How high over the net???

[Homey]

How high should the ball be when it passes over the net???

I find myself hitting with too much loop on my groundstrokes.

Lets say you are in an attacking position....say inside the baseline by about 3 or 4 feet. How high over the net should you aim??

This weekend in a tournament I was hitting with too much topsin and not enough DRIVE on the ball. It allowed a lot of my opponents to stay in the point.

I need to practice penetrating/attacking shots. I plan to string up a rope above the net and practice hitting between the rope and the net. I want to know how high to put the rope. I am assuming maybe 2-3 foot above the net.

I am not talking about rally shots, I am talking more about attacking shots on shorter balls. I hope all this makes sense.

Thanks

[Tennis_Monk]

I would think its easy to tell. How much margin do you need to comfortably hit the shot and how much risk you are willing to take on that shot.

You can hit with Topspin and still have lot of pace. This is a deadly combination and very hard for opponents to return. So it really depends on how much power you are supplying and your placement.

Another thing to ponder is where is your ball bouncing. If your topspin bounces inside service line of opponents, it is an easy prey for most of them because of the height. However if the same shot lands like a feet or two inside baseline and bounces high, it is lot more difficult- at a minimum, it forces the opponent behind the baseline and greatly reduces the angles opponent have available.

Try to be really aggressive and hit with more pace. Your topspin should keep the ball in play but it is just more difficult for your opponents to attack.

[Mansewerz]

I've heard that during rallies it should be about 6 feet over the net (if its got spin on it, it will come down), so maybe ~3 feet over the net

[WildVolley]

For an attacking shot, I'd think that in most cases you'd want the ball to pass fewer than 3' over the net. A lot of the pros hit a rally ball that goes between 1-3' over the top of the net - and this is a shot hit with a lot of topspin and pace.

[quicken]

I usually aim about the same height, or maybe a little less and hit a flat shot. I slam the ball down.

During rallies I probalby clear the net with about 3 feet clearance.

[herosol]

the rule my coach uses:

two-nets net clearance.

[tbini87]

if you are attacking and trying to hit a winner or approach i would still hit with enough net clearance to be comfortable. you don't need a clean winner, just a solid shot to set up a put away. i don't think you need to try to hit it any lower than say 2 ft above the net. if that is cutting it too close than go to 3, but if it works then stick with it.

[kairosntx]

I was going to say two-nets, but someone already said it so I will keep my mouth shut.

So... 3 feet (two nets at the center) would be good net clearance for a drive from 3-4 feet inside the baseline.

[BravoRed691]

the rule my coach uses:

two-nets net clearance.

Nice tip...i can so see it in my mind's eye...wow i didn't know my mind had eyes...that's how clearly i see it!
Br

[user92626]

You guys must hit with ALOT of topspin to keep the ball in with 3 ft or two-net clearance. My shots almost always sail long if I hit that high and hard. :cry:

[Nellie]

Why don't you put a little more angle in that shot?