Improve your net game with ghost doubles.

While you can play doubles without venturing to net, it’s also possible to go to an amusement park and skip the rides. Coming to net in doubles is fun and more exciting than staying back. Sure, in the short term playing from the baseline and lobbing may win you some matches. But given time, coming to net will yield greater success, enjoyment, and fitness.

Two people play at a time, server and receiver. All balls are hit crosscourt, the doubles alleys are good, and both players must come to net.

THE WARM-UP

At the club level most mistakes are made in the first three shots—the serve, the return, or the first volley. Your goal in the warm-up is to work cooperatively to execute these first three shots without a miss. The server must serve and volley, and the receiver must return and do the same. Both players should move forward at a steady pace. It’s better to go forward a little more slowly and make the volley than to rush out of control quickly and miss the shot.

THE GAMES

Cooperative Scoring:

This is an extension of the warm-up. Both players must come forward or the point is automatically lost. If the first three shots are made, you and your partner win the point (15-love). If a mistake is made in the first three shots, you and your partner lose the point (love-15). After the first three shots, have fun keeping the volleys going as long as you can. Try to win a set.

Competitive Scoring:

After winning a set playing cooperatively, move on to playing against each other. If either player fails to come forward, that player automatically loses the point. And if a player makes a mistake in the first three shots, his opponent wins two points. Play a full set. Very quickly players learn to avoid double faults, hit controlled returns of serve, and focus on making the first volley. You can use this format with four players—just like normal doubles—except that if anyone misses any of the first three shots, the other team wins two points.