Tennis Tip #24

There are different ways to hit the high backhand, one we previously discussed was the backhand slice. However, there are two other options so you do not lose power: hitting on the rise and letting the ball drop. Hitting on the rise is harder, and a lot of players do not use it, instead they wait for the ball to drop. First, hitting on the rise means that you will be hitting the ball as it is rising. If you master this, it will make hitting high balls much easier however, the downside is there are a lot of places for you to make mistakes. This is because the ball is a lot tougher to hit when it is jumping straight up. However, waiting for the ball to drop is a lot easier to hit, and people feel more comfortable hitting that ball because you can control the timing, and will have more time to hit the ball. In addition, you are also hitting up as you hit the ball. So why would you ever be hitting the ball high with these two options? Well this is because sometimes the ball bounces and backs you up too far, which means there isn’t space behind the baseline. And believe me, it happens a lot; so working on hitting on the rise will help you out a lot with this shot. So give this tip ago and starting working hard on your backhands!

Tennis Tip #23

The high backhand. This is the kryptonite shot for just about every tennis player, especially juniors. You hit the ball as a backhand because you are too far wide, or reacted late. The first thing you need to do is not panic. All junior players, and even professional players see this as their weakest shot and this is why all of the players try to run around their backhands. Therefore, before you hit this shot, there are a couple things that you need to think about. Most important, it's not all about power, hit it in, and play smart. Your goal in hitting this shot is to play a neutral ball. If this cannot happen, then you want to hit the next best shot to keep you in the point for as long as possible. Remember, tennis isn't just about hitting hardest, you need to hit the ball in the court, and many players miss the easy shots. If you give yourself the opportunity to win, you will! In addition, when you hit this ball, you get most of your power from your legs, so bend and launch up as you hit the shot. The other thing that you need to do is get torque, which is something many players forget. You also need to remember to bring your racquet all the way back, and hit through it with your entire core. If you do these two things you will have the power to continue the point. There are also other ways to master this shot so, check in tomorrow to find out how!

Tennis Tip #22

Now that you know how to hit this shot, which we know comes from preparing early and disguise; lets discuss how to perfect it. The best way to practice this is to have a friend or coach at the net, and for you to be on the baseline. On the coach's side of the court, there will be three different markers on the left, middle, and right inside the court. When you are about to hit the ball, you will be told where to hit it (which of the three locations). As you see in our image, there are target practices for serve, volleys, and ground strokes. We should focus just on the blue X's for this drill. Since, you will have no time to prepare for the shot, you have to be in the right position for any of the three locations. In addition, you will notice that you cannot hit this ball when it is coming at you quickly. Therefore the best time to hit the shot is when you receive a high, looping ball meant for your backhand, but was not wide enough. While this shot is not easy, and it takes practice, when you master it, you will have a leg up on most of your opponents.

Tennis Tip #21

The inside-outs, and inside-ins all stem to one important thing, positioning. When you hit these shots, you will hit the ball as a forehand because of the power that you can get from this shot. So, lets discuss positioning, just like a drop shot, one important piece stressed was disguise. When you hit these shots, you don't want to make it obvious where you will hit these shots. Looking at the woman to the left, you see her preparing for a forehand, but you have no idea where she will be hitting the ball. This is how you can tell if your preparation is at a high level. You will either hit cross court (inside out), down the middle, or down the line (inside in). When you are about to make contact with the ball, you will make your decision where the ball will go. This will provide less time for your opponent, and more time for you to prepare for your next shot. When you hit this shot, you will be in a closed position; this is when you are perpendicular to the net. If you are open, or parallel to the net, you will have a tough time hitting down the line. So now that you have an understanding of this, tomorrow we will discuss good ways to work with your inside-out / inside-in shots, and to perfect like a pro.

Tennis Tip #20

Now lets talk about the backhand slice, which is used at all times of play. High shots, low shots, approach shots, you name it. So lets get going. Your opposite foot should have all its weight on it, and you will continue to do the "bowl" motion mentioned yesterday. If you see that your shot is beginning to sit up, then it is because you are doing too much of a bowl, and need to straighten out your stroke. As a junior, you will find that it will be a lot easier to hit a slice that is high. However, there is nothing wrong with this, all you need to remember is to keep the ball deep, especially for these shots. Staying balanced is key as you hit this shot and you want to be balanced, and flexible. Being stiff just doesn't work. While this shot is definitely not easy, when you master it, it will be one of your favorites. This is especially so when you keep it really low for those tall, hard hitting tennis players. Just remember to stay down and keep your weight going forward. As long as you make sure to use the backhand volley motion, you will be in good shape.

Tennis Tip #19

As mentioned earlier, drop shots are not the easiest shots to hit. So lets learn how to successfully hit them! First, the forehand slice is just like a forehand volley, you prepare just like a volley. You can see how Donald Young is hitting his forehand slice here. Forehand volleys as a whole you won't hit as much as a backhand volley, because your forehand can provide a lot more wrist snap and power in comparison to a backhand. However, you will mostly hit this shot as an approach shot, a chip-and-charge, or on the run. If you were to hit a normal baseline slice, you would make sure that all of your weight is on your opposite foot (righty: left foot, lefty: right foot) as you step in. You would also have this leg bent as well. In addition, you want to keep this stroke as simple as possible. Ideally you should be making the movement of a dinner bowl, not too curvy, but not straight. You also want to keep your racquet on the same side of your body. Lastly, you don't want to return the racquet across your body, this is so you will hit the ball straight, and not just down the line. If you find things starting to get long, or a little "loopy", start from the beginning, and you'll get it right. We promise.

Tennis Tip #18

The drop shot is used throughout the game of tennis. You can hit drop shot volleys, or drop shots from ground strokes. There are many different rules when you hit the drop shot. First, you don't want the ball to sit up. Why? Well if it sits up, it will allow more time for your opponent to get to the ball. Next, there is the two bounce rule. What I mean by this, is that the ball must bounce two times inside the service line before going past the baseline. You would want for this to happen because if it only bounces one time in the service line, then it will give your opponent more time to get to the ball. Many players though elect to hit this shot when they get tired, or are tired throughout the match. This is not when you would want to hit the drop shot. You should be inside of the baseline as you are hitting this shot, the farther you are, the farther the ball must travel, and the more time it will give your opponent. Lastly, is the art of disguise. The difference of your stroke from a drop shot to a top spin or flat ball is extremely different. When someone prepares for a drop shot, it looks like they are hitting a slice, which means there is no power coming from this shot. If you hide your intent of the drop shot until the very end, it will make you a very successful drop shotter. Now that you have received an overview of these shots, its time to discuss how to hit them!