Let's Talk about the Chop, Slice and Half Volley

The Chop stroke

In Tennis, a chop stroke is a shot where the racket passes slightly outside the ball and down the side, chopping it as a man chops wood. You will hear this type of stroke referred to as a Squash shot. It is really a defensive shot for the most part when the ball is struck too wide to reach for a normal top spin or drive shot, or when the ball bounces too high. It can be especially helpful for those high kicking shots to your backhand, but again it is a defensive shot because the ball will float back over the net. As a result, it can allow your opponent to rush the net, so use only as a last resort.


What about the Slice shot? The main difference between the chop stroke and the slice shot is in the angle made by the racket head's hitting plane and the flight of the ball. In a chop, the angle may be greater than 45 degrees. In a slice, that angle is less than 45 degrees. The slice can be a very effective shot to disrupt the opponent's timing. Since a slice is delivered with backspin, it can also be difficult to volley back since it will have a tendency to deflect downward from your opponent's racket. Keep your slices deep, but be careful, especially in higher altitudes and hot weather, because the ball will float more and have a tendency to go long. The slice should not be overused, but it can be especially effective when delivered both with back spin and side spin. Those of you with one-handed backhand strokes will find this easier to execute because you can strike down and across the ball simultaneously, producing some wicked spin. A well executed slice can be an excellent approach shot.

It is not a very good shot to use against a net person since it is too slow to pass and too high to cause muc difficulty. It is better used to drop short, soft shots at the feet of the net person as they come in. Normally it is best not try to pass a net person with a chop or slice, except through a big opening.

The drop-shot is a very soft, sharply-angled chop stroke, played almost wholly with the wrist. It should drop within 3 to 5 feet of the net to be of any use. The racket face passes around the outside of the ball and under it with a distinct "wrist turn." The resulting spin will cause the ball to not only check-up quickly, but to also spin away toward the sideline, making it even more difficult for your opponent to reach effectively. Do not swing the racquet from the shoulder in making a drop shot. The drop shot is not the same as a stop-volley. The drop shot is pretty much all wrist, whereas the stop-volley employs a somewhat relaxed wrist as you attempt to absorb the pace of the ball so it will rebound over the net with very little momentum of its own.

Use all your wrist shots; the chop, slice, and drop, merely as added weapons in your regular game. They are intended to upset your opponent's game through the varied spin on the ball.

The half volley

The half volley requires more perfect timing, eyesight, and racket work than any other, since its margin of safety is the smallest and its chances of mishap is pretty high.

It is really a pick-up shot. The ball meets the ground and racket face at nearly the same moment, the ball bouncing off the ground, then immediately off the strings. This shot is made with a stiff-wrist and a short swing, kind of like a volley with little or no follow through. The racket face travels along the ground with a slight tilt over the ball and towards the net, thus keeping the ball low. The angle over the net and the depth can be very difficult to control, so why practice this shot at all? The half volley can be very useful for those shots that land near your feet and leave you with no time to move back to allow for the ball to bounce. In some cases, it can actually surprise an opponent because it is a quick return taking time away from the opponent. It relies on your opponent's pace and merely reflects the pace back.

The half volley is primarily a defensive stroke and should only be made as a last resort, when caught out of position by your opponent's shot. It is a desperate attempt to extricate yourself from a dangerous position without retreating. Normally you never want to deliberately half volley. However, this technique can be useful to try to nullify a big kick serve, by taking the ball early before it has had a chance to bounce up too high. Timing and superb vision is absolutely critical if you are going to be successful at this technique.

Court position

A tennis court is 39 feet long from baseline to net. There are really only two places in a tennis court that a tennis player should be to wait for the ball. This is assuming we are discussing singles play.

1. About 3 feet behind the baseline near the middle of the court, or

2. About 6 to 8 feet back from the net and almost opposite the ball.

The first is the place for baseline players. Players with big ground strokes who may not be as comfortable with the net position. The second is the net position. The net position opens up great angles for put-away shots, but with the speed of today's game, it is much harder to get there effectively than in days gone by. You need a good deep approach shot that stretches your opponent and forces them to hit a defensive shot. Once you have executed a good deep approach shot, or an out wide shot, then you must get into the net quickly and split-step and be ready to return your opponent's shot. Assuming your opponent is caught back at the baseline, you will have great angles and short shots that will make life very difficult on the other side of the net.

If you are drawn out of these positions by a shot which you must return, do not stay at the point where you struck the ball, but return one of the two positions mentioned as rapidly as possible. So what happens if your opponent's shot forces you to come in toward the net? The area from the baseline to about 10 feet from the net is referred to "no-man's-land." Never stay there, since a deep shot will catch you at your feet. After making your shot from "no-man's-land", either retreat behind the baseline to prepare the the next return, or better if you can, take a strong position at the net. Sound tennis principals that you should always keep coming forward to meet the ball. Whether you come forward or retreat is determined mainly by the quality of your shot. If you are drawn in short and cannot retreat safely, continue all the way to the net position.

One Tennis Coach tells his students that if they are not getting passed during a match, they are not coming in enough. In other words, you may sacrifice a few points by coming in to the net, but the number of points you gain by this strategy should far out weigh the losses.
A rookie mistake that many beginner's make is to stand and watch the shot they have just made. Never stand and watch your shot. this will simply insure that you are out of position for your next stroke. Try to anticipate a position where you think the ball is going to be before it actually arrives. Do your hard running while the ball is in the air, so you will not be hurried in your stroke after it bounces.

Some players instinctively know where the next return is going and take position accordingly, while others will never sense it. For those players that have a hard time anticipating where to expect the next ball, court position as mentioned above will give you the best chance of being able to get to that next shot.
Here's a tip! If you are caught at the net, with a short shot to your opponent, don't stand still and let your opponent pass you at will, as he or she can easily do. Pick out the side where you think the ball will be hit, and jump to quickly. If you guess right, you will probably win the point. If you are wrong, you are no worse off, since you would have been beaten anyway with your opponent's shot.

You should always maintain a position so that you can cover the greatest possible area of court.

A well-grounded knowledge of court position saves many points, to say nothing of much breath expended in long runs after hopeless shots.

Let's talk a little about how to get into the best position in order to have the best chance at returning the next shot. Basically you want o get to a position that is at the center of the court behind the baseline or at the net position, however you also want to adjust that position based upon where you just hit your ball. Look at the following illustrations.

        Fig 1                           Fig 2                        Fig 3                          Fig 4

After hitting a shot, the player must “recover” to a court position that provides the best chance of getting to any possible return from the opponent.

In fig 1, we see that the opponent, here represented by an “o” is at the center of his or her baseline. You, player “x”, should also be near the center of your baseline where you can cover either of the widest replies (represented by the arrows) from your opponent. Fig 1 shows you "x" with the same distance to move either right or left to get to the next shot. Now in reality, most players favor one side a little more than the other, so you may be more comfortable just slightly to one side of center to adjust for a weeaker side, but you get the idea. You want to keep the distance you might have to move to the next shot as nearly equal as you can. In fig 2, we see that your opponent, “o”, is again at the baseline, but in this situation they are nearer to a sideline. Again the arrows represent widest possible replies. The blue line bisects the angle formed by the widest possible replies and places you, player “x”, in the center. You will notice that your position now is actually right of center just about half way between the centerline and the sideline. In figs 3and 4, we see a simlilar situation with you, player “x”, now at the net. Again, the blue line represents the center court coverage given the opponent’s court position. You will notice that when you are at net, when the ball goes left, you adjust to the left, whereas from behind the baseline you went to the right.

If this seems confusing, just remember this center theory suggests that you should always place yourself in the center of the range of your opponent’s widest possible replies. A simple way to know where you should be  is to mirror your opponent's position when they are at the baseline. If you are at net, imagine the spot about two feet behind the serviceline just behind the "T" or centerline. Now imagine a line from that spot to where the ball is about to be struck by your opponent, and place yourself in position on that line. If you look at Fig 4, you will see the "x" a little left of the centerline in position to basically split the two widest return angles.
Remember, you are trying to recover to a position that is at the center of your opponent’s range of possible replies. If you follow the center theory, your chances of covering most replies will increase! Even if you hated geometry in school, put this into practice and geometry will become your friend.

Good luck out there and keep up the practice!

For Great Free Doubles tips, check out my friend
Brent Abel's sight
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The Net Game

THE VOLLEY AND OVERHEAD SMASH.


We recently discussed the serve as being the opening shot in tennis. Your net game, by contrast, is or should be the heavy artillery of tennis. When executed correctly it will crush your opponents defense. It takes good hand-eye coordination and quick reflexes to stand in and face your opponents shots, but the reward of many  point-winning strokes will be yours as you develop this aspect of your game. In today's singles game, play has become so fast with such hard groundstrokes, that rushing the net is difficult, yet very rewarding if done correctly. Look for opportunities to close on the net as a result of shots that stretch your opponent. When you have made a good approach shot, get in to the net quickly and be ready to defend your position. As you close in on the net, you create great angles where you can hit the ball that your opponent cannot get to, no matter whether the shot is a volley or a smash.

A volley is described as any shot where the ball is contacted before the ball has bounced. A smash is a shot that is hit from the overhead position, similar in motion to the serve.

Once you are at the net, be prepared to meet any balls hit at you. If the ball is hit to your right, step across with your left foot. This turns the body so you are in a position to hit a proper forehand volley. If the ball is hit to your left, step across your body with your right foot. This now lines you up to hit a backhand volley.

How you strike a volley is basically determined by two factors; how high or low the ball is approaching, and how fast the ball approaching? On low shots and on hard shots, keep the racket out in front of you and block the ball back. Be sure to keep your eye on the ball and watch it all the way into your racket so that it meets in the sweet spot. If your opponent's shot is approaching at about waiste high with medium velocity, keep your racket out in front and "punch" through the ball. Try to resist the urge to swing too much, just punch it. Balls that approach up around head height or so may be hit with a little more swing if you have time, but again it is better to get the ball back than to try a kill shot and have it go long because of too much swing.

In today's game, you will occasionally see a swinging volley, but in most cases you will produce a volley with much better control with minimal swing.
You will hear much talk of "chop" volleys. A chop stroke is one where the racket travels from above the line of flight of the ball, down and through it, and the angle made behind the racket is greater than 45 degrees, and many approach 90 degrees. I say that no volleys should be chopped, for the tendency is to pop the ball up in the air off any chop. Slice volleys if you want to, or hit them flat, for both these shots are made at a very small angle to the flight-line of the ball, the racket face travelling almost along its plane.

When executing a volley, whether the ball is struck from high or low, the wrist should be locked and absolutely firm. The wrist should always be below the racket head, which allows for bracing the racket against the impact of the ball. If you have heard the term "dropping the racket head", that means you have allowed the wrist to weaken and the racket head has dropped below the wrist. This will usually result in a weak return attempt. Allow the force of the incoming shot, plus your own weight, to return the ball. Do not try to "wrist" it over. The tilted racket face will give the needed angle to the return the ball by glancing it off the strings, so no wrist turn is needed.

Low volleys should never be hit hard, and considering the height of the net, they should usually be sharply angled, to allow distance for the rise that is needed to clear the net. When a ball is met at a higher plane than the top of the net, it may be hit hard. The stroke should be crisp, and decisive, but it should stop as it meets the ball. The follow through should be very small. Most low volleys should be soft and short. Most high volleys require speed and length.

The "drop" volley, or sometimes called the "stop" volley is nothing more than a shot blocked short. There is no force used. The racket simply meets the oncoming ball and stops it. The ball rebounds and falls of its own weight. With this shot, if you see it in slow motion, you may actually see the racket rebound a little away from the ball just after contact. This is sometimes referred to as having soft hands. There is little bounce to such a shot, and that may be reduced even more by allowing the racket to slide slightly under the ball at the moment of impact, thus imparting back spin.

When executing a volley, try to "punch" your volley straight and hard to the opening in your opponent's court. Leave as little time as possible for your opponent to recover.

A net player must have good ground strokes in order to get into the proper net position. Do not think that a serve and volley will be enough against first-class tennis.

Attack with your volleys. Make the volley an offensive shot whenever possible. The only defensive volley should be the one at your feet as you come in. It is a mid-court shot. Volleys should win with placement more than speed, although speed may be used on a high volley. Always look for the largest openings on your opponents side and be aware of angles that will take time away from your opponent.

The overhead smash is closely related to the volley, yet a volley stroke is not used here. It is the long range terror that should always score. The rules of footwork, position, and direction that govern the volley will suffice for the overhead. The swing however is different. The swing should be very similary to the slice serve, with the racket and arm swinging freely from the shoulder, the wrist flexible and the racket imparting a slight twist to the ball to hold it in court. The overhead is usually a point winner because of the speed of the shot. Again, you are taking time away from your opponent. Like the serve, it's important to keep your eye on the ball through contact and not allow your non-dominant side to pull down or collapse before contact. This will usually result in pulling the ball down into the net. This is a shot that requires just the right timing, so practice, practice, practice. If you watch the pros warm up, you will always see them take a few practice overheads before play begins. You should do the same. Have your warm up partner hit a few high balls so you can get the feel of moving into position, concentrating on the ball and connecting with a good fluid motion so the ball strikes the other side of the court as intended. If you can't do it in practice when there is no real pressure to perform, then you probably won't be able to do it in a match when you really need to.

The overhead is primarily a doubles shot, because in singles the chances, of passing the net person, are greater than lobbing over their head. In doubles two people cover the net so easily that the best way to open up the court is to lob to the back of the court.

Closely connected to the overhead since it is the usual defence to any hard smash, is the lob.

Just for clarity, allow me to define a lob. A lob is a ball that is hit high with the intention of it landing between the service-line and the baseline. An excellent lob should be within a couple of feet of the baseline. This type of shot will force your opponent back from the net and give you the opportunity to take control of the net position so that ideally you will be able to put away any returned shot.

Lobs are essentially defensive. The ideas in lobbing are: to give yourself time to recover position when pulled out of the court by your opponent's shot; to drive back the net person and break up their attack; to tire your opponent; occasionally to win cleanly by placement.

There is the chop lob, a heavily under-cut spin that hangs in the air. The chop lob, which is a decided under cut, should rise from 20 to 30 feet high and must go deep.This, is the best defensive lob, as it goes high and gives plenty of time to recover position. The stroke lob or flat lob, hit with a slight top spin. This is the point-winning lob since it gives no time to the player to run around it, as it is lower and faster than the chop. In making this lob, start your swing like a drive, but allow the racket to slow up and the face to tilt upward just as you meet the ball. This shot should seldom go above 10 feet in the air, since it tends to go out with the float of the ball. And finally there is the top spin lob, which is struck somewhat like the stroke lob, but with the racket face slightly more open and much more low to high racket movement to impart top spin. The trajectory is usually a little higher than the stroke lob, but not as high as the chop lob. Because of the top spin, the ball will really dive down into the court and then accellerate off the court upon impact. An effective top spin lob will win many points because your opponent will be fooled into thinking the shot is going long, while the top spin will cause the ball to curve down quickly. Again, this is a stroke that will require considerable practice, but will yield great dividends.

It is better to lob out and run your opponent back, thus tiring him or her, than to lob short and give your opponent confidence by an easy kill. The value of a lob is mainly one of upsetting your opponent, and its effects are very apparent if you unexpectedly bring off one at a crucial period of a match. This can be very demoralizing for the opposing side.

For more tennis tips, check out my friend Brent Abel's site.
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I highly recommend WebTennis.net
for a great tennis tip video blog!

Follow the link below to get your
complimentary weekly video tips.
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THE SERVICE - THE OPENING SHOT IN TENNIS.

The serve is the opening shot in tennis. It is putting the ball in play. The old thought was that the service was never  more than merely the beginning of a rally. With the rise of American tennis and the rise of Dwight Davis and Holcombe Ward, the serve took on a new significance. These two men originated what is now known as the American Twist delivery. The founder of tennis' Davis Cup, Dwight Davis was born in St. Louis. He was one of his era's best players and won several titles while at Harvard.

While the serve or service began as a mere formality, the serve became a point winner. Slowly it gained in importance, until Maurice E. M'Loughlin, also known as the "California Comet," burst across the tennis sky with the first of those cannon-ball deliveries that revolutionized the game, and caused the old-school players to send out calls for a severe footfault rule or some way of stopping the threatened destruction of all ground strokes. M'Loughlin made service a huge factor in the game. It was't until R. N. Williams stood in on the delivery and took the ball on the rise that the serve was returned to it's position of importance, not omnipotence.

The serve should be delivered with speed. Yet speed is not the be-all and end-all. The serve must be accurate, reliable, and varied. It must be used with discretion and served with brains.

A tall player has an advantage over a short one, in the service department. Simple geometry shows that a hard flat serve hit by a person six foot tall has about 8 inches of the service box surface in which the ball can fall. This is assuming the person is contacting the ball at about three feet above the head. A person like Evo Karlovic who starts out at six feet ten inches has not just ten more inches, but also considering longer arms is probably striking the ball at around 10 1/2 feet rather than the approximate 9 feet given in our example of a 6 foot person. Without getting too technical, let's look at the illustration to the left of serving from 9 feet compared to 10 1/2 feet. It is easy to see a taller person has more of the service box to hit into.

Given a person about 6 feet and allowing for about 3 feet to be added by the reach, if that results in  only a margin of 8 inches of the service court in which the ball can possibly fall, it is easy to see how important it is to use some form of twist or spin to bring the ball down into the court. Not only must it go into the court, but it must be sufficiently fast that the receiver does not have an opportunity for an easy kill shot. It must also be placed so as to allow the server an advantage for his next return, assuming the receiver puts the ball in play.

Just as the first rule of receiving is to, put the ball in play, so the first rule of the serve is to cause the receiver to fail to return the serve or to at least return it weakly. Aces are always good, but the main purpose of your serve is to upset the ground strokes of your opponent.

The serve should be hit from as high a point as the server can COMFORTABLY reach. To stretch unnecessarily is both wearing on the server and can be counter-productive. Timing is critical so if you are trying a new technique be aware that you may have to adjust your timing a little to account for changes in form. Varied pace and varied speed is the keynote to a good service.

The slice serve is one of the easiest serves to learn.  Position yourself more to the right of the mid court line to have a better angle. You can even stand half-way between the mid court line and the sideline. In doubles, many players stand out in the doubles alley.

The use of a continental grip can help impart a slice naturally. Toss the ball in front and little to the right. Experiment to find the right place. The ball should be hit from a point above the right shoulder and as high as possible.


Imagine a clock face on the ball and try to hit the ball from left to right (or from 9 to 3). Continue your movement forward with the edge of the racket going forward. Try to get about fifty percent forward motion with about fifty percent right to left motion as the racket contacts the ball. The spin imparted on the ball will cause it to curve in the air, moving from your right to your left, assuming you are right handed. If you are left handed, the stroke will be from right to left and the spin will be the opposite, which can really fluster right handers.
 
Just like any new stroke or technique, it will take practice to perfect.
 
I will review other types of serves and ground strokes in future postings.
 
Get out there and play!
_________________________________________

For more tennis tips, I highly recommend WebTennis.net.
Brent Abel has a great tennis tip video blog!
Follow the link below to get your complimentary weekly video tips.
http://www.netofficetoolbox.com/app/?af=1082619
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The Basics: How Do We Get Started?

The Fundamentals of Tennis

Let's begin by talking about equipment, particularly your shoes and racket. The best tennis equipment is not too good for the beginner who wants to really succeed. It can be a savings in the long run, as good quality equipment usually far outlasts lesser quality items. For example, when I purchased my first modern tennis racket, I spent about fifteen dollars at a discount store. It lasted about a week before the frame broke during a stroke.

I would also recommend that you dress in tennis clothes when engaging in tennis. Tennis clothes are designed to allow freedom of movement and proper ventilation by wicking perspiration away from the body. Selection of tennis clothes is primarily a matter of personal style and brand preference, however selection of a racket is a much more critical matter. I do not advocate a certain racket for any player. All the standard brands are excellent. What matters is the weight, balance and size of the handle that are most important. Of course, good quality strings and stringing are essential to obtain the best results. A racket that is perfectly matched to your physical features can produce poor results if the string tension is way off.

Once you have acquired your racket, make sure you use good tennis balls, as a regular bounce will go a long way as you strive to improve your game.

If you really want to succeed at the game and advance rapidly, I strongly recommend that you see all the good tennis you can. Study the play of the leading players and try to copy their strokes. Beginning with sound fundamentals is as important in tennis as any other sport. If you can start out by taking lessons from a tennis pro, that will help you advance more quickly, but there are other ways you can get started if your budget is more limited. Read all the tennis instruction books you can find. There are also tennis pros that produce excellent instructional tips and videos that are pretty reasonable.

While there is no replacement for match play, a great deal can be learned off the court, in the study of theory, and in watching the best players in action. Play whenever possible, and try to incorporate the theories you have read about or the strokes you have watched.

Don't be discouraged if at first the progress seems slow. For example, when I first started teaching the game to my wife, she picked up on topspin with the forehand stroke pretty quickly, but the backhand was a whole different matter. No matter how many times I encouraged her, the backhand produced a slice shot. A slice shot is basically one which has backspin and is produced when the racket strikes the ball in a downward motion causing the ball to spin backwards. Now don't get me wrong, the backspin or slice has it's uses in tennis, especially as a change of pace, but it is not as effective on a regular basis as a shot with topspin that accelerates through the court. Anyway, my wife struggled for a long time trying to come over the ball with the backhand, and thanks to her perseverance, she now has an awesome backhand with great placement.

Tennis is a game that pays dividends all your life. A tennis racket is like a letter of introduction in any town. The brotherhood of the game is universal. Tennis provides relaxation, excitement, exercise, and pure enjoyment to the person who gets involved. Age is not a drawback. Tennis is a game for life.

The following order of development produces the quickest and most lasting results:

1. Concentration on the game.

2. Keep your eye on the ball. Probably the most fundamental element of the game is to keep your eye on the ball until at least the point of contact. Leading professionals like Roger Federer can be seen still looking at the point of contact even a second or so after the ball has left the racket. Some people will say watch the ball into your racket. The important point is that if you start mishitting balls, this is probably where the problem is. It's that important.

3. Foot-work and weight-control. Tennis is a game of inches and using little adjusting steps to get yourself in just the right spot to execute a shot is another critical part of the game. Now when I mention weight-control, I am not talking about weight loss. I am talking about balance. You want to move on the court so as to keep your body in balance at all times. Again, this is part of the reason for little steps as exposed to big lunging steps.

When asked about the most important tips he could give other tennis players, Andre Agassi said "Keep your eye on the ball and move your feet."

4. Strokes. There are four primary strokes in tennis; the Serve, the Forehand, the Backhand and the Volley.

5. Court position. Being in the right place at the right time can make a huge difference between a win or a loss.

6. Court generalship or match play. Applying the previous principals and techniques.

7. Tennis psychology. I am not necessarily talking about psyching your opponent out, although that can be a part of the game. What I am talking about is your own level of confidence and belief. A belief that you can win and a refusal to lose will result in a winning form.

8. Concentration. While playing tennis is intended to be fun and relaxing, it is important to concentrate on the fundamentals while trying to master them. It can seem overwhelming at first, but the more you play and practice the quicker you will improve.

Tennis is played primarily with the mind. The most perfect racket technique in the world will not assure a victory if you let your mind wander while playing. There are many causes of a wandering mind during a tennis match. The main one is a lack of interest in the game. No one should play tennis with an idea of real success unless he or she cares sufficiently about the game. You have to be willing to put in the work and practice to learn the game correctly. Don't even start unless you are willing to work at it. Conditions such as wind, or noises in the surroundings often cause even experience match-players to let their concentration slip. Complete concentration on the matter at hand is the only cure for a wandering mind, and the sooner the lesson is learned the more rapid the improvement of the player.

The surest way to keep your concentration up is to play for every set, every game in the set, every point in the game and, finally, every shot in the point. A set is merely a conglomerate of made and missed shots. I like to focus on each point as if that is the only important point in the match. Once that point is over, win or lose, forget it. The next point is the most important point in the match.

Check back for my comments on the Serve!

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For more tennis tips, I highly recommend WebTennis.net.

Brent Abel has a great tennis tip video blog!

Follow the link below to get you complimentary weekly video tips.

http://www.netofficetoolbox.com/app/?af=1082619

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