INTERMEDIATE by ALICE TYM
PURPOSEFUL SHOTS
Technically, all shots should be purposeful. You should plan your game like a chess match: every shot has a purpose. In addition to your bread-and-butter shots— your deep serves, deep returns, solid volleys and placed overheads— you need to practice specialty shots. Those are the shots you pull from your arsenal when your bread-and-butter shots aren’ t working or when you want to augment your standard shots by keeping your opponent off guard.
These shots are designed to create a specific situation or to counter specific situations. You are hitting a specific shot as a reaction to certain situations. Here are seven specific shots, when and why to use them, and how to practice them.
1. The Short Serve
When and Why
Players get used to returning deep, clean serves. They get grooved. They start using your pace right back against you. They stand behind the baseline ready for your good serve and they pound it. You need variety to keep them on their toes.
It is helpful to tell your partner when you are going to serve short because the return is often short as well. A code word is useful so that you don’ t surprise your
EVERY SHOT HAS A
PURPOSE partner. Use the same preparation and motion on your serve but take the pace off of it. You don’ t have to do it often; you just need to make the opponent off-balance and uneasy. How to Practice Take a bucket of balls and practice alternating deep and short serves. You don’ t want to telegraph the short serve, so you need to work on having a set routine. And, you need to know how hard to hit so the ball clears the non-volley zone( NVZ) line.
2. The Drop Volley
When and Why
When your opponents are hanging deep behind the baseline to cover deep volleys, it is time to drop a few short volleys into their NVZ to keep them honest. If they are setting up and driving the ball with a lot of pace, they are expecting a deep response from you. Variation is the key. How to Practice When you are drilling at the net, hit every third volley softly. Maintain the same motion so that you don’ t telegraph your drop. Absorb the energy of their hard drive as if you were catching a water balloon. Stay low so that your body does the work, and you can make last-minute adjustments.
3. The Drop Overhead
When and Why
When your opponents are doing a good job of fielding your deep overheads, it is time to surprise them with a short drop. They are camping out way behind the baseline so that they have more time to run down your deep shots. Change it up. How to Practice An overhead drill requires good footwork. It is the same for the drop— perhaps even more so. Position yourself well; this is a touch shot, so your footwork must be even more precise than it is for a normal overhead. You still must look as if you are going to smash it hard. Avoid being sloppy.
4. A Short Return of Serve
When and Why Most good players have solid, deep returns. Players practice deep crosscourt and down-the-line shots. If you cannot match or beat your opponents’ drives, you must be creative. Mix up your returns. Throw in a short one
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