If the server does stay back , his partner might drop back with him if : 1 . The server throws up a lob after receiving the return from the baseline . 2 . The opposing team was blitzing off the return and takes the net .
All “ what if ’ s ” can change based on opponents , conditions , and subtleties in the point .
This concept of “ what if ” formations also allow a serving team to change starting formations too .
They might line the server ’ s partner more to the middle of the net line to intercept more returns . These are often called “ Aussie ” or “ I ” formations . These terms come from tennis . The difference between an Aussie or I formation is very nuanced . There are even hybrids between the two .
Their only negative to these formations is they open some alley lanes for the returners . This is mitigated by the server staying back and letting bigger returns go to the wire . This gives the team time to lob and defend .
DEVELOPMENTAL PITFALLS
Despite the reality of these evolutions in advanced tournament paddle , there is an obvious question . Should I be employing these new tactics ? The answer depends .
If I am facing a barrage of massive returns at my feet , serving and volleying may not be the best tactic . No one wants to get slaughtered off their serve . So , it seems reasonable to serve and stay back . In fact , you might even ask your partner to come back to the baseline and play a serve point as a double back team . No tactic should ever get you abused !
On the other hand , are you getting slaughtered due to your opponent ’ s skills or your lack of experience ? Could it be that you have not served and volleyed enough and learned how to hit a transition volley ? Maybe you have grip issues and can ’ t hit a low volley ? Maybe you don ’ t know how to use a split step in transition ? If you never hit a half volley , that could be a problem as well .
Serving and volleying is a long period skill . That means you need 1,000 ’ s of repetitions with a lot of failure . If you are a newer player staying back on your serve , you may be impacting your long-term development . There is a period of “ feeling ” slaughtered to develop the basic skill for the long-term .
HANG IN THERE & EXPERIMENT
The answer to this paradox is to apply balance between winning and developing . Most of your paddle life , there are huge benefits to being able to serve and volley . Against most opponents , this is a tried-and-true tactic .
Yet , I hope we can all agree there are other tactics being used by serving teams . No longer should we say , “ the best players always serve and volley ”. It ’ s better to acknowledge that the best players are very good at serving and volleying . That skill level was achieved by endless repetitions going to the net off their serve .
Ultimately , it pays to learn skills . Mastering skills in paddle ( and tennis ) allows you to vary tactics when needed . Missing certain skills ( from not investing the time ) leads to limited tactical flexibility . If you want to win , you need options . Get out there and experiment . Don ’ t quit too soon when learning new skills . That temporary failure rate may lead to some big wins in the future !