Learning to Play at the Net

In military theory it is said that whoever controls the air controls the surface. In terms of tennis, this make sense because by being closer to the net than your opponent you are capable of intercepting shots more easily, you are able to produce more angles, you provide less time for your opponent to react and do not have to come up with elaborate strokes. 

Let's take the first concept: intercepting shots. Assume that your opponent represents the top of a triangle and the shots that he's capable of producing represent the two sides. The further back you stay, the more court you have to cover. As you move in, however, the opponent's angle stays the same but the distance that you cover shrinks. The only variable that you have to consider is that the further in you move, the FASTER you have to move.

The second concept is also easy to understand: the closer to the net you are, the more of your opponent's court you are capable of exploiting. For example, from "on top" of the net you can hit the a foot from the net as well as a foot from the baseline. The further back you go, the "less court" you have to hit (it's pretty tough to hit a 100mph drop-shot). 

The third concept is also easily understood: by moving in, you take time away from your opponent in which to react. He can hit a shot, but if you move in aggressively to intercept it, you give him less time to recover and react. Your job at the net is, in many ways, to act like a pin-ball machine - to redirect your opponent's shot into an area that he cannot cover. You do not have to over-think the volley; you have to outwork the ball. Don't wait for it to come to you; GO TO IT. This is, unfortunately, the most difficult concept for players to execute because, unlike, ground-strokes, volleys require active participation with your feet. You can't (and SHOULDN'T) wait for the ball to come to you. The bonus is that by working a lot on your net game, you will also be aggressive with your baseline game. 

Lastly, don't be afraid of getting passed. It's a bit difficult to get accustomed to seeing the ball go by you when you're at the net (simply because it doesn't happen that often when you're at the baseline), but you will learn to handle it. Remember, mastering the net game is mastering the percentages. The percentages are simply in your favor even if your opponent passes you 20-30 times. The fact is, he will also make more errors and you will also hit more winners. But you have to develop a "taste for blood" early on so that you can pounce on that volley like a lion on a gazelle. 

Strategy Versus Tactics

Taking another note from military science, it is important for a player to know the difference between strategy and tactics ("All men can see these tactics whereby I conquer, but what none can see is the strategy out of which victory is evolved” -  Sun Tzu). Tactics can generally be regarded as the activities or patterns used to execute a strategy. Strategy, on the other hand, is the big-picture plan. 

For example, let's assume that you are getting ready to step on the court for a big match. You have done your practices and workouts according to plan. You have analyzed your environment and have read your opponent. You are almost ready. Before you start, you should consider developing some sort of big picture plan for how the match will unfold. For example, should you be aggressive or defensive. Should you give the opponent pace, spin, height or angles. Etc. This is the basic road-map that you attempt to follow throughout the match and it constitutes your overall strategy. Your tactics, however, are a bit more refined. By being aggressive do you mean to serve-and-volley or charge the net off the bat or do you want to work the point before you "belt-and-bolt". If the strategy is to pick on your opponent's backhand, do you do so by first moving him to the forehand, or do you plan to merely serve hard or kick-serves to it. 

In other words, having a game-plan is not necessarily enough. It's important for a player to have a subset of plays or patterns which are to be used in executing the game plan. As the quote above indicates, the player should be kept in the dark as to the overall strategy because you will implement it via multiple plays. Although, in her mind, she's thinking that you're doing X you are really doing Y. But, of course, in order for this concept to work, you need to have the appropriate weapons. You can be the best strategist and tactician in the world, but if you're fighting with bows and arrows and the opponent is launching cruise missiles, then you're, moist likely, not going to win. That's why we stress that you should practice EVERYTHING. Develop ALL parts of the game..all weapons, so that you can combine these aspects to maximum effect. 

Playing Against Southpaws

Lefties are tough to play against simply because you have less opportunities to play against them in practice (so you tend to run into them in tournaments). In addition, the mental block really starts out when you're little and they tend to have the geometric advantage on you because their cross-court forehand goes into your backhand (which may, initially, be the player's weakest shot). Of course, your forehand can go to their backhand but not if you spend a lot of time playing to beat righties (i.e., focusing on inside-outs). So here are some tips for playing against lefties that you might find useful.

A. When returning on the deuce side, stand just a tad closer to the middle of the court to take away their slice serve down the T. Remember that a well struck lefty slice will curve away from you so you have to be just a little closer to the ball. Also, it may sound a bit counter-intuitive but I would recommend returning (with the backhand) towards the ad side of the court. Normally, this opens up the lefty-forehand, but remember that you are moving towards the middle yourself so they don't have that much of an advantage. Aiming cross-court (inside-out backhand) from the deuce side is somewhat risky because your face of the racket is angled outwards and there is chance that the ball will ricochet wide off your string bed. If in doubt, pound the middle of the court. 

B. When returning on the Ad-side, position your left foot (and, consequently, your left shoulder) further out in front than normal. That is, you should be at a slight angle in order to intercept the slider. If you wait with your feet/shoulders parallel to the baseline, the slice serve will move away from you. You want the ball to come into the strike zone. Unlike returning from the deuce side, in this instance I recommend sticking the return cross-court. This way, you don't have to change the angle of the ball (i.e., you're basically returning the ball towards the location from where the serve is struck) and your opponent will be forced to either hit a forehand down-the-line (relatively risky) or right back to you. As mentioned before, I am really not in favor of giving the opponent cheap points. And although going down the line (towards the lefty backhand) with the return seems to be the obvious choice, this is somewhat of a risky play due to the geometry and physics (i.e., angle of refraction; vectors) but also because you're probably not all that used to returning down the line against righties (where they burn you with the cross-court forehand). As stated above, again, pound the middle when in doubt and neutralize the lefty advantage. 

C. When it comes to being in an actual rally with a lefty, try to utilize the cross-court slice with the backhand in order to neutralize the lefty forehand. Most of the time, they will prefer to hit it right back cross-court rather than opening up down the line (where they set up your forehand). So, if you're ready for the return to the backhand, you can set up the down-the-line backhand (or inside-in forehand) and hit an aggressive shot to their backhand. In this regard, I recommend stepping inside of the baseline as a follow up in order to cut off the reply with another forceful shot. 

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. 

Learn To Lose?

Coaches (and some parents) often advocate playing in higher age divisions in order for the player to become accustomed to more pace and a "higher level of tennis". Sometimes, they justify the poor results by claiming that it's good for the player to "learn how to lose." Nothing can be more detrimental for a developing tennis player than a losing record. What does this player have to look forward to in life?! Bust her butt in practice, work hard in the gym and then get thrown into an age divisions where they stand no (or little) chance of succeeding. Listening, winning is an addiction; winning begets winning. If winners win, then those who lose are....well you get the point. 

What is important for a player to learn is how to DEAL WITH LOSSES. This is not learning how to lose; it's learning to handle the results and utilize them to propel forward to a different level. Take for example a junior player who has just lost in the morning match of a tournament. This player will mope around for a bit, find consolation in the words of some friends, family coaches, eat a snack and then jump in the car for the ride home. What is his opponent doing? Well, most likely, the opponent will have to play another match. So where the losing player spends 1.5 hrs on the court, the winning player spends 3 hours on the court. Who benefits more from that Saturday? The winning, player, obviously. First, she learned how to pull off a tough match. She has figured out a strategy, devised various tactics to implement the strategy and executed those tactics at the right time. Second, she now has to step on the court (maybe 30 minutes, maybe 45 minutes later) and have to toughen out a second match. All this time, the player who lost the first round is driving home. If the goal of this player is to improve, she would be better served by (a) having a practice right after the match (wipe the slate clean; work on some things while they're fresh); (b) play a practice match against someone who may have also lost; AND/OR (c) have a fitness workout (to "punish" herself for losing). Follow any (or all) of these paths, and the defeated player will keep up with the rest of the pack. 

If you want to be in the top pack when it matters (U18s), you have to spend just as much on court (or doing fitness) as your better peers. You cannot allow them to get an extra 3-4 hrs of tennis/week. You have to be right there with them. They may have beaten you but they have not DEFEATED you (unless you let them). So, get knocked down seven times, get up eight times. If you lose, no big deal. Grab a basket and a back-court and work on the things that you feel need improving at that time. Show your opponents that you are tough to beat.