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"). 

Barefoot Tennis

If you've read Christopher McDougall's book "Born To Run" (if not, I strongly recommend that you do), you will understand that humans are literally made to run. That is, our ancestor ran a lot in order to survive (be it after food, away from predators, and as a way to cover distances for various reasons). And, guess, what?! They did not possess the latest shoe designs with air pockets, straps, ankle support, inserts, or other bells and whistles. Their footwear, if they possessed any, was nothing more than a piece of leather which protected the foot from scrapes, blisters or cuts. As a result of this lifestyle, their feet (and, as a result, OUR feet) were shaped to resemble carriage springs (upside-down "U" shape). Accordingly, when people run barefoot, the forefoot tends to strike the ground first which then automatically propels the person to "spring" forward again.

However, due to technological developments (and our sedentary lifestyle) our feet have not only been weakened but our stride has shifted from toe-to-toe running to heel-to-toe rolling. The problem is that spending too much time on your heels is not good for tennis. Tennis players need to be EXPLOSIVE, they need to SPRING to and away from the ball. That's why coaches emphasize  "playing" or "moving" on your toes. This is that same movements that boxers use in the ring and, consequently, why boxers AND tennis players need to spend a lot of time jumping rope (in order to strengthen the muscles in their feet and ankles - which allow them to bounce around the court). 

A good way for players to understand what "moving on the toes" means, is by having them take their shoes off for a few drills (they can keep the socks on). These, obviously, don't need to be very difficult drills. Just some basic side to sides, inside-outs, up-and-backs, returns, etc. By being barefoot, the player will NATURALLY grasp the concept of shifting the weight forward onto the balls of their feet and keeping the feet "under their bodies" (as opposed to sloppily getting off-balance). It will be very uncomfortable for the player to lean their weight back on their heels and, God forbid, actually land on their heels. The players will try to avoid this pain at all costs and move the way nature and evolution intended us to move - on our front-foot. After the player feels that she has learned the concept, re-do the same drills and have the player explain the difference. This is a very fun way for players to learn proper footwork and balance. 

Cover The Line?

A concept that continues to linger is that a player who approaches the net should "cover the [down the] line". This principle may have been effective when players use to utilize small-headed, heavy wooden rackets where it was difficult to to flip the wrist and hit it cross court. Nowadays, with improvements in technology, I am not sure if blindly following the "cover the line" rule is such a good idea. A player doesn't have to be Nadal in order to squeeze a tight, cross-court passing shot by the attacking player.

I believe that a better strategy would be for the attacking player to think in terms of BISECTING THE ANGLE. That is, position herself in such as way as to cover just as much of the cross-court as well as the down-the line (and possibly the lob). In addition, the player's chest should be directly square to the opponent's shot (i.e. the shoulders should not be parallel to the net but an angle facing the oncoming ball) thereby enabling the player to move equally fast in either direction.

As a matter of fact, I would recommend moving slightly more towards covering the cross-court and thereby tempt the opponent to go for the low percentage down-the line (i.e. over the high part of the net; "short" side of the court; and, perhaps, while being on a fast run). When attacking with a cross-court, it is important to understand that the opponent's movement to cover the approach coupled with aiming for the down-the line will, in a lot of situation, "vector" the ball out wide. In other words, the momentum of the opponent's movement combined with trying to hit down the line will often result in the ball being "dragged" wide (if only slightly, but wide nonetheless). Therefore, it is often a better strategy to tempt the player to hit the down the line passing shots. If he beats you with shots that go in by mere inches (as opposed to feet), then it was simply her day. However, more likely than not, the chips will fall in your favor when you attack the opponent and force him to take chance after chance by going for the line.

Steal this Drill: Closing Volleys

In hitting volleys, simplicity is often the best strategy. Players who spend a lot of time at the baseline believe that volleys are just as complex as hitting ground strokes and, as a result, over-think the shot to their detriment.

Let's simplify things a little bit. The purpose of the volley is to take time away from the opponent. However, instead of doing so through-pace generation, the player should attempt to move forward as as quickly as possible and close out the angle.

I will let your private coach focus on the particular technique (be it grip, footwork, balance, etc.). My tips are simply to keep three components in front of you at all time: 1) the ball; 2) the racket and 3) the opponent. Often times, player move forward and "forget" to take their racket with them (thereby inadvertently creating a back-swing which then results in an over-hit). On the other hand, some player don't mover forward at all and feel that they have to swing at the ball in order to generate any kind of pop. It's important to keep in mind that, on the volleys, the moving forward (aggressive lunge forward) IS the swing. By stepping forward, the player uses his body-weight to make solid contact with a fast-moving object (ball) Also, a contact out in front means that the opposing player has a less time to cover the shot. Again, take time away from your opponent through forward movement.

To practice this, start out by hitting volley-volley against the coach. However, in this drill the coach is at the service line and the player is about 3 feet inside the baseline. The player should advance forward taking aggressive but MEASURED steps. Once the player reaches his service line, the coach should "pop up" one of her volleys and the player should practice moving forward quickly and pouncing on the ball (but with a controlled "stick") before it drops below the level of the net. This is a reaction drill in that the player's eyes have to pick up the "pop up" very quickly in order for the brain to trigger a signal to the legs to move forward.

To add some fun into the practice, the coach can sometimes feed a lob right after the closing volley and the player has to run back and either hit a "regular" shot back in play or practice a between the legs or some other fun shot. Sometimes, the player can start the drill with a swinging volley (or half-volley) and the proceed to moving forward with regular volleys. The key is for the player to become comfortable everywhere INSIDE the court and also to "stick" the volleys by using his legs and not so much the racket.