Every serious tennis player works hard to level up his or her techniques through constant practice and learning. After mastering the basics, advanced techniques for intermediate players are the next step in developing masterful shot selections and control of the ball during play. In this stage of practice, players learn effective trick shots and how to hit winners that can make a huge difference during a match.
While some tennis terms and rules can be pretty confusing for beginners, taking a player’s skill set to the next level requires familiarity with the various strokes, definitions, rules, and shot techniques before you jump into more advanced techniques. Otherwise, everything might prove to be too overwhelming.
Former Australian tennis pro Pat Cash always tells his students to first learn the basics of how to hit a tennis ball.. Once that’s done, he encourages his students to take note of the two types of groundstrokes before asking any questions about advanced techniques.
Forehand groundstroke - One of two types of groundstrokes, the forehand should come from the baseline wherein the player holds his racket with his dominant hand. That means right-handed players swing the forehand groundstroke on the right side of their bodies, then proceed to go forward, then across upon contact with the ball, before finishing off on the left side of their bodies with their palms turned away.
Backhand groundstroke - This opposite type of groundstroke can be executed using one or both hands with the player’s swing starting on either side of the body. Similar to the forehand, the player continues forward, across and ends up on the other side of his body with the back of the dominant hand facing the direction of the stroke.
According to Cash, these two important techniques are essential if a player wants to proceed with more advanced techniques. Not knowing how to perform them will only make things difficult for both trainer and player at the advanced level.
Tweener
The first advanced technique that will be tackled in this article is a trick shot introduced by Guillermo Vilas in one of his matches in Buenos Aires back in 1974.
A tweener is executed when a player hits the ball between his legs and is able to control the ball over the net and into the opponent’s side. While it may seem like showboating, this technique requires proper timing with the player’s back facing the net until the ball reaches the optimal height.
Force is another factor in making an effective return crosscourt which takes a lot of practice to perfect. A player should know that a tweener is only necessary when there isn’t enough time to rotate the body for a well-positioned shot and adequate return.
For further study on this particular technique and the corresponding footwork, watch Roger Federer’s semifinal match during the 2009 US Open against world number 1 Novak Djokovic wherein he earned himself a match point.
Forehand slice
Another advanced shot technique is one which American champion Serena Williams uses effectively during her matches. The forehand slice is performed in a chopping motion to give the ball ample side or backspin, applying some misdirection for the opponent.
This type of shot allows the player to control where the ball goes and create sudden adjustments in pace during an aggressive rally. It is best performed when the opponent is caught off guard and is positioned on either side of the court, wherein the ball’s spin can be directed in the opposite direction.
Inside-outs
Once a player masters how the forehand groundstroke works, he can start developing his inside-out forehands with more ease as it goes with the technique’s natural motion. By anticipating the opponent to land a shot in the backhand court, the player can return the shot with a crosscourt forehand stroke and let the ball land on the opposing player’s backhand court.
Working on inside-out backhands will allow players to return the ball crosscourt more effectively, especially when both players are holding their rackets in the same dominant hands.
On the other hand (no pun intended), inside-ins are performed by hitting an inside-out down the line instead of crosscourt and are most effective when a player needs to make a quick change in the ball’s direction or when hitting a backhand against an opponent with a different dominant hand.
Backhand smash
This shot technique is perfect when a player needs to rush to the net, make a return, and answer an opponent’s lob with an overhead smash. Requiring good intuition, this technique only works if the player can position himself in a manner wherein his opponent can’t make a lob on his backhand side. Otherwise, the player may lose the ample force to make a good smash in return.
During practice, preposition your player with his back to his opponent and allow him to smash the ball down with full force. Keep the player’s elbows raised and his shoulders under the chin, with the racket face open. Develop his downward wrist movement with arms fully extended to master the right swing direction, motion, and force.
Mid-approach shot
Answering short balls from an opponent is one of the most difficult shots to deal with during a match. The best answer a player can execute to this technique is a middle approach shot that lets the ball fall in the middle court area.
Practice executing your approach shots either at a crosscourt angle or down the line. When performing the crosscourt angle approach, bear in mind that you will be creating more angled shots during play allowing you to control the ball’s direction deep into the opposite court or in the middle area.
However, if you are performing the technique from down the line, try to direct your shot into the middle area of the opposite court as you go towards the net. This will make the opponent hit more difficult angled shots which the player can easily anticipate. Approach shots also give a player good leverage to execute a lob while pushed onto their back foot for a more well-positioned put-away.
Mastering these advanced techniques will certainly give your game and confidence a boost. Observe seasoned players in action and notice when or how they use these techniques and you’ll soon increase your tennis IQ which will come in handy on the court.
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