Where to stand in doubles

Hi guys.

A question about where to stand in doubles. In particular, where to stand when your partner is the first to hit and stands in the middle of the table.

Let's assume all players are right-handers. In the past, in lower grades, I typically stood on the left side of the table and a little behind my partner. Usually my partner would receive serve, like me, on their backhand which left plenty of room for me to come in on the next shot. Now that I'm playing in section 1 (I'm one of the weaker players in that grade), I'm finding some players, like my current partner, like to stand right in the middle to receive. This is fine, as my partner is one of the top three players in the club, and he usually attacks any long balls with his great forehand, but I'm left wondering where I should stand. Currently I still stand on the left, though a bit further across and back but sometimes, with my partners big follow through on his forehand, I have less time to get in position if the ball comes back. I feel that standing on the right-hand side may have awkward moments too as I would need to keep clear of my partner's big swing on his forehand returns. Any tips on positioning in this scenario would be appreciated.

regards,

Martin

Hi Martin,

I would stand on his left still.  Think about getting as close as you can to your singles ready position.  This may even be a little more behind your partner so you can step forward after he plays his shot.  It can be awkward when your partner is taking a big swing but if he is winning points with this shot then it is worthwhile.  If he isn't then ti may be better if he plays a bit more conservatively so that you have a better chance of making a good next ball.