I wrote this a few years ago for Ezine Articles:
In the early 1990's, I attended my first Professional Tennis Registry (PTR) training session in Lacey, Washington. The instructor introduced me to a terrific slice approach shot. He consistently hit shots deep into the court that stayed so low they were almost impossible to retrieve. He gave me the opportunity to demonstrate the shot and it was difficult for me to get the shot to consistently clear the net. Especially, if someone dropped a shot very close to the net with almost no pace on the ball.
To produce an effective baseline forehand stroke, I start with my weight on my back foot and then I smoothly transfer my weight to my front just before making contact with the ball. If I were to use this technique near the net, I would have trouble getting the ball to clear the net, because it seems to rise much too slowly. The technique my PTR instructor taught me solved the problem. However, I had to make one adjustment; I decided to use topspin rather than a slice stroke for my approach shot. The instructor taught me to put my weight on my back foot (my dominant foot, because it is on the same side as my dominant hand); but instead of smoothly transferring my weight to my front foot, he taught me to jump off of my back foot, kick out with my front foot, and strike the tennis ball while I am airborne. The glide-hop motion would be akin to a lazy man's track hurdling technique.
Over the years, I have successfully hit balls that have dropped as close as 3 to 5 feet from the net. When you use this approach shot, it gives you supreme confidence in your ability to win points. You will be able to hit blistering approach shots that give your opponent little time to recover. Always hit your approach shots down the line so that you can effectively bisect the angle of your opponent's passing shots.
To practice this approach shot technique, you need to stand in your normal forehand position and raise your non-dominant foot (the foot on the same side as your non-dominant hand) about 12 inches in the air. Find a spot on the court approximately five feet in front of where you are standing. This will be your landing spot. Jump from your present location to the landing spot. Your non-dominant foot should land squarely on the spot with your body weight still moving forward. If you jump and land basically in the same spot, then the shot would have been done incorrectly and you will over hit the ball causing it to land out-of-bounds. The actual contact with the ball has to be made while you are airborne and moving toward the net. The more distance you cover, like a track long jumper, the more successful the shot will be.
My approach shot has given me a license to kill. A license to kill tennis balls that is. After sitting in an office all day, I don't want to be nice to tennis balls, not even the ones landing near the net. If you follow this technique your approach shot will become beyond reproach. Most of your opponents will think twice about dropping the ball short when playing you. This precaution will not just be for their own sake, but also for the sake of the poor little tennis ball.
Article Source:
http://EzineArticles.com/7803762
Disclaimer:
This is from my experience and I am not trying to take credit for any new tennis paradigm
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