As probably most of the Uk are into doubles( too hot for singles!), here is something for you to practice in your next game.

Poaching off of your partner’s return of serve can turn the tables on your opponents.

When you’re playing a team that serves and volleys well, you can’t afford to waste any solid returns of serve. If your partner nails a low return that forces one of your opponents to hit a floating, defensive volley, you better take advantage of it. Letting it sail back to the baseline would be wasting a golden opportunity to win the point. That’s where cutting across and poaching can be extremely effective. Here’s how to do it properly.

When you poach off of the return of serve, move forward and aim your volley down the middle between your opponents.

Look for returns down the middle or right at the server.

This is the best time to poach. If the return is wide crosscourt, you shouldn’t move or you’ll give the server a lot of open court to volley into.

A volley hit from waist level or below provides a good chance to move.

When the return is low, your opponent will have to volley up from below net level. This generally results in a more defensive shot that you can pick off. If it’s above the waist, then your opponent can be more aggressive and volley down into the court, making your poach very difficult.

Move forward first.

This will get your body weight going into the court before you cut across. You want your opponent to commit to the volley before you move sideways. If you leave too soon, he may notice and volley into the open court.

Keep the volley in front of you.

Unless you have a sure winner crosscourt, it’s safer to volley down the middle or at the body of the net player right in front of you. If you angle the ball crosscourt and it’s not a solid volley, you leave a huge part of your court exposed.