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!

Tennis Tip #17

As of now we have completed our discussion on groundstrokes, so lets go over the slice. The slice is one of the most interesting shots in tennis, because you can hit it in many situations. For example, when you are trying to neutralize, attack, or defend. More or less, you hit the ball the same way, however, you will hit it a little differently depending on the type of slice that you hit. The key to the slice that is attacking or neutralizing is to keep the ball as low as possible. The slice is completely opposite from a topspin shot, in other words, the ball rises in a slice, and dips for topspin. So, when you are attacking, you will be stepping into the ball and aiming at the white part of the net. The ball will rise steadily after being hit, so aiming at this point is safe. You want to keep it low, because this means that your opponent will have to "hit up" when they hit their shot. Usually when it is attacking, you will be come up to the net, so this will put even more pressure on your opponent. The next type is neutralizing. This is when you are in a rally position with your opponent. You will not want to have the ball too high, because you will then be defensive. This shot is used to change up the pattern of the point to hopefully ruin your opponent’s rhythm. The next type is defensive; this is when you hit the ball high in the air, and slowly. You use it when you are out of position and need to change the speed of the ball to get yourself back into the court, and into position. Many tennis players feel forced to hit it hard, but that gives you less time to get back into position, and more court for your opponent to hit a winner. Tomorrow we will discuss the drop shot, and after, we will discuss how to hit these important shots!