Last time we talked about hitting an aggressive approach shot off of a short ball. This week we examine what to do when you can’t quite reach the short ball while it is at a good height for an aggressive shot. Why can’t you hit an aggressive shot on a low, short ball? Because your forward momentum, close proximity to the net, and the low height of the ball make it very difficult to swing slow enough to control the ball and keep in the court.
The solution is to bunt the ball. The bunt is basically a volley while running forward. Let’s look at the bunt.
As you run forward, your momentum provides all the power you need (no swing needed)
Run with your racket out front and push through the ball at contact (like a volley)
Aim the ball deep if your opponent is coming in or drop shot them if they stay back
The bunt will help you control the ball when you are at a full forward run, stay in the point, and up your winning percentage.
One of the best ways to win points in tennis is to recognize and put away short balls(balls that bounce around the service line.) When you see a short ball immediately go on the attack. Move forward into the court, turn your shoulders, but keep your body facing toward the net. Keep your opposite hand on the racket as you rotate to help insure a full shoulder turn, and keep you balanced.
As you close in on the ball, step into the shot with your non-dominant foot(left foot for right hander), and explode forward(pushing with your dominant foot and engaging your core muscles). The key is to time the forward push as you start the forward swing, making contact with the ball on the rise and/or above the net. Launch yourself forward not upward, but neither foot should be on the ground at contact. Put topspin on the ball to clear the net and keep the ball from going long. Down the line is a high percentage shot in this instance.
Next time we’ll discuss what to do if you can’t get to the short ball while it’s on the rise or above the net.
In honor of the Australian Open, we started to explore the Australian doubles formation in our last tennis tip. (See Aussie Doubles) The Australian formation is executed by the serving team and involves positioning the server’s partner across the net from the receiver’s partner.(Instead of across the net from the receiver). The server positions themselves very close to the center mark, because they will be covering the other side of the court.
How to execute the Australian formation
1. The server’s partner – the server’s partner positions themselves directly across the net from the receiver’s partner, in the center of the box, about 4 feet from the net. When the serve is struck, the receiver will have to hit the return down the line or slightly cross-court in an effort to go behind the server’s partner and between them. To cover the cross-court shot the server’s partner should close(move toward the net) toward the receiver as they execute their return. This offers the best opportunity to cut off and put away the return if it is hit cross-court. The is the key advantage of using the Australian formation.
2. The server – the server positions themselves very close the center hash mark when they serve. After they serve, they need to immediately slide to cover the possible down-the-line return. From this position they have a better angle to hit cross-court between their opponents or rally back down the line to the receiver.
Australian doubles graphic
You need to practice this formation to learn all the variables. For instance, the receiver may opt to return high cross-court OVER the server’s partner. In this case the server’s partner should start positioning themselves back near the service line to be better able to hit an overhead off of this type of return.
Try the Australian formation to give your opponents a different look and put your team in scoring position. Good luck on the courts.
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In honor of the upcoming Australian Open, let’s look at the Australian doubles formation. The Australian formation is executed by the serving team and involves positioning the server’s partner across the net from the receiver’s partner.(Instead of across the net from the receiver). The server positions themselves very close to the center mark, because they will be covering the other side of the court, unless their partner pouches(more on that later).
Reasons to use the Australian formation
1. Take away the cross-court return from the receiver- if the receiver has been cracking your serves cross-court with ease or damaging effects, the Australian formation will force them to return down the line, a much more difficult shot.
2. Protect a weak stroke- let’s say the server has a weak backhand and their team is losing points when they serve to the add side(for right-handers) and the return is hit well to their backhand. Australian forces the return back to the servers forehand side in this instance.
3. Break receiving team’s concentration/rhythm- nine times out of ten the return is hit cross court because it is the safest and most natural shot. Returners don’t even think about the mechanics of it, but…if they are forced to alter their return (because their opponent is standing right where they’ve been hitting it) they begin to think a lot about how and where to hit it. Many times, they don’t even make the return.
Next time we’ll get into the specifics of executing the Australian formation successfully.
