Poaching: Mixed Doubles Troubles

Sarah Ansboury's view on poaching was one perspective. A little different perspective from Mark Renneson is below as he answers a question about aggressive men taking over the play.

Ask A Coach: Mixed Doubles Troubles

Reader: I've recently joined a club that has a mixed doubles league. I'm surprised to see how aggressive the men are when poaching. I'm not just talking about intercepting the odd put away shots but even run-of-the mill dinks or returns of serve. They practically push their partners off the court and play by themselves!

My inclination is to say "back off!" but thought I should check in with you first. What's going on? 

Poaching: Sarah's View

I haven't discussed poaching much...because it is a small part of the game at mid-skill levels and below. One post - Poaching - talked about what it is, when and how it should be used, and the etiquette of poaching. A couple of my favorite resources have written articles on poaching and I'll post both in order to compare perspectives. First up is Sarah Ansboury and How to Poach Like a Pro.

How to Poach Like a Pro

Do you ever poach? Though poaching is more common among higher skill level players, it can be used at any level. But there are a few things to keep in mind if you want to poach like a pro.

Poaching

Poaching is the practice of one player moving into his partner's court to return a ball that would normally be taken by the player's partner.  The poach generally takes place at the kitchen line but could occur anywhere on the court.  There are two kinds of poaching - planned and unplanned.  (Some would agree that there are two kinds of poaching but would change the labels to "good" and "bad".)  A poach is shown below.  The player starts in the left service court and returns the shot after crossing into the right court in front of his partner.