Steal This Drill: Aggressive Baseline Practice Part 1

CAtennis.com received the following message from a friend and college coach: "Dear CAtennis.com, It's been a long time. I enjoy reading your tips. I am now a college coach at _____________. I have a couple of players on my team from Europe and South America and they are having difficulty adjusting to the fast-paced game of college tennis. No matter what I do, they just want to stay back and grind (like you, haha). Are there any drills you can recommend for getting them to come in more? I hope that all's well with you and we should get together soon"

Assuming that basic drills such as serve and volleying or approach-pass have been tried, I believe that part of the issue with the baseliner mentality is that they simply do not put sufficient value on points won inside the baseline. Here are two drills that one can try:

1. In the first drill, set up a the court so that there is a line about 3-4ft behind the service line on each side. At first, play regular points (maybe up to 21) and simply keep track of how many times the player ventures inside that area. This sets the measurement standard. Thereafter, play a game where the player can only hit a winner from that area (i.e. winners from baseline don't count) and that if he loses a ball from there (i.e., misses a volley or gets passed), it doesn't count. This adds a layer of confidence in that the reward of coming in outweighs the risks. In the third game, the player can still only hit winners from inside the area but he can also lose the point from there (e.g. missed volley or attacker gets passed). This means that the risks and rewards are about even. In the fourth game, adjust the scoring so that any point won from inside the area counts as two (the player can also lose the point from inside the attacking area as well as anywhere in the court). This teaches the player to add more value to points won while in an aggressive position. However, unlike the previous game, here the player can choose which point will pay the most dividend. Lastly, play another "regular" game to 21 and keep track of how they do in this game versus the first. In this game, you can also make it so that the player runs sprints (e.g. ten-balls) for the difference between points lost and number of times ventured in (for example: lost 18 points but made it inside 15 times = 3 sprints). 

2. In the second drill, set up the court so there's a line about 4 feet inside each baseline. THAT line becomes the baseline. The regular baseline is the "cliff". The rule is that if the player steps behind the baseline during the point, he falls "off the cliff" and loses the point (over-stepping the side-lines is OK). As above, try to have the players compete in a couple of baseline games and see how many choose to venture inside the service line. The objective is to become accustomed to playing from this area of the court in order to be more relaxed during the transition stage. Accordingly, the players should be instructed to "work the point" rather than slapping at the ball senselessly. Once there's an opening, seek to come in and cut off the short ball or floater (regular or swinging volley). 

One issue with college practices (or other "team" formats) is that the workouts are often designed to suit the greatest number of players without being tailored to a particular player's needs. In this regard, simply hitting more volleys is not likely to get the desired response from a pure baseliner. Sure, the volleys will improve but not his/her comfort level through the mid-court. CAtennis.com believes that these drills (part of a series) are a good step in the right direction to "stress inoculating" the grinders to the pace/style of American tennis. Hopefully, after a couple of focused workouts, the player will look at every point with the intention of stepping inside the baseline. 

Returning Against a Serve and Volleyer

Not many players favor the serve-and-volley game style in the modern game of tennis. Accordingly, facing such a player can be very frustrating sometimes unless you have a great deal of experience under your belt. Here are some things to keep in mind when facing a net rusher:

1. Make him volley. This may seem like routine advice, but that's not quite the case. A S-V player provokes the following unconscious thoughts in your mind: A) he's coming in; B) he's coming in because he likes it; C) if he likes it, he must be good at it; and D) if he's good at it, I better keep the ball away from him. This is exactly the way the net rusher wants you to think; he wants to tempt you to go for the low percentage passing shot off his major weapon. It's hard enough to pass someone who is coming in off a ground stroke! Why would you try to do this off a serve?! Therefore, a better tactic would be to make the player volley and see what tools he has on his belt. Maybe it's all just a bluff! You will never know unless you test him. 

2. Your point of recovery following the return should be inside the baseline. The good serve a volleyers will attempt to combine good serves with sharp angles. For them, this guarantees that the returner has the most ground to cover. Therefore, returning and then recovering deep behind the baseline's center-T plays right into their hand. You want to recover in an aggressive position in order to ensure that you are as close to the next shot as possible. Force them to aim their volleys deep - not only may this draw errors but it will also reduce the angles that they can create. 

3. Don't forget about the chip return (NOT a slice). Depending on how solid your chip return is (if it's not, try to improve it), a chip return may give you a better option if you're unsure of your opponent's tendencies. For one, the chip requires little or no back-swing (you're utilizing the opponent's pace and only redirecting the shot) so you can make the decision on where to hit and how deep much later (in terms of tennis-time). Also, the chip requires a continental grip so if you have a one-handed backhand, it's easier to transition from the forehand grip (Western or Semi-Western) to the chip (since you only have to go half-way). In addition, a chip has a completely different spin - something that the volleyer may have difficulty handling. A topspin ball dips into the volleyer's string-bed. A well-struck chip will "pop up" of his strings - thereby forcing the volleyer to make adjustments. Volleyers are more accustomed to volleying against a topsin than against a ball that spins the "other way". 

4. Stay close in. Similar to playing a big-bomber, it's important to stay closer to the court when returning and thereby position yourself so as to cut off the server's angles. Most likely, the serve and volleyer will attempt to come in off a spin serve (kick, topspin, or slice) in order to give himself more time to close in. If you stay back, you will allow him to take an extra couple of steps - at which point, it will be difficult to make him volley below the net (your goal is to make him pop up the volley as opposed to sticking it downwards). Stay close in, use the pace of his serve (even a kick-serve has sufficient pace for you to use and redirect) and seek to make the rusher volley behind the center-T or half-volley around the center-T.

The center-T should be your target in these instances. Pound it incessantly and force the volleyer to generate angles from the middle of the court; don't give him an opening (i.e. too far away from the middle but within reach) from which he can generate an angle. Unless he's very, very good, chances are that he will have difficulty handling these shots. The best return is, actually, slightly cross-court from your return position - this force the opponent to adjust the face the face of the racket and to generate a slight "inside-out" angle. For example, if you're returning from the deuce side down-the-line, the opponent can stick a cross-court backhand volley without much difficulty. Return cross-court, and he will have problems generating the same angle with his forehand volley down-the-line. 

5. Attack. Another oft-forgotten play is to come in yourself (chip-and-charge). This may work as a great surprise-tactic since the server expects to face an opponent who is staying deep. You have a slight advantage in these situations because out of the two players, you're the only one who knows what to expect. Depending on the serve, you may in fact "beat the player" to the net since, the ball would have reached your position a split second after the server's contact with the ball. Chip down the T (low), rush in and pounce on the opponent's next shot (particularly any pop-up floaters). Stun him once or twice and you will either force him to do more with his serves (resulting in more double faults or second serves; [DING-DING] BONUS) or his volleys (errors). If you're lucky, you might actually force him to stay back ([DING-DING] DOUBLE BONUS) and that's when you know that you have really rocked his boat. 

Steal This Drill: One Person Serve and Volleying

It is said that serve and volleying is dead. If you listen to the experts - be it tennis commentators, former players or your local pro - it seems that the only thing more irrelevant in today's game than serve and volleying are wooden rackets and cat-gut strings :)

We'll be the first to concede that with the advent of more modern equipment - lighter, more powerful rackets; polyester strings; springier balls - the server's advantage might be somewhat more diminished or neutralized. However, there's no better way to throw a monkey wrench into your opponent's plans than by serve-and-volleying every few points if only to keep her honest. A well executed play will force your opponent to aim lower over the net than if you are staying back after the serve. Sometimes, you might draw a mistake (easy point) just by "looking the part" of someone who knows what he's doing. Other times, the return my come right on your string bed. Of course, chances are that a good returner may dip the ball on you so it's good to work on pick-ups as well. 

However, we believe that it's not the serve-and-volley strategy that is dead; but the art of practicing for it. For example, nowadays, every junior has his/her own private coach who may get a bit antsy having to return the player's serve and forcing him to serve and volley. In addition, since juniors try to protect their emotions, very seldom do they play practice matches against other kids their age. Therefore, they hardly ever have the opportunity to work on new things such as serve and volleys. So how are they expected to implement it in a match?! 

If you're self-motivated and interested in learning this dimension, don't despair; there IS a way. Next time you practice your serves, rather than putting the bucket of balls behind you, set it at the service line. Pick up ONE ball, serve and SPRINT in for the bucket. When reaching the bucket (or ball pyramid), bend your knees and pick up another ball (just one). Careful that you don't overrun the bucket. Move in fast but with controlled steps. Rinse and repeat.

A major element of the serve and volley play is the movement from 1 foot inside the baseline to the service line. A lot of players practice their serves (let's say that they are dedicated enough to do that) and practice their volleys but fail to tie the two concepts together. So when they try the serve-and-volley play for the first time in a match they look like a fish out of water because the movement is not natural. By doing this drill - whether on your own or with multiple players on court - you will learn how to follow the ball in and measure your steps before reaching the basket. Furthermore, this is a wonderful way for breaking out of the usual serving routine and throwing some light sprints into the mix thereby keeping your leg muscles engaged and working. In addition, by moving forward, you will become more adept at using your body's momentum for hitting the ball (as opposed to hitting static serves). 

Serve and volley is not dead but the artistry of the game may use some resuscitation. 

Steal This Drill: Low Volleys

The general consensus among most coaches (and players - current and former) who know a thing or two about the game of tennis is that up-and-coming juniors do not spend enough time honing their volley game. They learn to bash and belt from the baseline but anything inside of the service line is a foreign language to them.

What complicates the situation further is that the "modern" game (seriously, folks, Western grips and open stances have been around since tennis was played on wooden courts) seems to emphasize certain characteristics that do not translate to the volley game. For example, big backswings and open stances don't fit very well when playing at the net. Furthermore, too many players emphasize their forehand - thereby having a predetermined set-up - whereas the net requires a degree of neutrality in order to properly react to both sides relatively quickly.

Lastly, modern technology "evens out" the advantage between the baseline player and the net rusher. That's not to say that the attacking player receives no advantage but, as anyone who has grown up with a wooden racket in their hand would tell you, it was way more difficult to pass with a heavy, wooden racket - particularly when the defender was on the run. 

Therefore, having a good technical foundation at the net is even more important nowadays than "back in the day." So here's a drill to teach you how to properly move, get low and "punch" the ball. Set up a cone around 8-9 feet from the net (orange circle). The feeder (red square) feeds soft, dipping balls side to side right when the player is ready to "round the cone" (blue line). In this drill, the player does not have a racket in hand. Instead s/he lunges forward and across (left foot on the forehand; right foot on the backhand) and catches the ball with BOTH hands (THIS IS IMPORTANT) out in front (the ball is discarded to the side).

This drill teaches the net player to: (1) ATTACK the volley with his legs; (2) make contact with the ball IN FRONT; (3) by using both hands to catch the ball, SQUARING the correct shoulder in front; (4) NOT OVERRUN the volley (lunge slows the forward momentum); and (5) focus on CORRECT recovery. As the player gets better, the cone can be pushed further back in order to simulate a different angle of attack. The racket can be introduced after the player masters the proper movement and upper body positioning (preventing the player from stabbing or flailing at the ball). Remember: Volleys = LEGS! 

Here's the Beast from the East in action demonstrating proper execution of this drill: 

ABOVE: knees bent (back knee is well below the front knee); arms in front; left shoulder in front. 

ABOVE: power lunge forward with left foot; attacking the ball with both hands; back straight; head still. And notice the hind foot acting as an anchor (slowing down the forward momentum). 

ABOVE: attacking the ball with right foot; both hands in front; right shoulder forward; ball is at eye level. 

ABOVE: left knee WAY below the right knee (PERFECT positioning); attacking the ball with both arms in front of the body; ball is eye-level; perfect balance. 

Steal This Drill: The Deep Volley Game

Here is a great drill for practicing both reflex volleys and first volleys. Often times when juniors work on their volleys, they get right on top of the net - maybe a foot or two away - and start smashing volleys aimlessly away from their practice partners. First of all, this is pointless because if you are a half-way decent junior and feel that you need to actually work on volleys that are on top of the net, well I have bad news for you... Second, unless you're Pat Cash (huh? Look him up), Patrick Rafter (who? Look him up), Stefan Edberg (who? Look him up too), Taylor Dent (you may have actually heard of him) or John Isner (ding-ding-ding) there are very few occasions when you will have the opportunity to hit a volley from 2 feet away from the net. Fewer still are the opportunities to make contact from there on a first volley.

The reality is that most first volleys are struck from the service line (or around there - give or take a foot or two). As a player, you should become familiar with volleys (or half-volley "pick-ups") being hit from there. Familiarity breeds comfort and comfort breeds confidence. If you know that you are pretty good at digging volleys from mid-court you will be a lot more confident at venturing to the net in the first place. Converseley, if you are only comfortable hitting volleys from on top of the net, you will not venture forward regardless of how many volleys you've hit from there in practice.

Here is a good way to become comfortable hitting volleys from mid-court and, at the same time, work on your reflexes, movement, balance as well as "punching through" the volleys (as opposed to hitting down on them). Two players line up behind their respective service lines on one half of the court. Players play points up to 11, 15, 21, etc. The rules are as follows: if the ball bounces in the doubles alley, deep, outside of the particular half (i.e., outside of the imaginary white line) or INSIDE of the service line, it's out (yes, the ball CAN bounce, as long as it bounces behind the service line and inside of the relevant half). In addition, the players cannot themselves step inside of the service line (i.e., they must stay behind) OR, alternatively, can only take one step inside and recover. This way, they are forced to work on their volleys and quick hands and not just bat balls from on top of the net. This drill can be done with 2 sets of players on court and there's also a possibility to do this drill cross-court. Again, work on your deep volleys; become comfortable in the mid-court and all the awkward shots and movements that go along with it. Your confidence in the rest of your game will grow exponentially when you know that you can do everything with a tennis racket.