The overhead smash can be a very simple and effective shot if executed properly. When talking to many of our club members the other day they asked me how the pros were able to hit the overhead so well from just about anywhere in the court. The problem most people have is that the ball is moving away from them and not to them. Once you add movement, a higher ball and the desire to finish off the point, we all tend to complicate things. The best way to approach your overhead is to simplify the process by first turning sideways (as you would on your serve), prepare your racket in the back scratch position and think catch (as if you are going to catch the ball with your hand) with your left hand (if you are a righty, right hand if you are a lefty). This opposite hand will allow you to line the ball up like you would if you are serving. Unfortunately pointing at it does not prepare best for striking the ball properly. When swinging, make sure to limit your arm swing and increase your wrist movement. If you can keep a loose wrist through the swing you can adjust automatically for any wind or direction adjustments. The wrist helps to still create enough arc to clear the net and adds speed to finish the point. Try these easy steps and you should have a more effective and consistent overhead.
Often afte the US Open the tennis on television is kind of hard to find. But if you look carefully enough, you can find some good matches, especially on the tennis channel. The men are working hard to qualify for the end of the year Master’s event. So any points the players can grab from events played will help to either solidify their position or help them to qualify. I believe there are still a couple of spots still open. I think we are in for an interesting end of the year and start to next year. With younger players coming up and surprising some older and more experienced players. This time of year is when many players start to add or tweak their games to be more effective in matches. So keep your eyes open for what the players are doing differently to win more points and win them more efficiently.
There were some similarities with the results of the men’s and women’s singles events at the US Open. In both the singles championship matches it was a matter of who would outplay the other. The men’s went the distance with Del Potro coming up with some great shots and solid firepower to down Federer. With the women if was the senior, more experienced Clisters who was able to provide great shot making and firepower. However, I think we have now seen, as so often happens with the last Grand Slam of the year, that there are some young players that will mold and reshape the professional game of tennis. I hope you were able to see some of the doubles action as well, especially that racquet artist Leader Paes and the mastery of his hands. He was able to use quickness, touch and angles to nearly pull off two Grand Slam wins in both the Men’s and Mixed Doubles. One championship and one runner-up finish is still not too bad of a showing. I think we are in good hands for the future of tennis.
Most players on the tour are very comfortable behind the baseline just banging balls and moving players from side to side, corner to corner. However, if you have been watching the players at the Open, the ones that are able to attack and gain an advantage do so by taking an advantage inside the lines. Stepping in at the right time to take a ball higher gives you a distinct advantage to create angles and a better trajectory to win points quicker. The key is the ball height. If you have to make contact below the level of the net while inside the lines then you have to neutralize this defensive position by hitting backspin or underspin. Roger Federer and Andy Murray are excellent examples of playing well inside the lines and knowing the right shot to hit, because they adjust to the position they are in. Even Rafa has learned how to neutralize a shot from an opponent with backspin. The smarter player will know when they have to defend and not merely hit hard with lots of topspin. This only serves to create a deeper and higher ball and a shot that is easier for the opponent to manage. Giving the opponent a shot they don’t like or just different type of shot each time will keep them off balance and less able to attack against you.
Do the pros ever get off balance like the rest of the tennis playing public? Yes, they sure do. That is one of the main goals they all try to do to each other. The difference you will probably notice is that they are still able to execute a pretty good shot to stay in or get back into the point. If you watch carefully you will see more players make use of backspin or underspin to defend or neutralize when the opponent’s have attacked against them. This allows them to change the pace, ball height, direction, vary depth, etc. to take their opponent off of their offensive rhythm. Just like a pitcher having change-up pitches and not only all fast balls, variety is the key to keeping your opponent off balance and forcing them to make errors. If someone likes topspin then give them backspin. If they like high balls, give them low balls. If they like to hit angles, don’t give them any. There are ways to move someone rather than just going corner to corner. Next time we will talk about how you can do that. Female player Melanie Oudin and male player Roger Federer are examples of how you can use other ways to move the ball around.
It was an exciting time of tennis over the holiday weekend. If you like upsets then you were probably pretty excited. If you like to see the seeded players and those expected to win continue to move on in the draw then you are probably a little dissappointed after the weekend. However, there was some great tennis played in those matches. Hopefully you were able to see some of the things we discussed in my last post about what to watch. Often players are able to raise their game to a higher level to overcome a more difficult player. Sometimes it is done from good scouting of what the player does not like to hit or they just match up well with that player’s strengths. Look for these players to use sharper angles that land around the side “T” areas to open up the court more and move the players wider. Usually the better players must mix up their shots and not give them too many balls that react the same. One example is the use of backspin, not just to defend during a point, but to keep it low and make it more difficult to get under the ball to hit topspin. Next time we will discuss other tactics the pros use to keep players off balance.
Yes you can expect some upsets and some newcomers and maybe some players on both the women’s and men’s sides that have been around awhile that are just starting to get a break and make it deep into the draw. However, what I would suggest is don’t just look at results, but what the players are doing to keep them winning matches. First, look and see what they do when they prepare. You will see most of the top players using their opposite hand to get their racket ready on both sides. Second, you will see that even when off balance they are trying to extend or lengthen their contact zone. Often players of this calibre will be pulled way off the court and still manage to continue their swing through the shot toward their target to hit a better shot. Lastly, look for how they defend. In every sport defense is a big part of making plays to win. A player is always either on defense, offense or neutral. Watch to see how the players neutralize a shot to get from defense, back into the point so turn it around to offense. You will be able to see tennis in a whole new light if you do this when watching these great players. Next time we will talk about what other things they might be doing to open up the court to win more points.
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