JACKIE BOHANNON
Guest Columnist
tennis@lbknews.com
If my partner is at the net, should I also move up? And if so, when?
It depends upon many factors such as your mobility and your volleying skills, your 
opponents’ groundstrokes and their ability to lob, your positioning on the court, your partner and their skills, and the overall development of the point.
In most cases, blindly running to the net or charging the net regardless of consideration of the shot you have hit is a bad idea.
If you are serving, mixing in some serving and volleying can be a good strategy on a first serve. I highly suggest never serving and volley on a second serve. Don’t serve and volley every point as you don’t want to be predictable.
You should join your partner at the net when you are being offensive. Look for signs of weakness from your opponent: are they far back behind the baseline, really wide and pulled off the court, or are they stretching to reach the ball? When you see these opportunities you should charge the net. Run to the net, do not walk!
One of the number-1 problems recreational players have when charging the net is they forget to charge. They walk and then get stuck at or behind the service line. Run to the net and split step when your opponent hits or you get half way in the service box, whichever happens first. Also, look for opportunities to take high balls out of the air. The swinging volley is a great offensive shot to hit and transition to the net.
Another time you both could end up at the net is if your opponent draws you into the net. For example, if they drop shot you or hit a short angle. Sometimes you are forced to play both up even though you are not attacking. When this happens it is important to stagger so one player is closer to the net and one is a little deeper (around the service line) to protect against the lob.
If you and your partner like playing both of you at the net, you have to have a game plan for who is going to cover the lobs. The best players learn to cover their own lobs. I highly suggest trying to cover your own lob by hitting an overhead out of the air. Once you let the ball bounce you are again in a defensive position.
Playing both players at the net can be one of the most aggressive strategies when utilized at the right time. Make sure you are invited in to maximize your success.
Jackie Bohannon is the Director of Tennis at the Bird Key Yacht Club.
