Selecting the Doubles Partner Perfect For You

As mixed doubles season, and adult league approaches,  players will be searching for the person that is the "perfect" partner for them.

Who you play with is the single most important factor in whether or not you succeed as an individual in doubles.  Play with someone whose game does not make your game more potent, and you likely will be on the losing end of the result more often than not.

What factors go into determining your partner?

1. Know your strengths and weaknesses
You must be honest with yourself when listing these.  The best way to learn what your strengths and weaknesses are, is to ask around.  Your opponents that you play frequently will certainly give you their opinion.  The fact is we are very objective about ourselves.  We are either too hard or too easy on ourselves.  Your opponents won't be.  Ask 5-10 people what they think and take the consensus.

List all your strengths and weaknesses in terms of strokes, sides, movement, tactics and mental/emotional fortitude.

2. Find someone who is strong where you are weak.
It is important for you and your partner to compliment one another.  If you are a weak mover, find a partner who is a great mover.  If you struggle returning serve, find a partner whose return of serve is a strength.  If you are a streaky type of player, it would behoove you to find a very steady player to partner with.  If you are a volatile personality, you need to find a calm person to play with.

3. Don't get caught up in whether or not you "like" your partner.
You don't have to be great friends to be great partners.  All that is necessary is that you and your partner understand that you are working together towards a common goal.  Great friendship, can be a detriment to the team dynamic.  You must be able to tell one another when mistakes are made, and must be free to tell each other to "step it up" when play is poor.

4. Don't be overly concerned with "how" they play, or how they look when they play.
If for example, you love serving a volleying, but your partner never ventures to net, don't immediately axe them from your prospective partner list.  There are plenty of tactics that can be employed in order to maximize your teams' effectiveness.  If a prospective partner's game looks unpleasing to the eye, don't dismiss them.  Ask yourself what they do well, and see if it compliments your strengths.  Just like picking stocks for your portfolio, you need to be unemotional making this decision.  You aren't looking for a clone.

Once you lay out your strengths and weaknesses, then lay out the strengths and weaknesses of your potential partners.  A great doubles team's strengths and weaknesses should fit together like a perfect puzzle.  Find the one player whose overall characteristics supplement and compliment yours and try playing with them for a season.  You will be shocked and amazed at who disappears from your list, and who remains as your perfect partner.

It is important to note, that to truly have great chemistry with any partner,, you must play with that partner exclusively for quite some time.  It is truly a commitment.   A great team knows what shots each other play in certain circumstances, without any formal communication before hand.  The unspoken bond between two partners is what carries them through the tough moments on court, and raises their playing level at the end of the day.