Doubles — basics

Doubles is its own game. Two players share a square, and the whole appeal lies in how you divide the area and the tasks. Whoever plays doubles like singles with two people gets in each other's way.

The basic structure is clearly regulated. You divide into an attacking player and a rear-court player. The rear-court player stands at the back and covers the deep balls, the attacking player stands at the front and sets the short, hard strokes. A fixed rule limits your positioning: at the moment of contact the rear-court player must not place their back foot in front of their partner's — otherwise the point is lost. This rule keeps the roles cleanly separated.

Special is the serving order. The server is always the rear-court player, and the right to serve travels through all four players in a fixed order: from a player of one side to the attacker of the other, then to the respective partners. With every change of the serving right the roles can reorder. After the serve you may move freely — but the imagined division into front and back stays your framework.

The most important thing in doubles is communication. Who takes the ball in the middle? Who covers which corner? A short call, an agreed signal — without communication both go for the same Speeder or neither.

A good doubles pair is like two bouncers at a wide door. Each covers their side, they talk to each other, and in the middle it's clear beforehand who grabs. Two who don't coordinate leave the gap right in the middle.

Roles and communication