Forehand Power Zone 

 *improve forehand consistency and power

   The forehand is most players’ best offensive shot. To make it a more consistent, more powerful weapon, it helps to hit it from the same spot, relative to your body. This is the Power Zone.

   The power zone for your forehand (and backhand) is between your knees and chest, approximately two feet from your body. Hitting balls in this zone will allow you to add the most control, spin and power to your shots.

  The best way to insure that you hit balls from your power zone is with your footwork.

 *move your feet to position balls in your Power Zone

  • Stay light, on your toes, knees bent

  •  Split-step(bounce evenly on balls of both feet) as your opponent makes contact

  •   Take small adjustment steps as you get closer to the ball

  •  Use shuffle steps to recover quickly after shots

By practicing good footwork, you can turn different types of balls (high, low and wide) into shots you can hit from your power zone. Keep your feet moving to turn on the power!

Focus on the slow ball

Did you know that more traffic accidents happen at slower speeds? Why? Distractions! The mind wanders when it thinks it has plenty of time to react. Tennis players fall victim to the same problem when hitting slow balls. 

   When hitting a faster ball, you automatically focus on the incoming ball and the task of returning it. When “waiting” on a slower ball you might start considering all the options and lose concentration. Given enough time, some players even start doubting their strokes and short arm the shot(tighten up and swing tentatively).

   Set up a practice match with a friend that you know hits slower shots and work on your focus and concentration. Remember, practice focusing as much or more on the slow ball so you can avoid “accidents” on the court.

Use the “puff ball”

   One overlooked “weapon” in tennis is the “puff ball”. I’m sure you’ve been a victim of this shot. It’s the shot that has no pace on it and bounces almost straight up and down. Many good players make tons of errors trying to return this shot. Why?

  •  The ball bounces up high…out of your strike zone. You either hit it down into the net or way long.
  •   The straight up and down bounce is hard to time. It’s only in your hitting zone for a split second.
  •  The ball is so slow that you have a lot of time to over think your shot. And you are easily distracted by your opponent’s movement, or the many options you envision for your shot.

  • Few people practice hitting this kind of shot.

Now that you know why you may have problems with this shot, you can use it against other players…especially players that like to hit the ball hard. They tend to make a lot of mistakes anyway.

Simple 1-2 Tennis Strategy 

set up your opponent with a deep backhand

Here is a simple, 2 part strategy to win points in singles.

  1.  Hit the ball deep to your opponent’s backhand corner.

  2. Approach the net and put away the resulting short ball.

 So how do you start this process? It’s best to hit a cross court shot into the backhand corner. If you have a fairly strong backhand, just go for a deeper, more angled shot during a cross court rally. If your forehand is much better, try to run around a shot that is near the middle of the court and hit an inside-out forehand into their backhand corner.

As you practice this simple 1-2 attack, notice how the weakness of the return varies, depending on the depth and height of your shot. Many players have a lot of trouble hitting a high backhand, so try to put as much topspin on the ball as possible. Or, if topspin is difficult for you, hit a high, deep shot that bounces out of their strike zone.