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Anticipation is the quintessential component of doubles strategy as it allows you to identify your most advantageous position on the court prior to your opponent’s next shot and to then move there. Anticipation should be affiliated to the word "limitation".To understand the shots that your opponent is limited to, based on the shot you just hit.
Anticipating begins as soon as the ball leaves your or your partner’s racquet. After you or your partner has made contact with the ball, your focus should shift to how your opponent will react to your shot. With practice, you will learn to read many clues as your opponent prepares to return the shot, allowing you to position yourself accordingly. In a nutshell, “anticipating happens after you hit and before they hit”.
You will never seize the upper hand if you wait to see what your opponents have done before you move. A “let me see what they do before I move" strategy will prevent you from being proactive after you have hit your shot, whether it be offensive, defensive or neutral. Anticipating means to having a good understanding of what will most likely happen before it happens.
To recognize what is most likely to happen, I introduce my students to the 80-20 formula which postulates that while 20 out of 100 shots will not have the outcome you expected, 80 of them will. Therefore, if you learn to anticipate the shots you opponents are most likely to hit and use that information to position yourself for the next shot, you will win points. The odds are now strongly in your favor!
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