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"Tennis Tips" by
Charlotte |
| 2008/April DOUBLE'S TACTICS, MAKING GOOD CONTACT, MIND GAMES Keep it low in doubles: Hitting the ball hard feels good, but it isn't always the best way to win points, especially in doubles. Balls hit low, no matter how slowly are preferable to balls hit hard and high. Why? Low balls make the net more of a factor. The net becomes the first obstacle that your opponents have to deal with before they can begin to worry about you and your partner. Also, because it's difficult to do anything with a soft, low ball, it limits your opponents' options. The best return most players can hope for is a well-placed volley. Pick the right doubles partner: The best doubles partner is one who compliments you. If you're an extrovert, try to find a more introverted partner. Your differences in personality will even out your moods on the court, and prevent you from getting too excited or too withdrawn. In addition, combining players with different playing styles (e.g. a steady player with a flashier one, or a right-hander with a left-hander) also works well. See the blur: "Keep your eyes on the ball when you make contact" is good advice, because it increases your likelihood of making solid contacts. The question is how long should you wait before you look up? The answer is simple: Keep your eyes locked onto the contact zone until you see the blur of your racquet come through. This goes for all strokes. Put it into reverse to go forward: How many times have you taken the lead in a match only to find yourself thinking about the score, feeling the pressure to win, and then seeing your opponent even things up? One trick that works for me is to pretend that the score is reversed and that I'm the one who's behind. I tell myself that if I win just a few more points, I'll catch up. Theis prevents me from worrying about maintaining my lead and letting up. |
| 2008/March WAYWORD DAMPER: During a match, my opponent's large vibration dampener became dislodged and landed on my side of the court. We continued to play the point, just as if he had broken a string. Should he have lost the point because the dampener landed on my side of the court during the point? Answer: Asumming that the ball was still in play when the vibration dampener landed on your side (or hit the net), your opponent would have lost the point due to an invasion. That's when you or something you wear or carry touches your opponent's court. But you must stop play and immediately make the call (USTA Comment 24.4). However, because you continued to contest the point after this occurred, you forfeited your right to call the infraction and the point shoud stand as played. |
| 2008/February THE CHANGE UP: A favorite play of any strong baseliner is to run an opponent from side to side. This strategy is meant to gradually,shot by shot, draw an opponent farther and farther out of position until the court is open for a winning shot. When you feel you're being steadily pulled out of position by a power baseliner, try a semi-lob change-up. It's nothing more than an off-speed ground stroke hit high over the net than usual -- about 6 to 8 feet -- with heavy topspin. This shot will do two things for you: First, this play interrupts the baseliner's preferred rhythn and forces him to be more patient than he would like. It might also force him to over-hit and make errors. Second, if your opponent is able to adjust to this change of pace, the semi-lob still buys you extra time to recover back into the court. |
| 2008/January NOTHING TO SNEEZE AT: Waiting for my opponent's second serve, I sneezed. Since I can't keep my eyes open while sneezing, I lost the point, because I didn't see the ball. Could I have called a let and offered muy opponent another first serve? Answer: Yes, you could have called a let. The first thing you should have done when you felt a sneeze coming on was hold up your hand to indicate that you weren't ready, and then made sure you made no attempt to hit the ball. Had you done this, you wouldn't have lost the point. However, you would have caused a delay between the first and second serves, so your opponent would have been entitled to a first serve. |
| 2007/November MIND GAME, DOMINATING YOUR OPPONENT: A closely fought tennis match is not just a physical battle--it's a struggle of will, mental toughness and character. One powerful element in winning matches is establishing dominance. Dominance has to do with the feeling that inferior players get when they face better opposition. Successful players have a way of making their oponents feel ineffectual. To establish dominance, you need to recognize that all of your actions have an effect on your opponent's mental state. If you show your opponents that yor fear them, they'll feel strong; if you dismiss their efforts, they'll feel weak. Most of us communicate this throughbody language and gestures. One prime example of psychological dominance comes from Federer. He is confident, erect and unresponsive to his opponent's winners or even his own errors. You can do the same. If your opponent hits a grear shot, make it appear that your don't notice. Walk back into position with your head up, your stride steady, looking confident and acting as if you know exactly what you're doing. If you make an error, act as if nothing happened. Displays of frustration and discouragement are signs of weakness that serve only to strengthen your opponent's motivation. Another method of establishing dominance is to control the pace of the match. Even if you are behind, you can still dominate the tempo of play. Between points, walk into position at your own pace. If it's slower that your opponent wishes, make him wait; if it's faster, let him feel rushed. Be determined to play at your own pace. Finally, you can dominate with your match strategy. Clear game plans can be intimidating. They indicate that you think you've found a weakness and intend to exploit it. Don't allow your opponent to think that you fear any part of his game. For example, if you serve to your opponent's forehand and he hits a great return, indicate that it didn't impress you by serving there again. If you play a long baseline point and he outlasts you, don't immediately begin to hit harder or rush the net. Go right back at him and force him to do it again. You don't want your opponent to feel that you have conceded a part of the game to him. Dominant players change their strategy because they choose to, not because their opponents make them. |
| 2007/October GET BEHIND YOUR OVERHEADS: Many people think that if they can serve well, they should be able to hit good overheads. But there is one key difference. With the serve you control the ball's flight with your toss; with the overhead, you have to move quickly to get your body in place under the ball. To line up properly, position yourself so that if you were to let the ball drop, it would strike you in the chest. This helps ensure that contact occurs in front of your body, just as it does on the serve. |
| 2007/September THREE SIMPLE STEPS TO TRACKING DOWN DIFFICULT DROP SHOTS: 1. When running to the ball, pump your arms. When chasing after a drop shop, you need your arms to help propel you forward. Running with your racquet back slows you down and it takes exra time to bring it forward to contact. 2. Lead with your dominant side. Every inch counts when retrieving a drop shot, so you need to lengthen your reach as much as possible. As you reach the decending ball, slide or plant your doninant leg out toward the ball so you can extend farther and get your racquet underneath the falling ball. 3. See the ball and sense your opponent. Once you arrive at the ball and are ready to return it, don't get too anzious and look to see where your opponent is. Keep your eyes on the ball until contact. Remember, you also need to sense where your opponent is so you know where to place your shot---hit the ball where he's not. If he's closer to the baseline, hit a drop shot. If he's moving forward inside the court, then hit the ball deep and away from him. |
| 2007/August CONTROLLING THE NET: Playing smart doubles is about trying to gain good court position and control the net. Yet many recreational doubles players unwittingly hinder their teams by standing near the alley as their partners return serve. Although this may prevent you from getting burned down the line, it also makes it more difficult for you to intercept the most common return, the one down the middle, while at the same time making it easier for the returner to execute the crosscourt return. Also by standing near the alley, you leave your serving partner to cover the equivalent of an entire singles court. This may result in your partner having to hit volleys from difficult positions, and the opposing net player will be there to pick offf all but his best shots. The smart choice is to place yourself in the position that increases your chances of having a play on the most common shots. When your partner is serving, stand smack in the middle of the service box. This puts you in a position to volley weak returns, poach, cover lobs, and handle all but the best returns directed down the line. |
2007/July |
| 2007/June THE SERVE: Have you ever wondered why players stand near the intersection of the singles sideline and the baseline to return serve? In general, this position places the returner halfway between a server's two most dangerous serves: the one down the center service line and the one out wide. That positioning makes sense at the highest levels of the game, but few players below the 5.0 level can serve to all parts of the service box effectively. So why position yourself to cover serves that your opponent can't hit? Next time you play, try to: Adjust your position: Most recreational players have clear preferences for where they like to place their serves. Pay attention to your opponent's serves and adjust your position accordingly (e.g. few intermediate players can hit effective serves out wide. If you are faced with such a player, stand a foot or two toward the middle of the court.) Pressure the server: By adjusting your position on the return of serve to match the server's abilities, you're sending two messages: First, you're letting your opponent know that you're paying attention. Second, you're telling him to beat you with his worst serve. Both messages can pile on the pressure. On big points, especially when your opponent has to deliver a second serve, shifting your position can be enough to force him to hit a weak serve or a double fault. (Tony Lance) |
| 2007/May THE CHIP SHOT: Although it has almost disappeared from the modern pro grae, the chip is a valuable shot for recreational players. Hit with a motion similar to the volley and shorter than a slice; the chip is an abbreviated forehand hit with underspin. Here are a few reasons to use the chip: Disguise: Unlike a regular drive,the chip has a short backswing, which can often mask the intent of your shot. With such a compact stroke, even minor adjustments at impact can produce a variety of shots. You can punch the ball deep, keep it short and low, or sneak in a lob or drop shot, all with the same quick motion. Ease of Preparation: Big swings in the hands of most recreational players often result in shots that fly past the baseline, almost as frequently as they land in the court, especially when the strokes are used on the returns of serve, or against hard-hit drives. Rebcause the chip requires little preparation time, it is particularly useful for blocking back big serves or forceful shots with minimal effort. (Tony Lance) Over The Net: When is the best time to use a chip shot? Never - 5.2% Lob - 7.8% Return of Serve - 37.3% Short-angled Shot - 49.7% |