How to Hit the "Tweener"

I know that there has to be some critical trick to hitting the "tweener shot" (a.k.a., the "Sabatweenie") (between the legs with back facing the net). Please don't direct me to that British tennis website which I've already seen from other posters. I already know that you should hit the ball when it is very close to the ground and that you should start the swing with the racket face up high. I also know that you should use a backhand grip and flick it up with the edge of the racket below the ball. These tips don't do it for me. Not even close. There has to be something else to it. Who can tell me?
 

Exile

Professional
Orson Welles said:
I know that there has to be some critical trick to hitting the "tweener shot"


Oh, you mean timing?

If you want to beat a dead horse, go for it, but timing and footwork will be the key.
 
No, I don't mean "timing". I'm convinced that just practicing the shot with what I know won't get me there nor will it get anyone there. I'm talking about another ingredient. There must be another tip such as hitting the ball when it almost bounces or starting with the racket face high.

Also, just saying "timing" and "footwork" is incredibly vague. Can you be more specific?
 

Exile

Professional
nope, because you have to time it just right to get it over the net at all much less with pace.

Because it is basically a flat shot, this thing will just have to take hard practice untill you find a rhythm that is right for you.
 

MegacedU

Professional
Hey ex - I'm online. Sorry I missed you earlier I have a big test tomorrow.

Timing is everything with the tweener as is positioning. Nail em both and you'll be GOLDEN.
 
I see. Sorry to hear that I'll have to practice so much. I'm afraid that I won't have any genitalia left by the time I learn this thing which makes me question whether it's worth it. So, you don't think there is another "magic tip" that I don't know?
 

enk

New User
Orson Welles said:
I know that there has to be some critical trick to hitting the "tweener shot" (a.k.a., the "Sabatweenie") (between the legs with back facing the net).

Orson,

There are NO 'magic cure' in learning tennis.

Rather than a 'short cut', tips are merely a 'map' that guide you from going the LONG (wrong) way.

Back to this shot:
1. TIMING : The ball MUST be contact with the space bounded by your legs.
2. WRIST : A loose wrist is a MUST to flick the ball at the correct angle.
3. LOFT : Flick at an angle to lift the ball to clear the net.

If you really want it, I'll suggest you to learn by progression:

1. Start from mid court with your back to the net. Drop feed yourself a ball and try to get it over the net.
2. Gradually move towards the baseline. Still drop feeding.
3. Toss the ball one step away from you, take a step and hit the shot.
4. Progressively toss the ball further and further away (you would also have to toss the ball higher, that goes without saying), take a few steps and hit.
5. Get a friend to lob while you run for the ball.

This is definitely not an easy shot to learn or do, let alone in a real game when you chase down a lob.
:)
 
Thanks for the tips Enk. Finally, someone really seems to be making some sense! My only question is your "1. Timing: The ball MUST be contact with the space bounded by your legs."

What exactly do you mean by this? Are you saying that you must make contact with the ball when it is right between the legs or between the boundaries formed by your legs?
 

enk

New User
What I was really trying to say is this:
1. Say for a FH, if your eventual contact point is a little off from you expected contact, you can probably survive with the ball still going over the net.
2. With this 'between the leg' shot, timing is EXTRA EXTRA important because you have to be so much more precise.
3. And good consistent timing takes A LOT OF practice.

Also, I'm not sure if it has already been mentioned in the link you refer too, you should be bring your leg OVER the ball while you make contact.
 

nViATi

Hall of Fame
wouldn't it be a lot more effective, efficient, and a HECK OF A LOT SAFER to just go around the ball and hit a forehand?
 

cervelo

Rookie
I love hitting this shot. It rarely works to win the point, but it is fun to go for it. One time, I actually hit one for a winner against a solid player who totally melted down cuz he was that irritated over it ...

Anyway, the big mistake I made with this one is not keeping my head on the ball THE WHOLE TIME!!!! I would inevitably pull my head around to see if it worked or not.

Another thing, get there early and then use super mini steps to position yourself over top of the ball as it falls. Another "cheater" hint in hitting it is that I don't always have both feet on the ground at contact- if hitting right handed, I take a last second mini step with my left foot, which puts me a little more "over" the ball, and giving me a little more groin clearance. This also clears my left leg out of the way of the racquet head which ends up behind the left knee/thigh.

Also, I use a grip a little closer to Continental than Eastern backhand.

A good way to drill this shot is against a wall; give it a ping pong serve (from the ground to the wall) and it will play like a lob over your head.
 

LovEnPeaCe

New User
cervelo said:
Another thing, get there early and then use super mini steps to position yourself over top of the ball as it falls. Another "cheater" hint in hitting it is that I don't always have both feet on the ground at contact- if hitting right handed, I take a last second mini step with my left foot, which puts me a little more "over" the ball, and giving me a little more groin clearance. This also clears my left leg out of the way of the racquet head which ends up behind the left knee/thigh.

Cervelo's got it right, if you watch roddick/federer try to do the tweener, they also take many small steps(footwork) to get into position so that they can hit the ball where they want it(timing?)
 
S

SageOfDeath

Guest
nViATi said:
wouldn't it be a lot more effective, efficient, and a HECK OF A LOT SAFER to just go around the ball and hit a forehand?

Well suppose you are chasing down a really fast lob and if you turn around then you won't have time to hit a forehand what do you do then? :) I'm sure there are a few times where you actually could use this shot to help you rather than just show off
 

nViATi

Hall of Fame
SageOfDeath said:
Well suppose you are chasing down a really fast lob and if you turn around then you won't have time to hit a forehand what do you do then? :) I'm sure there are a few times where you actually could use this shot to help you rather than just show off
if you are fast enough to be past it by the time it bounces so you can hit it than you can definately turn around and hit it
 

cervelo

Rookie
Topspin lobs that run to the fence or really high lobs aren't easily Saba-tweeny-able.

I gotta admit, for me, it's a showboat shot - half the time I just feel like hitting it for kicks, sometimes even if I had a stab at the overhead, I'll be a goofball and hit the tweener anyway.

and of course, subsequently lose the point against anyone with a volley ... but we'll both laugh about it after the point's over ...

tennis is fun.
 

enk

New User
SageOfDeath said:
Well suppose you are chasing down a really fast lob and if you turn around then you won't have time to hit a forehand what do you do then? :) I'm sure there are a few times where you actually could use this shot to help you rather than just show off

Throw up a lob with your back against the net over your left shoulder. This is relatively easier than the "Tweener".

If you are in position to try a "Tweener", 9 out of 10 times you should have enough time for a turn around FH lob. :)
 

kmcprfam

New User
I Do it All the Time!!!

Hey, so I saw your post, and I thought, yeah, I know how that feels... The thing you really have to do, when trying to learn the tweener, is patience... It took me almost 7 months of just doing it over and over again before I could hit it in consistently, and another 3 until I could do it in actual matches, and I'm #1 singles on JV for my team...

It is ALL REPETITION, and as you do it more, you can definitely get more comfortable... Just tossing it 6 or 7 feet away from you, running to it, and hitting it between your legs is great practice for the first couple months... These are 2 videos that I did on specifically the tweener:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VXIk...DvjVQa1PpcFOer80i4iobubTHT3OHm5g0mM05XdFivUs= (HD)

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=y_74gyChFSo (ALSO HD)

Check those out, and I'm doing one this Tuesday as well, so subscribe, so that you'll be able to see it!!! :)

Hope that helped!
 

Tshooter

G.O.A.T.
Roddick twice - in one point

Roddick doing it twice in one point. One practice point. At the 2012 USO.

http://youtu.be/GUF3TtpCOyU

More impressive than him doing it is me catching it. :)

The first time through is real time. The second is slo-mo making it easier to see what was going on with the net court tweener. That looks liked a pure reaction shot. Whereas the more traditional one from the ball going overhead he obviously set up way beforehand.
 

BabolatTennis9

New User
if your ganna hit a tweener just make sure your on top of the ball like literally on to the ball cant be a little in front or it will just bounce off the ground you gatta have it lined up perfectly with you
 

effortless

Rookie
I know that there has to be some critical trick to hitting the "tweener shot" (a.k.a., the "Sabatweenie") (between the legs with back facing the net). Please don't direct me to that British tennis website which I've already seen from other posters. I already know that you should hit the ball when it is very close to the ground and that you should start the swing with the racket face up high. I also know that you should use a backhand grip and flick it up with the edge of the racket below the ball. These tips don't do it for me. Not even close. There has to be something else to it. Who can tell me?

lol. What i'm gonna say is a bit inconsiderate but i just can't help it.

One day i was at the net and got lobbed. I never had the desire to hit a between the legs shot before. As i ran back to the baseline somehow i just knew that a between the legs shot was my only option. With absolutely no idea how to actually do this shot i gave it a go and to my surprise it went in! Ever since that day i have been able to hit this shot with about a 50% success rate.

My message is, some things just come naturally to you, some things don't.
E.g. You can't hit a between the legs shot no matter how hard you try. I can't hit a two handed backhand no matter how hard i try.


The only other explanation i have is that your level of play isn't very high and therefore you don't have good racquet head control or foot work. In that case, be patient, have fun focussing on important aspects of tennis, and one day the between the legs shot might just come to you naturally.
 

treblings

Hall of Fame
i wonder if orson can hit the tweener by now. after all it´s been seven years since he started this thread:)
 

effortless

Rookie
My comment was a complete waste of time now hahahaha. From now on i should check the date of the original post. Why and how did someone comment on this thread?
 

Crie

Rookie
if you are fast enough to be past it by the time it bounces so you can hit it than you can definately turn around and hit it
When people mean they pass the ball, they mean they pass the ball UNDERNEATH THEM. The ball is directly below the groin. So in that case you can't run around it and hit a forehand. Its a last resort shot. The far better shot in my opinion is the tweener-lob. Its really safe from a tactical stand point with more reward for the same amount of risk. But of course sometimes its fun to just rip one like Fed at the US Open. In the end, tennis is a game. My motto is if you aren't going to have fun, don't play.
 

WisconsinPlayer

Professional
When people mean they pass the ball, they mean they pass the ball UNDERNEATH THEM. The ball is directly below the groin. So in that case you can't run around it and hit a forehand. Its a last resort shot. The far better shot in my opinion is the tweener-lob. Its really safe from a tactical stand point with more reward for the same amount of risk. But of course sometimes its fun to just rip one like Fed at the US Open. In the end, tennis is a game. My motto is if you aren't going to have fun, don't play.
Did you really need to bump this? And if you can hit a tweener off a ball, you can hit a slice defensive forehand with much more effectiveness. I agree it can be fun though when given the chance
 

Crie

Rookie
W
Did you really need to bump this? And if you can hit a tweener off a ball, you can hit a slice defensive forehand with much more effectiveness. I agree it can be fun though when given the chance
Why slice and look stupid when the net player puts it away with a volley when you can lob his ass and win? Its fun man, don't ask why :D
 
D

Deleted member 23235

Guest
I know I'm further bumping a 12y old thread... but gosh I wish i could hit this shot...
i feel like this shot should be mandatory to be rated 4.0 or higher - ie. basic mastery of all strokes :p
biggest problem is that don't overrun the ball completely (which ends up with me bouncing the ball into the ground)
 

onehandbh

G.O.A.T.
There are two versions I can hit.

The most common version is where you run it down and then do a wide "split step" to hit it.

The other one is where you are still on the run and hit it in stride with a "wide step" as you hit it.

Both are similar but on balls I can barely get to, I have to use the second version. The split step version is easier for me to control and hit harder.
 

Nellie

Hall of Fame
After lots of practice, I decided I like hitting balls behind me as a wristy backwards forehand (I am running away from the net and facing the back fence). Just like the tweener, I run to get even sideways with the ball and then flick backwards with a forehand grip, except I am positioned to the side and not directly over the ball. I started doing this shot because I could hit it from a higher ball position for more angles and put some side spin/slice on the shot to reset the point from a defensive position. With the tweener, I could just hit the ball back, and better players would be camped at the net for a winning volley.

kind of like this Federer shot:
 

meltphace 6

Hall of Fame
I know I'm further bumping a 12y old thread... but gosh I wish i could hit this shot...
i feel like this shot should be mandatory to be rated 4.0 or higher - ie. basic mastery of all strokes :p
biggest problem is that don't overrun the ball completely (which ends up with me bouncing the ball into the ground)
35 in one rally (I'm the guy who made the error goddammit) :p

http://preview.tinyurl.com/kmzoy3n
 

WisconsinPlayer

Professional
W

Why slice and look stupid when the net player puts it away with a volley when you can lob his ass and win? Its fun man, don't ask why :D
A slice doesnt have to be a line drive at the net player, you can also lob it easier than with a tweener ;p
 

Crie

Rookie
After lots of practice, I decided I like hitting balls behind me as a wristy backwards forehand (I am running away from the net and facing the back fence). Just like the tweener, I run to get even sideways with the ball and then flick backwards with a forehand grip, except I am positioned to the side and not directly over the ball. I started doing this shot because I could hit it from a higher ball position for more angles and put some side spin/slice on the shot to reset the point from a defensive position. With the tweener, I could just hit the ball back, and better players would be camped at the net for a winning volley.

kind of like this Federer shot:
I can do one, but I need a really slow topspin lob or a slice lob. Because the slice has backspin on it, its really easy to time the ball as it slows down and you can run over and flick. Topspin is the fircking hard to judge, I'm always afraid of touching the ball on my chest. I don't know, its something that has to be practiced I guess.
 

navigator

Hall of Fame
35 in one rally (I'm the guy who made the error goddammit) :p

http://preview.tinyurl.com/kmzoy3n

Perhaps the most impressive video that a TT poster has actually been a part of. I can hit tweeners... but not with that level of accuracy time after time. Constantly poking it right back to the net man and then consistently hitting a lob that makes it easy for your partner to do the same... that takes a sh1t ton of repetitive control. Really impressive.
 

meltphace 6

Hall of Fame
Perhaps the most impressive video that a TT poster has actually been a part of. I can hit tweeners... but not with that level of accuracy time after time. Constantly poking it right back to the net man and then consistently hitting a lob that makes it easy for your partner to do the same... that takes a sh1t ton of repetitive control. Really impressive.
Thanks very much for the compliment but I think the Rio Open sparring video is a hundred times more impressive.
 

navigator

Hall of Fame
Thanks very much for the compliment but I think the Rio Open sparring video is a hundred times more impressive.

Beg to differ. Yes, the video you reference is impressive. But, there is a small group of posters who can play at that level. I don't think there are any other posters who could replicate your tweener exercise.
 

SystemicAnomaly

Bionic Poster
Bumping this thread as a result of this current discussion: https://tt.tennis-warehouse.com/index.php?threads/the-most-difficult-shot-in-the-book.606879/

Let's see some other TTers' tweeners... other than meltphace, whose video remains my favorite TT video of all time.

Who can follow that act?

Have never tried to hit more than one in a row. Not in tennis, anyway. Hit 8 badminton tweeners in succession w/o much trouble. But it's a bit easier than tennis tweeners.
 

navigator

Hall of Fame
Who can follow that act?

Have never tried to hit more than one in a row. Not in tennis, anyway. Hit 8 badminton tweeners in succession w/o much trouble. But it's a bit easier than tennis tweeners.

That video is insane. I bet it would take top pros a few days of practice to be able to replicate that. It's not just the tweeners... the set-ups have to be really good as well. And, the killer... massive fatigue. Most don't realize how tiring it is to sprint back to hit the tweener, jog up for the set up, sprint back (17 times per side!)... the cardio required is incredible. I can do seven or eight in a row using my ball machine and while I'm doing more running (the lobs I'm tracking are deeper and I try not to get a head start), it's absolutely exhausting... I have to take a break. So, while the guys in the video are running a bit less than me for an individual tweener... each of them did it 17 times (one 18)! The whole thing is mind boggling, frankly.
 
Top