March 8, 2010
How to Slide on Clay
"What's New" Product Video - from Tennis Warehouse - Nike Air CourtBallistic 2.3 shoe (Rafa's shoe)
How to Beat the All-Court Player Dan McCain Every player can be different, but in my experience all-court players typically have a strong forehand, a weaker backhand, and good volleys. For a professional model, think of Pete Sampras. Most importantly, all-court players like to take the net as often as they can. So the challenge of beating anyone with the title of all-court player sounds formidable. But there are gaps in the all-court approach, and here's how to exploit them. Use Passing Combination Shots
When the all-court player approaches the net, think of using combination passing shots. To use a boxing analogy, don't try to knockout your opponent with one punch. When your opponent approaches the net, hit a "neutral" (with less pace) passing shot, low to one of the court. This will force the all-court player to volley up, giving you the opportunity for an aggressive pass or an offensive lob. All-court players that rush the net a number of times without success will, over time, be discouraged from coming to the net. If you turn them into a baseliner, you've taken them outside their comfort zone–and they're more apt to go for ill-advised shots and the strategic advantage swings in your favor. Hit groundstrokes with added net clearance and depth Most all-court players like to take the ball early and look for opportunities to get to the net. A great way to keep the all-court player from rushing the net during baseline exchanges is to hit your groundstrokes with slightly less pace and more net clearance, which will push them further back behind the baseline, again taking them out of their comfort zone. Take the net away from them The all-court player believes in his style, believes in coming to the net. They want you to be the one hitting passing shots. When you take the net, you again force them out of their comfort zone, eroding their confidence, forcing them to rely on passing skills they typically don't possess. Hit a high percentage of first serves Many all-court players do not return that well when you make a good first serve. But most of them will look to attack your second serve, and - even worse for you - they often look to chip and charge or drive the return and rush the net immediately. When the all-court player comes to the net on a second server return, it puts tremendous pressure on your passing game.
The solution is to increase your first serve percentage by taking a little pace off of your first serve and hitting it with a little bit more spin. The all-court player is robbed of the opportunities to come to net on the weaker second serve, eliminating a major weapon that can hurt you. Hit smart returns Because the all-court player often serves and volleys, knowing what to do with your returns can be tricky. When hitting your return, you want to keep your peripheral vision very active, pay attention as to whether or not your opponent is coming to the net behind the serve or staying back. If you see your opponent coming in to the net behind the serve, the best thing to do is go back to the passing shot combination discussed above. Because the first shot will be the return, it is best to take some pace off of the return, get it low to one side of the court, and then look to hit an aggressive passing shot on the second passing shot. If you see your opponent staying back on the baseline after their serve, then the best play is to hit your return to their weaker side. If they have a better forehand, which is most often the case, then returning to their backhand can prevent them from attacking after your return. Tennis is about giving your opponents what they don't like. Follow these tips, and you may have your all-court friends re-thinking their game. As always, we would love to hear from you! Questions, comments, personal experiences all create helpful dialogue for everyone! Please click here to send us your email.
TennisOne Writers Store One of your many new benefits as a TennisOne membership is your ability to purchase selected instructional DVDs at 20% off ($7.50 off each) in our new TennisOne Writers Store (login in first to access members links):
Copyright Notice: The contents of the TennisONE web site and contents forwarded to you by TennisONE are intended for your personal, noncommercial use. Republishing of TennisONE content in any way, including framing or posting of these materials on other Web sites, is strictly prohibited. See our full copyright statement If you wish to be removed from our newsletter list, please send an email to newsletter-unsubscribe@tennisone.com and leave the subject line blank. A confirmation email will be sent to you, and you will be removed from our newsletter list once you reply to that confirmation. If trouble unsubscribing, simply email us with a request to unsubscribe at: t1staff@tennisone.com
|
||||
