Half of doubles errors come from confusion, not technique. A simple vocabulary solves most of them: call 'mine' or 'you' for middle balls, 'bounce' for balls that might land out, 'out' or 'no' for balls sailing long, and 'switch' when you swap sides after a lob.
Talk between points too. Agree on who takes the middle, who covers lobs, and what to do on speed-ups.
Key cues
- 1Call every middle ball
- 2'Bounce' on anything near the baseline
- 3Talk before the serve and after every point
- 4Keep it positive
Common mistakes
- Both players going for the same ball
- Both players leaving it
- Blaming rather than planning