Have Fun

We often hear parents or coaches tell their students or children to "just go out there and gave fun". Unfortunately, most players and coaches do not practice with this same goal in mind. Often times the too parties spend an inordinate amount of time developing the "meat and potatoes" of the game (forehand, backhand, some serves and volleys) while completely ignoring the rest of the game. Just like a mechanic has hundreds of tools in his box, a tennis player needs to be proficient at shots even though s/he may only be required to hit them a few times during the match.

For example, slices are not just great for defending, but they also work for neutralizing the opponent's weapons, for moving the ball around while not giving the opponent too much time (due to trajectory of the ball), for changing up the spins that you impart on the ball, as well as for breaking down the opponent's legs (by having her bend her knees repeatedly). In addition, swinging volleys are great for taking "moon balls" out of the air and not allowing the opponent to recover from a defensive position. Drop shots work wonderfully against players who spend a great deal of time close to the back fence. Top spin lobs, jump shots, sky-hook overheads, "lefty" forehands, mid-court chips, backhand overheads, "pick-ups" or half-volleys, between the legs, behind the back, etc. are all shots that a player should learn as you never know when you will be called upon to execute such shots at a critical point. Furthermore, executing these shots will give the player "true confidence"; the knowledge that s/he can handle whatever the opponent throws his/her way and that s/he can create openings with all of her tools. 

Now, we're not advocating utilizing these shots exclusively; far from it. The whole point of practicing them is to understand not just HOW to hit them but also WHEN to hit them (and when not to do so). For example, a player who has executed 1000 drop shots in practice and has been successful at hitting 200 targets is less likely to hit them at an inopportune time (because s/he understands the risks and his/her limitations). But, again, it is important for the player to have all these pieces in his/her arsenal in order for the player to be able to truly "have fun." There's only so much fun that a player can have while hitting 10,000 forehands in a  match. Lastly, a varied practice is more likely to be exciting for the player - keeping him/her coming back and asking for more - and result in LESS burn-out. So go out there are work on everything and use the tennis court as your canvas for producing great art.

Tennis Strategies Made Simple

Often times, developing players step on the court before a tennis match and have no idea what they want to accomplish in terms od strategy. The reality is that you can be the best ball striker in your division but if you have no idea how to use your weapons you will lose. A tennis player without strategy is no different than a warrior without strategy. Having the best equipment and training is not always sufficient. A player must know how to use his weapons to the most effect in order to be successful. Now, without going into great detail and creating a road map for every single point, the best strategy in tennis can be summarized as follows:

1) hit it away from your opponent; and

2), if you must hit it to your opponent, do so in such a way that s/he cannot hurt you: high, low (slice), hard or with a lot of spin. The objective being to draw a response that exposes the opponent's open court. 

Tennis is often times compared to chess in terms of formulating a gameplan. Unfortunately, tennis players must make decisions on the spot and react to what the opponent is throwing their way. As a result, it is often important to view the opponent's side of the court as a chess-board; squares of 4ftx4ft on the other side of the net.

In trying to implement the first prong of the strategy, vizualize one of those squares "light up" whenever you manage to hit it. After that, try to hit a square that's as far away from your first target and yet still a relativey safe shot. As you get better, you will be able to hit targets that are further and further apart. If you're really good, you will be successful in making the opponent move laterally, forwards and backwards, as well as diagonally. A moving opponent is more prone to break down - even with his/her weapon. Lack of oxygen, elevated heart rate, fatigued legs, core and arms (consequences of having to keep covering the open court) will force the opponent to go for riskier shots thereby generating more unforced errors. 

One of the best drills to implement would be the "figure 8" (or "envelope") drill where one person hits down the line and the other hits cross court. Try practicing 1-2 warm-up points and then play baseline games while doing this drill. This drill will teach you not only how to move, but also how to adjust to your opponent's shot. Furthermore, because everyone knows where everyone else is going, you are forced to hit a variety of shots in order to prevent your opponent from hurting you (prong #2 of our basic strategy). In addition, you will become much more adept at reading body language (i.e., seeing how your opponent sets up in order to hit down the line versus how s/he sets up while hitting cross-court). To spice things up, throw in a serve: if the returner returns the first shot cross-court, the server is the down-the-line player; conversely, if the returner returns down the line, the server is on the cross-court for that point. Also, you can set up certain "zones" (with tape or plastic lines or cones) where the player cannot hit (e.g. middle of the court) or risk losing the point and/or also zones where the player can hit and win the point automatically (e.g. deep corners). 

We will be revisiting the figure 8 drill in future articles.