Practice With Players of Opposite Sex

Although girls seem to be a bit more open-minded when it comes to practicing with players of the opposite sex (or, perhaps, they prefer to not practice with their "frenemies"), boys are often loath to practice against girls. They don't see the benefit of playing against someone who might not have the same amount of power or spin as them. However, that's exactly what makes good and serious women players such good practice partners. Because they may lack power, women are often steadier than men. The use the steadiness to push the opponent around the court and to put their opponent off balance. In addition to doing "steadiness" drills (like cross-courts), boys can practice playing points against girls where the object is not to blast winners but to work the opponent around the court. Both players will benefit from this practice.

In addition, girls often (BUT DEFINITELY NOT ALWAYS) use less pace than boys. Perhaps due to wrist/forearm strength or other factors, girls generally hit the ball flatter than boys. For this reason, it us useful to practice against girls because a flatter shot takes less time to cross the net (i.e., due to lesser arc) than a heavy topspin. In addition, a flatter shot often skids and lands deeper into the court (forcing the player to move to the ball and prepare quickly). A lot of times, playing against a girl is like playing on a very fast court where you have less time to prepare.

Furthermore, although their serves may be weaker, girls are usually better returners (since their game revolves a lot more around breaking than holding serve). Therefore, boys can practice playing points against girls where the boy either doesn't go for his first serve or gets only one serve to begin with. This should make for a competitive practice for both players. 

Own The No-Man's-Land

There are a few pieces of advice that get passed down from generation to generation and one of them happens to "don't play in no-man's land" or "don't get stuck in no man's land". Although I agree with the theory behind these concepts - after all, the closer to the court you are, the faster you need to be and the better your balance (in addition to the risk of being struck "in the shoe-laces) - I completely disagree with the concept that one should not know how to play from inside the baseline entirely. 

No man's land is a transition area and if you're no comfortable in that part of the court, the chance that you will be comfortable coming in (to the net) is very small. One of my pet peeves is seeing players practice from 2, 3, 5 or 10 feet behind the baseline where they look like world-class tennis players. Then, they move in and practice volleys from 6 feet from the net....completely ignoring the 400 square feet of court in between. Let me dispel one myth right off the bat: the chance that you are going to hit a shot (bet it serve or groundstroke) from behind the baseline and then be able to make contact with the volley 6 feet from the net is extremely small...either the opponent isn't very good or you hit a very fortunate shot.

The vast majority of first volleys are really encountered around the service line (maybe a bit behind it). But if you're not confident that you can handle this no man's land zone, the likelihood that you will be confident in making the journey to the net is very small. That's primarily because if opponents don't hit outright winners, they can usually dip the ball with heavy spin or hit a slice that grazes the net (forcing you to make contact from further back than you're used to).

As a baseline player (which most players happen to be), it is important to become comfortable in this transition area (from 1 foot inside the baseline to 1 foot behind the service line) because you never know when the play calls for coming in and you don't want to hesitate or second guess yourself. It is sometimes amusing to see coaches yelling at players (with proverbial steam coming out of their ears) for not following the ball in. They never bother asking the question why the player did not do so. Often times the answer is "because I'm not confident in the mid-court", You can practice volleys until you're blue in the face, but if you don't know how to handle the transition area, you will simply not come in at all the right times...and God forbid that the opponent happens to pass you the first time out. That's when junior say "check please" and keep on staying back, pounding groundies.

Listen, if you want to improve your net game, you have to start it one step at a time. In a previous tip, we mentioned how you should see the court as a chess-board with 3x3ft squares. In reality, try seeing it as a Rubiks cube that is made up of smaller 3x3x3ft cubes. These "cubes": are on your side of the court as well as your opponents. You should strive to master hitting any "cube" on your opponent's side of the court FROM any cube on your side of the court where the ball happens to be...and a lot of these "cubes" happen to be in the mid court. Therefore, swinging volleys, regular volleys, pick-up/half-volleys, abbreviated swing groundstrokes, bunts, high backhand "overheads", skyhooks, etc. all have to be practiced. Any player who is comfortable hitting these shots from mid-court will have more confidence in going in "all the way". It's really the fear of missing or getting passed (something that doesn't happen a lot from the baseline) that holds the players back.

Therefore, do drills where you are mixing baseline shots, with swinging volleys, with pick-ups and regular volleys so that you know what you have to do if you don't happen to hit your first volley from on top of the net. In other words, get comfortable coming in in stages, and then try to have fewer and fewer stages. In your mind, you should have the belief in yourself that if the ball bounces a foot from the baseline you can handle it ("I got this") and know exactly where and how your shot should be hit.

Chip-N-Charge

An oft-forgotten strategy is the chip-and charge play. Currently, when players do decide to come in on the opponent's serve, they tend to do so by thumping the return and sprinting in (and even these plays are few and far between). The chip-and-charge way is one of the cleverest ways to put pressure on the opponent when she is already serving under pressure. Unlike a "belt-and-bolt" (i.e., where you crush the return and then sprint in), the chip and charge, if executed correctly takes time away from your opponent since you are executing the stroke WHILE moving in. In addition, instead of risking that the opponent sticks her racket out to block your massive forehand return, against a chip she actually has to (1) move, (2) get down low, and (3) generate her own pace in order to pass you. All the while, you're rushing in and closing down the angles where she can go. 

To execute a good chip and charge play, it helps to be proficient at the slice. In this regard, it is important to understand that the chip (or the slice) is NOT A SWINGING stroke. That is, you don't try to swing at the ball as if you're cutting down a bamboo tree. You want to split forward, generate only a little pace with your shoulders (utilizing mostly the pace coming from the opponent), make contact out in front by leaning against the ball, and continue to follow the ball in a natural fashion. Practice this while your playing partner is working on her serves. Or, if you're working with a coach, practice this by having the coach serve to you and then feed a dipping volley. Remember, this is a shot that will pay huge dividends in pressure situation and you don't have to be a classic serve-and-volleyer to execute it correctly. It's the element of surprise that will win you the point. As long as you hit the ball deep (2-3 feet from the baseline) you will be in a great position to win - whether by putting the next volley away or by drawing outright errors from the opponent. Even if the opponent gets lucky and squeezes a passing shot by you, in her mind, she will always think that you're going to repeat the play and, as a result, put more pressure on herself next time around (and maybe you'll get a double fault). 

Initially, try to work on this play against weaker opponents in order to get the feel for how the ball should be struck and how you should follow the ball in. Then, against a better opponent, find a pressure situation where you can take advantage of her second serve and charge in "like the Russians to Berlin" (i.e.  FULLY COMMITTED to the cause; "d**n the torpedoes"). 

Serving Day

As we've said before, it seems that the serve often takes a backseat to the rest of the game. Everybody who knows about tennis believes that your serve is the most important weapon but how many players, in fact, practice what they preach? Not many. During "lessons", serves are usually struck at the end (if you're lucky, the last 10 minutes; more likely, the last 5) and it's almost as an after-thought. Maybe this gives the chance for the coach to relax or to be up-close-and personal with the student. Parents also see serves as a "sedentary" position and, hey, since they are the ones footing the bills they want to see little Johnny sweating and not "standing around." Of course, the coaches do say that the serve is something that player can practice on her own but does she take him up on the offer?! Don't worry; I already know the answer. 

When dealing with limited time, it is advisable for players and coaches to incorporate serves throughout the practice and, also, to have at least one day per week dedicated to hitting serves. For example, when a student has a problem with the serve - perhaps it breaks down during the match - the team (coach/player) can consider including the serves in all the drills. For example, are you doing figure-8s or cross courts? Great; have the player start the point off with the serve. Are you working on volleys? Have the player serve and volley. Same with side to sides and every other drill that you have. Through this, the player will not only get a lot of practice hitting serves (thereby building endurance) but they will also do so while in the process of being exhausted. However, the player is tricked into hitting a lot of serves and developing the stroke. This is often a good way to practice for women tennis players since, sometimes, they tend to not like hitting serves (sorry for the generalization). 

Lastly, have a day during the week that is made up of mostly serves (maybe this is the day when the player also plays sets). Practice hitting serves from everywhere around the baseline and even behind the baseline. Set up targets all over the box and aim for them. Use a radar gun. Combine serves with sprints (so that the player has to concentrate on the serve when exhausted). Use a different racket for every serve (to get used to serving a second serve in the event the string broke on the first). Put a basket of balls at the service line and have the player serve and "rush in" to pick up a ball (simulating a serve-and volley). Combine the serve with a low hand-fed ball (to simulate a quick return from the opponent). Have a kick-serve competition (see who can hit the ball the highest/most angle). See who can hit the most second-serves in a row. These last drills are obviously great in split-lesson formats. 

Develop your serve as a weapon and not only will you take pressure off yourself, but now you can use that added energy to put pressure on the opponent's serve during the match.

 

Backboard Training

Among the most useful (and underused) training tools is the backboard. Generations of great players have honed their strokes by practicing against the backboard yet, for some reason, modern American players think that they are too good for this device. In addition, some parents believe that unless some-high priced coach is on the court with the kid, that the player will not be able to learn on his own. I have seen dozens of junior players who are simply incapable of hitting 100-200 balls in a row against the backboard without missing. And volleys?! Forget about it. You'd be lucky to see someone hit 10-20 before losing control of the ball. 

The backboard is an awesome training device for supplementing your practices. First of all, there are generally very few distractions (due to massive green background) so that the player can totally focus on the ball. Second of all, the player must develop control in order for it to keep coming back to her. Third of all, the constant repetition is physically taxing on your forearm.

The forearm muscles are very important in imparting control on the racket. By having a strong forearm (like a wall), your volleys and slices will improve dramatically (since these are strokes that depend more on blocking/punching than on swinging). With a soft forearm, your arm (similar to a hanging towel) - instead of punching the ball - will actually absorb the pace of your opponent's shot (so players often compensate by swinging at volleys or slices which usually results in "easy" errors). Visualize Bruce Lee and his famous one-inch punch (where a lot of power was created in a short distance). Lastly, practicing against the backboard is great for improving the hand-to-eye coordination. There's nothing as useful for your eyes as staring at the ball coming back to you in rapid succession 2-3000 times per workout (Note: it is said that Rocky Marciano trained his eyes by staring at a tic-tocking metronome at the foot of his bed).

I recommend that, at least twice per week, developing players hit at least 2000 balls/session against the backboard. This may sound like a lot but, done right, it should only take 15 minutes to accomplish this task. One of my favorite routines is the tap-tap rally where the player hits 100 forehand volleys in a row, followed by 100 backhand volleys, followed by 100 side-to-sides, followed by 100 slices. Five sets of this and your forearm will be fried and you won't even break a sweat. If you want, you can also work on overheads (note, you hit the overhead into the ground and then it ricochets upwards into the backboard and arcs back to you for another overhead). There is no excuse for any player not including at least some backboard practice into their routine.