Anybody with a little bit of knowledge of tennis doubles knows that winning team is almost always the one that controlled the net better. Why is it so hard to get this across to my players? It seems like I say it multiple times every practice and match and they are still reluctant to get off the baseline. A couple theories why:
Laziness: It's a lot easier to not run up to the net.
Bad experience: Maybe getting hit by a ball or badly missing a shot on the way up, leading to a thought like, "Coach has no idea what he's talking about, I'm going to play my game at the baseline."
Timidity: Sprinting up to the net immediately following a shot (serve, return, or what have you) does take a little gusto, I will admit. Some people aren't exactly wired with that bit of ferocity needed.
I'm sure there's others, but those are examples that I definitely see.
Idea for a drill to encourage moving up to the net: play some tiebreakers where points can only be won if the the player who hit the winning shot was in front of the service line. If a winner is hit from the baseline then the point is null. Obviously this would be a little tricky with rotating every six points and normal tiebreaker routines, but the idea of making those points worth more is, I feel, a decent motivator to teach the idea.
I had planned to do this today, unfortunately, there was brief but violent thunder/hailstorm that cleared us out of there pretty quickly; but I am determined to try drills like these. I will let you know if I am met with any success.
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