Returning Soft Shots

Q. I consider myself a solid 3.0 player. I love competing against other 3.0 and 3.5 level players and I do quite well. But when playing against what I would consider 2.5 level players, I usually end up losing the match. My problem is that I cannot seem to speed up their short slow balls. I return anything that comes my way slow with the same intensity that it comes in. If I take a good swing at it, all my shots go long. This has been going on for about six months! What is the best way to handle this situation? Obviously, I can push the ball back over the net all match long, but this does not change the pace, which is the outcome that I am looking for. —John Kelly, Boston A. Creating pace is difficult for many players because it requires polished technique to do it consistently. And it’s especially tricky to hit forcefully off really soft shots. You don’t say anything about your technique so I’ll address your situation in general terms. First, here’s what not to do. Don’t try to hit too hard. Just as you don’t take your car from first gear right to fourth, you shouldn’t attempt to take your opponent’s soft shots and send them back twice as hard as they came to you. Instead, whenever your opponent gives you a soft shot send it back with a little more pace than it came with. This may not feel as satisfying as you’d like but it’s a mental adjustment that you have to make if you want to successfully handle these soft, short balls. Get started by having a practice partner simulate the shots that give you trouble. There’s no substitute for hitting dozens of balls in a controlled environment. As you practice work on getting in position and preparing well. A full shoulder turn is critical if you want to create pace. (To ensure you’re turning your shoulders enough try this. Assuming you’re right-handed, if you’re hitting a forehand turn your upper body so that your left shoulder comes to your chin. For backhands your chin would rest on your right shoulder.) Since you say the balls you’re having trouble with are short and you have a tendency to hit long, you need to place a special emphasis on using extra topspin to keep the ball in the court. In fact, spin should be emphasized over power. Therefore, make sure you get your racquet below the intended point of impact as you’re swinging forward. That may mean using your legs to get lower than you normally do. Finally, focus on placement. Sure it feels good to hit the ball hard, but winning shots are more about putting the ball in the right place than they are about being struck with great force. Generally, aim the ball toward your opponent’s weaker side and go for depth. If it lands closer to the baseline than to the service line you’re doing good. —Tony Lance, Instruction Editor, TENNIS Magazine

Tag-team tennis

By Pat Whitworth The best doubles teams play as if they’re a tag-team wresting duo that tries whenever possible to turn points into two-on-one contests. The idea is to isolate and work over one of your opponents until you get the right ball to finish the point. This does three things for you: 1) Allows you to hold your position on the court instead of following the ball around as you would if you hit to both of your opponents। 2) Gives your opponents fewer gaps to exploit, since your position doesn’t change much। 3) Reduces your errors, since many errors occur when you try to change the direction of the ball too early in a point। Pat Whitworth is a USPTA Master Pro in Hamilton Mill, Dacula, Ga.

High backhand volleys made simple

High volleys should be easy, right? Then why do you miss so many on the backhand side? The problem is likely because of your backswing. Players miss volleys long because their backswing was too long and the ball got to their racquet before the racquet face got back forward. Players miss volleys into the net because their backswing was too long, they swung aggressively, and the racquet ended up too far forward. The good news is that it’s really hard to miss a routine volley—especially a high volley—if you don't take too big a backswing. How do you know if your backswing’s not too big? If, when you take your racquet back, you can still see the back of your strings (the side the ball's not on) it's almost impossible to make a mistake on the volley. All you have to do is line your racquet face up with the ball and push forward on impact. from the "tennis" mag.

Body Blow

If your opponent is still catching his breath after a long point, consider aiming your next serve directly at his body. A winded receiver will often play the return without taking adjustment steps, which are necessary for returning a body serve. Aiming the ball at your opponent in this situation will often result in a weak reply that allows you to play an aggressive shot on the next ball. Kirk Anderson, USPTA & PTR Master Pro, New Fairfield, Conn.

Tag-team tennis

By Pat Whitworth The best doubles teams play as if they’re a tag-team wresting duo that tries whenever possible to turn points into two-on-one contests. The idea is to isolate and work over one of your opponents until you get the right ball to finish the point. This does three things for you: 1) Allows you to hold your position on the court instead of following the ball around as you would if you hit to both of your opponents। 2) Gives your opponents fewer gaps to exploit, since your position doesn’t change much। 3) Reduces your errors, since many errors occur when you try to change the direction of the ball too early in a point। Pat Whitworth is a USPTA Master Pro in Hamilton Mill, Dacula, Ga.

Two-Handed Backhand of Novak Djokovic

Extensive hip rotation and a composed upper body make this shot a dependable asset. The great thing about Novak Djokovic’s game is how complete it is. He can do pretty much anything. And while his forehand is a punishing stroke, his backhand might be the more solid of the two shots. Djokovic can hit the ball crosscourt or open up the court with a shot down the line. It’s a big part of his constantly improving game. 1. This is a classic preparatory position for a two-handed backhand. Djokovic is looking over his dominant shoulder to track the ball and has excellent balance and posture. His hands are slightly higher than his waist, with the racquet head above his wrists and pointed back and up at 2 o’clock. He’s behind the baseline, but Djokovic is giving himself ample opportunity to step into the shot. 2. Djokovic takes his racquet back by employing a full shoulder turn. It’s a fairly straight backswing with the racquet head up. It appears as though Djokovic is making a loop, but the position of his frame is a result of his full upper-body rotation. At this point, Djokovic plants his left foot and loads all his weight on it. He’s ready to start his forward swing. 3. Djokovic’s hands get more involved in the stroke as he raises them and increases his shoulder turn. He’s beginning to transfer his weight by stepping forward with his right foot, which is parallel to the baseline. (Ideally his foot would be at a 45-degree angle with the baseline to allow him to open up faster.) The thing to appreciate is the position of Djokovic’s hips. They’re fully rotated and coiled, and as the sequence continues he does a great job of releasing them into the shot. 4. As he gets ready to unleash on the ball, Djokovic points the butt cap of his racquet toward the other side of the net. He’s starting to drop his racquet head, but he’ll only get under the ball enough to give it a little bit of topspin. Djokovic is also pushing off the toes of his back foot and starting to open up his hips. 5. Djokovic makes contact in front of his body and at waist level. Notice how his hands are moving away from his torso and working together; neither is dominating the other. His legs are straightening to lift his body up into the shot, and his hips and shoulders are opening up. Djokovic’s shoulders are more uneven than usual, but that could be a slight improvisation to compensate for the ball’s height and position. 6. There’s so much momentum created by his racquet acceleration, trunk rotation, and the weight shift in his legs that Djokovic is off the court when he follows through. Even though he’s in full swing, his head and body remain composed. Djokovic’s arms extend through the hitting zone as his hips open up. His belly button, which was pointing to the side in his backswing, now faces the net. 7. Both of Djokovic’s elbows are pointing away from his body as he follows through. All his weight is now on his front foot, and his left leg is starting to come around to aid in his recovery. Djokovic has kept his head down throughout the stroke; only now is he tracking his shot. Judging the ball’s flight path and his opponent’s reaction will give Djokovic a better idea of where to position himself for his next shot. 8. The ball has left the frame, but Djokovic is still completing his long follow-through. This is a great lesson for rec players—finish the swing first, then recover. Djokovic’s left leg is swinging out so he can plant it and move back toward the center of the court. He’s low to the ground, with his balance still perfect. That will help him explode to wherever the next ball goes.

Keep your grip soft

Is there any shot more impressive than a feathery drop volley hit off a driving ground stroke? To execute that difficult touch shot, you need “soft hands.” That’s just another way of saying you should use a relaxed grip. To get the feel for it, try the two-finger volley grip. Rather than holding your racquet like you normally do, grip the handle with only your ring and pinky fingers. Your other fingers should wrap around the grip, but don’t use them to squeeze. This encourages the relaxed, soft feel you need to make those eye-catching droppers and sharp-angle touch shots

The Forehand of Maria Sharapova

Early preparation and an attacking mind-set have helped the Russian turn this shot into a world-class weapon. When Maria Sharapova stunned tennis fans by winning Wimbledon in 2004, her serve and backhand were her biggest assets. But in the last year, she has molded her forehand into a weapon as well. She’s more aggressive off that wing than ever before, and it’s the shot she relies on most to open up the court and construct points. 1. Sharapova uses her left hand to help take her racquet back and assist in her shoulder turn. See how her left shoulder comes up to her chin? I like that, because it indicates a full turn. Her balance is very good. She’s ready to move forward and take this shot just inside the baseline—clearly Sharapova is looking to attack. Her grip is almost a full Western. 2. Sharapova continues with her excellent shoulder turn. As she takes her racquet back, she’s making small adjustment steps that help put her in an ideal position. Sharapova’s racquet is back a little higher than I was taught to take mine—my backswing was more compact—but it helps her produce greater racquet-head speed, which means more power. 3. Sharapova’s left hand is starting to move out in front of her to track the ball. Doing this helps ensure that her point of contact is out in front of her body. Her head is down and her eyes are right on the ball. At this point, it appears she might be preparing to hit an open-stance forehand, but she’s not; she’s putting her left foot directly in front of her right as she moves to the ball. 4. This photo screams balance and power. Sharapova is getting ready to unleash into the shot. Her head has barely moved since the fi rst frame, and her racquet is looping down out of her high backswing. The only criticism I have at this point is that her right elbow is too far away from her body. I prefer it to be in closer, which gives you more control. It appears she’s decided to take a backswing that’s bigger than usual so she can really attack the ball. 5. Sharapova has pulled her elbow closer to her body. She’s dropped her racquet almost to its lowest point and she’ll bring it forward and up, hitting the ball from below and swinging up and through it. The racquet face is a bit closed, so she’ll generate some topspin. Sharapova’s upper body is already uncoiling, helping to move the racquet toward the contact point. Her weight is now on her front foot. 6. The point of contact is just where it should be—in front of the body. Sharapova has taken the ball early, hitting low to high, and her balance is excellent. Her eyes are locked on the ball and her weight is moving forward to the point where she’s come up on her right toe. It appears from her stance and the position of her shoulders that she’s going down the line with this attacking forehand. 7. I like that Sharapova is hitting through the ball and fi nishing by taking her racquet across her body. She could have extended the frame even more through the path of the ball, but I think the fact that she didn’t is probably because she’s added topspin to this shot. Her forward and upward momentum have brought both of her feet off the ground. Notice how her head remains down. Even though she’s hit the ball, she’s not yet looking to see where it’s going. 8. his is a wraparound follow-through. Sharapova has a tendency to follow through on her forehand over her right shoulder instead of her left, particularly when she’s hitting off her back foot. But on this one she’s done it in the traditional way. She didn’t pop up too fast, so she’s balanced and ready to get back to the middle for the next shot.