Smashing the overhead over opponent's heads.

[Raul_SJ]

I took a clinic and the instructor fed us overheads very close to the net ("offensive overheads").

He said one good options on this shot (besides angling it away) is to make these bounce very high. He said some 12 year old juniors were able to make it bounce over the back -- you don't necessarily need to be tall to do it.

He said the key is to keep a loose wrist and "hit on top of the ball".

Does this mean the racquet is literally making contact on top of the ball?

I couldn't get it to bounce high, but I am always used to hitting the overheads like a serve (7 o'clock to 1 o'clock) and not down on top of the ball.

[Raul_SJ]

He said some 12 year old juniors were able to make it bounce over the back fence -- you don't necessarily need to be tall to do it.

[Alchemy-Z]

On overheads I let them drop a little lower than my serve toss keep my wrist loose and pronate on contact to give it a nice pop into the court which will bounce it to the fence..sometimes over.

watch some youtube videos and know its not just swinging as hard as you can as some think...but a very smooth fluid motion. You see someone who hits them very well and it looks like it takes little effort and strength.

[Limpinhitter]

Originally Posted by Raul_SJ

I took a clinic and the instructor fed us overheads very close to the net ("offensive overheads").

He said one good options on this shot (besides angling it away) is to make these bounce very high. He said some 12 year old juniors were able to make it bounce over the back -- you don't necessarily need to be tall to do it.

He said the key is to keep a loose wrist and "hit on top of the ball".

Does this mean the racquet is literally making contact on top of the ball?

I couldn't get it to bounce high, but I am always used to hitting the overheads like a serve (7 o'clock to 1 o'clock) and not down on top of the ball.

You're talking about 7 to 1 from above. To bounce it over the fence, hit it from about 10 O'Clock from the right side.

[pvaudio]

This is honestly not hard to do. If you can hit a solid overhead, this should simply be a matter of choice. But as said above, finishing the swing as though you've swung either directly in front of you, or slightly out to the right will cause this. It's not a difference in power, it's simply a difference in trajectory. There are two problems: when you hit the higher one, you MUST make sure it clears the court, because it does not penetrate. If it comes down even near the back curtain/fence, it's extremely easy to throw up another lob. This usually means you need to be closer to the net than normal.

[mightyrick]

Originally Posted by Raul_SJ

I took a clinic and the instructor fed us overheads very close to the net ("offensive overheads").

He said one good options on this shot (besides angling it away) is to make these bounce very high. He said some 12 year old juniors were able to make it bounce over the back -- you don't necessarily need to be tall to do it.

He said the key is to keep a loose wrist and "hit on top of the ball".

Does this mean the racquet is literally making contact on top of the ball?

I couldn't get it to bounce high, but I am always used to hitting the overheads like a serve (7 o'clock to 1 o'clock) and not down on top of the ball.

I might be in the minority on this one... I'm not sure. But I have always thought the hard spiking overhead is a big mistake. It is far too easy to lose control. It is also low percentage. I've seen many super-backspun balls get spiked only to dump into the net.

It definitely feels good to hit one of these successfully, but I'm fairly sure that hitting an ordinary medium-tempo overhead with a serve motion is a better shot.

[dman72]

If I get an easy lob within 10 feet of the net I can do this pretty easily. It's pretty much simple geometry..if I'm 6'1 and ten feet from the net hitting down on the ball isn't hard. Especially at clubs with back walls/curtains that are pretty close to the baseline, it makes your smash unreturnable.

Of course if you start trying to do this any further back you end up clipping the net.

[LeeD]

Swing hard, aim shorter than the service line, and if you're close enough to the net, you have the angle to bounce if over the backfence, except at certain courts where the backfence if 40' high...

[OldFedIsOld]

I flick my wrist sort of whenever I hit a smash over my opponent, though I try not to hit it too high because if it goes over the fence I have to get it.

[Cindysphinx]

I have never once hit this shot. And I have had plenty of opportunities.

I'm 5'4". I guess I just don't see any reason to try this shot. If I am right on the net, I far prefer to hit a ball as sharply angled as I can. This ball will hit the side curtain or run away from even the fastest opponent because of the angle.

I do have partners who attempt this spiked overhead. Ugh. I wish they would stop. Few of us are tall enough or strong enough to guarantee the ball will go completely out of play. I have run down many errant spiked overheads, and it is quite possible to win the point -- remember, my opponent was draped on the net. If I can get a racket on it and throw up another overhead . . . game on.

[LeeD]

The difference between men's tennis and women's tennis is the PeteSampras leaping overhead....
No reason for it except it's FUN for guys.

[Raul_SJ]

Originally Posted by Cindysphinx

I have never once hit this shot. And I have had plenty of opportunities.

I'm 5'4". I guess I just don't see any reason to try this shot. If I am right on the net, I far prefer to hit a ball as sharply angled as I can. This ball will hit the side curtain or run away from even the fastest opponent because of the angle.

I do have partners who attempt this spiked overhead. Ugh. I wish they would stop. Few of us are tall enough or strong enough to guarantee the ball will go completely out of play.

The coach said that you don't have to be tall and strong to hit this shot.

A few of the short kids hit it over the fence and as well as much taller adults. The key is a loose wrist and hitting on top of the ball.