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Your partner is far better than you. What is your job?
With a stronger partner: lob deep, keep the ball in, stay level with them, and leave the middle and the finish to them.
You are playing with someone much stronger. How do you contribute most?
With a stronger partner: lob deep, keep the ball in, stay level with them, and leave the middle and the finish to them.
Why
The weaker player in a pair contributes by not losing points rather than by winning them. That means deep, safe lobs from the back, volleys to the big targets at the net, moving in step with the partner so the pair is never split, and clear communication: calling the wall balls, saying "yours" early. The opponents will target the weaker player; the answer is not to hit harder but to give them nothing to attack. The stronger partner takes the middle balls and the finishing shots. Pairs organised like this beat pairs of two equal players who both want the same balls.
What this means at your level
Beginner
Your only jobs: lob deep, move with your partner, and say "yours" early on balls you do not want. That is a good partner.
Intermediate
Call the wall balls for your partner. You see them better from the side, and it is a way of contributing on points you are not hitting.
Advanced
If you are the stronger player, say so gently in the roles: "you lob, I finish." Partners who know their job play above their level.
Common questions
You are playing with someone much stronger. How do you contribute most?
Lob deep, stay level, let them finish. With a stronger partner: lob deep, keep the ball in, stay level with them, and leave the middle and the finish to them. The weaker player in a pair contributes by not losing points rather than by winning them. That means deep, safe lobs from the back, volleys to the big targets at the net, moving in step with the partner so the pair is never split, and clear communication: calling the wall balls, saying "yours" early. The opponents will target the weaker player; the answer is not to hit harder but to give them nothing to attack. The stronger partner takes the middle balls and the finishing shots. Pairs organised like this beat pairs of two equal players who both want the same balls.
Why not try to match them shot for shot, so they respect you?
Trying to hit like a better player produces errors. Play your game, simply, and let them play theirs.
What should a beginner do here?
Your only jobs: lob deep, move with your partner, and say "yours" early on balls you do not want. That is a good partner.
How does this change for an advanced player?
If you are the stronger player, say so gently in the roles: "you lob, I finish." Partners who know their job play above their level.
Puzzles like this one
Your partner got pulled wide. Where do you stand?
The pair moves like one body. When your partner is pulled wide, you take the middle.
beginnerA ball comes down the middle. Who takes it?
The middle ball belongs to the forehand: decided before the match, not during the point.
beginnerYou just hit a great lob. What next?
A lob without a run forward is a wasted lob. Both of you go, or neither.