How to deal with high bouncing moonballs on the forehand

[HughJars]

Im about a level 3.0 rec player, and I often play a mate about the same level who loves to just loop the ball up to keep it alive at every oppurtunity, knowing it will force a weak return or unforced error.

Slow moving, loopy, high moonballs landing near the baseline on my forehand I have no idea how to combat, other than feeding back a ridiculous looking loopy shot for him to clean me up with at the net or watch it sail out, and its so frustrating!

How to I play an efficient shot to combat this?

Thanks

[Mick]

at the 3.0 level you probably don't have the shot to counter the high bouncing moonballs. When you reach 3.5 you will have it but of course you would encounter 3.5 guys that hit more difficult high bouncing moonballs.

I would give him a taste of his own medicine. He probably doesn't like it either.

[Headshotterer]

Don't let the ball get too high up to you. Slice or hit on the rise.

[defrule]

Semi-western grip and spin the hell out of the ball. It'll look like a loopy return but it will have a wicked bounce.

[TomT]

Originally Posted by HughJars

Im about a level 3.0 rec player, and I often play a mate about the same level who loves to just loop the ball up to keep it alive at every oppurtunity, knowing it will force a weak return or unforced error.

Slow moving, loopy, high moonballs landing near the baseline on my forehand I have no idea how to combat, other than feeding back a ridiculous looking loopy shot for him to clean me up with at the net or watch it sail out, and its so frustrating!

How to I play an efficient shot to combat this?

Thanks

Welcome fellow 3.0 player. These kinds of balls present problems for me too. Do I let the bounce get into my comfort zone? Well, that doesn't always work because with good topspinners the ball never gets into my comfort zone. The best alternative seems to me to learn to hit the ball on the rise. Which, I think, takes a lot more practice than most of us 3.0 players have done. I think there's hope, but I think that timing is even more critical in effectively returning the kinds of shots you're talking about than in effectively returning most groundstrokes, and that entails LOTS of practice.

I'll be watching your thread for helpful suggestions.

[Mick]

these guys can hit moonball fh pretty well but they sure talk funny

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZlgZeo73rCA

[TomT]

Originally Posted by Mick

these guys can hit moonball fh pretty well but they sure talk funny

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZlgZeo73rCA

Thanks for that vid. Subscribed to the channel. Definitely affecting a scouser or pikey accent. But their moonballs weren't really all that, uh, moony.

[Mick]

Originally Posted by TomT

Thanks for that vid. Subscribed to the channel. Definitely affecting a scouser or pikey accent. But their moonballs weren't really all that, uh, moony.

No Problem, Tom. I would say it would take a pretty good player to successfully attack their rainbow FH. I watched some of their videos and these guys have pretty good forms.

[TomT]

Originally Posted by Mick

No Problem, Tom. I would say it would take a pretty good player to successfully attack their rainbow FH. I watched some of their videos and these guys have pretty good forms.

Ok Mick, will check more of their vids out when time permits. Thanks.

[Orion3]

Originally Posted by TomT

Thanks for that vid. Subscribed to the channel. Definitely affecting a scouser or pikey accent. But their moonballs weren't really all that, uh, moony.

They're Irish

[rufus_smith]

Originally Posted by Mick

these guys can hit moonball fh pretty well but they sure talk funny

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZlgZeo73rCA

I keep watching over and over. I know that they're speaking english but I still can't understand them!

These are probably not the shots OP was referring to since they are hit pretty hard. More like "rainbow shots" as they say in the video.

[Mick]

Originally Posted by rufus_smith

I keep watching over and over. I know that they're speaking english but I still can't understand them!

These are probably not the shots OP was referring to since they are hit pretty hard. More like "rainbow shots" as they say in the video.

Yep. these guys are definitely not 3.0

[Bagumbawalla]

The easiest thing to do is step back so you can strike the ball in your comfort zone. Then hit the same moonball shot back- deep and with some topspin (if you can). Don't get in a hurry or be embarrassed by how stupid it looks. Continue hitting deep moonballs back until, eventually, you get a shorter ball- then you can move up and drive the ball for a winner or, at least, put some pressure back on the opponent.

There are about half a dozen other things you can do- but they would require some skill- achieved through practice. So, you can start with this- then work with your practice partner on other skills- taking the ball on the rise, lobbing over a net-rusher, drop-shotting the guy who hangs 8 feet behind the basekine, striking/slicing through a high ball with power- and eventually you will have more options.

[UCSF2012]

Charge the net and volley it.

[Relinquis]

alternatives to moonballing back?

what kind of courts? if on red clay, step further back behind the baseline and wait for it to come into your contact zone. hit a semi-deep (no need to aim for baseline) shot to his backhand. you can drive it or use topspin. you might get a short ball or a normal height ball from his backhand. if he runs around to hit a forehand, you might have a court positioning advantage.

if on hardcourts and you are short enough, just take a couple of steps forward and smash it. if you are tall, volley it.

a third alternative is hitting it on the rise, but this takes a lot of practice.

[TheCheese]

Hit the same shot back to him but to his backhand. He'll hate it.

[Alchemy-Z]

work on your overhead

[Orion3]

You could try this

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tilMGez0xos

Will need practice regardless - good luck

[Nellie]

Originally Posted by Orion3

You could try this

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tilMGez0xos

Will need practice regardless - good luck

While the emphasis of this video is taking the ball on the rise, it does raise one of my favorite points- prepare high and swing straight through the ball. A common mistake I see is preparing low (as if you are going to hit at a normal ball at hip height) and then swinging very loopy to get from that low starting position to a ball at your head height. This gives you no margin for error (a millisecond slow/early, and you are framing the shot). Also, this stroke gives you no power since you are almost entirely brushing and not contacting the ball. By preparing high and swinging level, you have a much better margin for error and power, and the ball will drop into the court due to gravity. You don't need to swing that hard (no kill shots), but your ball will be fast and flat - very tough for the moonballer.

[10isfreak]

Reverse forehands make it easier to hit a clean shot off a high ball, but if you want more penetration, you'd need a scissor kick forehand and that's pretty hard to achieve -- especially for a 3.0! I use both, but it's not necessarily a good idea for you. (A scissor kick forehand is what Federer does when he gets airborne to hit inside-in or inside-out forehands.)

For the more realistic option, I do have an idea. Generally, we catch high balls by simply raising our preparation. Instead of swinging to the ball from down your waist, make your swing very horizontal and start it even by your shoulder if necessary. In short, you just have to take your normal swing, but raise everything to the ball's level.

There are also ways to prevent that guy from moonballing efficiently. Nothing is easier to moonball that a mid-paced shot that we contact around the waist or a little higher. A good slice makes it very hard to get any spin on the ball while still getting the right height... It would take ridiculous spin to get the right height and the right pace to make a moonball annoying off a low contact. At best, a 3.0 could make a lob out of it. An other option is to force him to make adjustments. Most people are used to move from coast to coast and to hit with their foot well planted. Force him to move forward, to move backward, to adjust to different contact heights, etc. That's how pushers annoy recreational players, but since you do have a great forehand (presumably), you have more options than a pusher. These are general tips, but they can make a difference.

Depending on the moonball, you may also try to take it out of the air, take it on the rise or wait for the ball to drop. Furthermore, if your opponent is not very handy at the net and you are confident enough, you may draw him forward and hit a passing shot -- people with poor net games are easy to pass in one or two strokes.