles champion Gigi Fernandez believes recreational players should be able to play both sides, but when choosing, she weighs volleys over groundstrokes, and advises putting your strongest net player on the side where she can best capitalize on her strengths.

Stop guarding the alley. British doubles coach Louis Cayer says getting passed down the line is one of the biggest fears he sees at the club level. When your opponent has an easy ball, cover the line, but when she’s under pressure, hugging the alley gives her more space and takes away your chance to poach.

Play like a beach volleyball team. O’Shannessy compares good doubles to beach volleyball, where the back player is the “setter,” and the net player is the “spiker.” In his analysis of pro doubles at the Australian Open, about 80% of winners came from the net, even as more players stayed back. If you’re on the baseline, your job is to hit a steady crosscourt ball that sets up your partner to poach. 

Move up at the net. Boucek says standing too far back is the most common and costly positioning mistake he sees at the 3.0 to 4.5 level. When taking volleys from the service line, you have to lift them, and they tend to pop up for an easy put-away. Step closer to the net on your partner’s first serve, during baseline rallies (especially when your opponent is on defense), and whenever both opponents are back. 

Take the net first. When you take over the net, you put your opponents on their heels and force them into difficult, low-percentage shots. Take the advantage, and get to the net first! And practice your forehand volley: a 2024 study of women’s Grand Slam doubles found it was the most common shot to end a point. 

Aim your returns low cross-court. Boucek says going for too much on the return is one of the biggest mistakes club players make. His favorite target is across the center of the net because it’s the lowest part, giving you more room for error and giving the net player a tougher volley with fewer angles to poach. 

Practice the shots you play the most. O’Shannessy’s analysis of the 2015 Australian Open found that 69% of women’s doubles points ended within four shots, and a 2024 study of women’s Grand Slam doubles found that the serve and return alone ended nearly a third of all points. That’s pro data, but the lesson carries to the club: your serve, your return, and the next ball after that decide far more points than long rallies do, so give them more of your practice time. Quogue Field Club’s Doug Lewis sees the same thing with the players he coaches: the serve goes in, but the return is missed. 

Don’t assume the T serve is best. When Boucek analyzed thousands of WTA doubles points, wide first serves won the most points on both sides. His advice for club players: test wide and T serves in the first few games to see which gets weaker returns from each opponent, go for depth on your second serve (a short second serve does more damage than a slow one), and mix it up, since predictable serves are easier to return. 

Know where (and when) to lob. Boucek’s rule for where to aim most lobs: “Lobbing over the backhand shoulder is best.” Against two right-handers, that usually means deep into the ad-court corner (against a lefty, flip it). Save the lob for when you can make the shot: a weak lob is an easy put-away for your opponents. Before the match begins, check which opponent is shorter and where the sun is, too! 

Poach with a plan. Cayer teaches three kinds of poach: by reaction (a slow, easy return you can put away), by anticipation (you read a crosscourt shot coming and cut across), and by agreement (you and your partner decide before the point, so she knows to cover the line behind you). 

Poach early. Boucek recommends poaching in the first few games because most players don't return serve down the line early in a match. Right-handers can start with an easy version: poach when your partner serves to the deuce court, so you’re cutting across with your forehand volley. 

Poach the rally, too. Poaching isn’t only for serves! Cayer says servers stay back about 60% of the time at the pro level and even more often in recreational play, so when a rally settles into crosscourt groundstrokes, slide toward the middle and look for your moment. 

Get ahead of the lob. To handle lobs, watch your distance from the net. Crowd it, and you’ll get lobbed often (even pros do), but if you’re positioned in the middle of the service box, one step back across the service line is all you need to intercept a high ball. Practice taking lobs out of the air with swinging volleys and overheads, as former WTA pro Anna Tatishvili suggests, to take time away from your opponents. 

Encourage your partner after every point. Cayer’s first rule of doubles is to be the partner everyone wants to play with, which means praising good shots and remaining positive after mistakes. He points to a “three-second rule” from LTA coach Andy Barnes: after every point, win or lose, you have three seconds to get to your partner, offer encouragement, and talk about the next point. Doug Lewis says to connect after every single point, whether it’s eye contact, a high five, a quick word, or a racquet touch. It’s easy when you’re winning, he says, but harder and more important when you’re losing, because partners who stop talking start thinking the other is mad at them.