Listen to the Pros
"It all starts with a good ball toss. Sometimes, people think it's just the swing, but I think the ball toss creates your motion after that. You should keep your elbow high on the serve, then the better you get, the more you can use rotation and legs." - Roger Federer
To summarize:
- Do not hit your serve if you are not confident with your toss.
- If you are right handed, get your right elbow way up in the air after tossing the ball while preparing to hit your serve, If you are left handed, raise your left elbow.
- Pay attention to what the pros have to say, They are pros for a reason!
A Short Ball is a Gift
Players generally rally from baseline to baseline awaiting a short ball that they can put away to win the point. For this reason, a short ball is a gift to win the point.
Balls land short for a few reasons.
- The player acted defensively to your shot, forcing him/her to hit short.
- The player hit the ball with slice, also usually a defensive shot.
My tip for the month is to tell people to stop throwing away this gift by hitting the ball out!
People miss short balls way too often because they charge at them and attack them with all their anger, not getting ready for the possibility of an odd bounce from a slice shot, and not realizing they have a lot less distance between them and the opponents baseline.
In order to win every point off a short ball you need to follow these steps:
- Attack the ball with you feet. Continuously adjust your feet to be ready for an odd bounce.
- Shorten your backswing. You have moved closer to the net, which means you have significantly less court left in front of you. Shortening your backswing will ensure you don't over shoot.
- Add more topspin. This will cause the ball to drop and land in.
- Aim for placement rather than power. A well-placed ball can be just as hard to hit as a powerful ball, but it is far more accurate.
