Your Net Position Is Wrong — The Real Reason Your Doubles Poaches Fail I Jonathan Stokke

Comments · 128

• SE

  @SeniorTennisUnpacked · 4 months ago (edited) · pinned

  When you’re at the net in doubles — are you a reactor or a decider? Be honest. Comment 👇

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• DM

  @dmf30 · 5 days ago

  great discussion. I intend to do this tomorrow.  Great advice.

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• TO

  @tomsd8656 · 4 months ago

  Poaching depends on the quality of the serve.  Most recreational serves are not quality enough and not penetrating enough, so the returners have all the time in the world.  You can still poach if the returners are not great, but against those who can hit a quality shot off a weak serve, you have less than 50% of a successful poach.

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• ON

  @OnlyGod543 · 1 month ago

  That was so helpful. I can't wait to get out there again and go for it.

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• SN

  @sniwashitu · 2 weeks ago

  Poaching also depends on the quality of the volleyer

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• RE

  @ReidVV · 4 months ago

  Stokke is top 5 of not top 3 in all tennis coachng on YouTube. Quality over quantity. Simple. Precise. Understandable. Effective.

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• FR

  @frankfinney4304 · 1 month ago

  Mike- From now on I’m in attack mode. This was terrific. Thanks from Victoria, BC, Canada.

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• GU

  @Gussieorr · 4 days ago

  I am a 4.5 senior woman tennis player. When I am playing a poacher, I lob every return.  Usually they stop poaching after a while. Most senior women don’t have strong enough serves to regularly poach on. I think your instruction is very good for men that have strong serves.

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• BI

  @bigdavecoxy · 3 months ago

  In social doubles, you learn to play with and against a wide skill range. This poaching advice is not universally applicable, and probably only applies when your partner's serve can apply pressure to the receiver. If you are playing with a weak server, the best return is often a drop shot to the server's tramline. The role of the net player is to control territory, and put pressure and doubt in the mind of the receiver. If you stand too close to the net, an easy winner is a lob over the net player. I often stand on the service line to take the lob out of play, but still allows me to cover the drop shot to the opposite court. In this position you can be vulnerable to the return down the line, but that is the most difficult shot to make a clean winner.

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• JO

  @johnfaalogo · 4 months ago

  Thanks im 65 n pouching is Progress but this contends has me more determined 🎉 Cheers 🍻 NZ

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• EF

  @ef10s · 4 months ago

  Great questions and discussion.  Stokke's recommendations are right on. I think it would have been useful to hear his thoughts on serve location for each box when the server's partner is poaching, and how one should adjust his suggestions about poaching if the server has a weak serve or trouble consistently hitting a specific location. Perhaps we can get some suggestions on how to counter a team that is poaching aggressively on the majority of the points in a future interview?

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• ME

  @melojustiniano5366 · 3 months ago

  I agree. Poach before the opponent swings to intercept. Usually it will be cross court.

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