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.

 

Elements of Proper Physical Exercise

These days, not enough emphasis is put on physical fitness when it comes to tennis. It seems that parents are content to paying for private lessons but when the lesson's over, players bag it in (or do some half-hearted effort to perform a couple minutes of fitness drills). The difficult part about tennis is that it's an endeavor that requires skill AND physical fitness. You simply cannot rely on skill alone to get you to the next level. Offense and Defense require either explosiveness, power, endurance, balance and range of motion. As a result, it is imperative that you, as a player, develop a passion for cross-training. Everybody likes to lift trophies but it's usually only those who are willing to get dirty, bloody and sweaty who have the fortune to do so on the biggest stages. 

Just like technique, you have to analyze yourself and pin-point your weakness areas. Furthermore, you have to have a good understanding of yourself as a player. For example, are you faster moving to the forehand than the backhand? Are you faster moving forward than backwards? Do you have strong shoulders? Do low balls give you problems? Do you lose long matches because you run out of steam? How do you see yourself as a player? Are you more aggressive? Defensive? Passive? Etc. In other words, you have to develop a game plan for strengthening your problem areas as well as improving the areas that are already above-average.

I see a lot of players who want to improve their physical fitness but do so in a way that is less than optimal. Take for example a player who can be described as a counter-puncher. This player can spend hours in a gym working on his "guns" with little or no running or agility exercises. He simply loves to lift weights. Great! I tend to think that some fitness is better that none at all. However, how does a fitness routine that is focused on weights help a counter-puncher cover the court?! Being stronger WILL help this player; that's a given. But no matter how strong the rabbit, it will not outrun the wolf. Similarly, you can have a serve-and-volleyer who spends hours pounding the treadmill or spinning the bike but who does no sprints or weight-lifting. He does it because he likes it and doesn't have to think about what he's doing (i.e., "no brain no headache"). Again, as long as the player breaks a sweat it's better than lying on the couch. However, how do these routines match-up with the player's on-court needs?! 

My recommendation would be to have a fitness routine that is tailored to the person. Obviously, everybody needs to be well-rounded. However, it's important to focus on the fitness components that are utilized in the player's weapons as well on those that cover weaknesses. A proper fitness routine will include weights (for power, explosiveness AND maintenance), cardio (for endurance), sprints (speed) and plyometrics (for agility). With respect to the latter, the jump rope is really the best exercise and not enough players are doing it (or are even capable of doing it). How do you expect to keep your feet moving for 3 sets if you can't do it for 3 minutes?  The reality is that when players get exhausted, they tend to fall back on their heels (become flat-footed) making it that much more difficult to cover the court.

And covering the court is the point of tennis. THE NATURAL STATE OF A TENNIS PLAYER IS TO BE IN MOTION! Your racket's strike zone is only about 24 square inches (that's the 4-6 center strings). The rest of the racket is, basically, useless in terms of actually striking the ball. With 24sq inches, you're supposed to strike a ball with a diameter of 2.63 inches moving at 100mph. Oh, did I forget to mention that you have to cover an area (your court) of approximately 21,060 CUBIC feet of space. You're literally trying to hit a fast moving object with a broom-stick and you have to do so while covering an enormous area. If you're just a tad slow, you will either not get there or will get there but you will reacting to the opponent's shot rather than dictating where you want the ball to go. 

So supplement your tennis practices with at least one hour of fitness per day. Try to cover all the components (strength, endurance, speed, agility) if you can and you will see a dramatic improvement in your game.

Fluid Strategy

"The whole art of war consists of a well-reasoned and extremely circumspect defensive followed by rapid and audacious attack" - Napoleon.

This principle is equally true when it comes to war, martial arts or tennis. In martial arts, Bruce Lee stated that we should "be like water." Water is not rigid, it fills the space in which it is placed instantaneously. If a crack opens up in the container, the water rushes out through it. If the container remains intact, the water stays patient ans waits for the opportunity. 

In tennis, it is important to develop strong defenses. A strong defense means that you are capable of being patient and waiting out the opponent until a crack in his armor appears. And, in the developing stages (and even some of the higher levels), it will not take long for the opponent to break down. However, when this happens, do not hesitate to capitalize on your good fortune (or goo strategy). Pounce on the opening immediately; do not remain rigid in your thought and movement; "go with the flow". When watching Federer, you can see how effortlessly he moves from defense to offense and vice-versa. He is neither rigid nor flustered when getting pushed around the court; it happens and he expects it. When the play calls for defense, he defends. When it calls for offense, he attacks. It seems that he never waits to execute 3 shots if 2 will do. Watching him move around the court, it seems as if there's a water bubble between him and the ball, he backs up slightly on deep balls, moves in to follow penetrating shots and side to side.