Tip 06 — Cover the middle first

In doubles, more points are lost to two partners watching the same ball go by up the middle than to any shot down the line. The middle is the highest-percentage target on the court precisely because it splits two players' responsibility.

The general rule: whoever has the forehand on that ball takes it, and you call it out loud — "mine" or "yours" — before you second-guess. Silence is what causes both of you to leave it.

Positioning-wise, that means resisting the urge to guard your own alley at the expense of the middle. Most rallies are decided closer to the center service line than either sideline.

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