Help to handle the high topspin shots

[crystal_clear]

When the incoming ball hit deep with topspin, I try to step back and create some space then kind of lob back. I feel the ball lack of power.

How do you handle the high topspin shots? Any tips or drills you could recommend? Thanks in advance.

 

[GetBetterer]

Usually LeeD says this, but practice practice practice.

You need to get used to Topspin Shots, and be able to hit them back. I minutely struggled from this too. Although the topspin usually caused the ball to bounce back up really high, I just waited for the right place to hit it by practice. Kind of like the smash, when and where you hit it comes with experience.

Have someone do nothing but feed high topspin balls to you, and practice against them.

 

[ProgressoR]

if it is bouncing high with spin, i either take a few steps back and spin it back (remember you are further from the net now so make sure you get the appropriate net clearance and depth, its ok even if its a high spinny shot back, give your opponent the same problem)

OR take it on the rise and kind of hit down on it, if you are comfortable with this, you can get opponent on the back foot, or you can play it quite softly and just get the ball back without giving too much advantage away.

At my level, the former works quite well, opponents do not handle high, loopy, spinning balls that well.

 

[LeeD]

Unless it bounces well OVER your head, just stay forward and balanced, hit the ball as normal, but turn over your finish for a extreme WW type finish. Pronate on forehands, supinate on backhands. That turnover on the followthru allows you to close the racketface on impact, and it works better on high balls that you'd normally hit long.
If it's going to bounce OVER your head, then move forwards and volley it strongly forward. The backspin will keep the ball from going too long, and you can practice your volleys against your opponent's looper shots. Just remember to stay in good posturer, try to turn the shoulders, and volley to an open court. A low slice works every bit as well as a heavy topspin shot, so either does the job just fine at our levels.

 

[charliefedererer]

One of the mistakes I see players make all the time on high shots is that they don't bend their knees just as much as for a waist high shot.

To generate power, you have to use a leg drive and coil/uncoil the core muscles.

When standing too tall and straight, not only do you lose the leg drive, but to get a full body coil you need to bend your knees to maintain your balance.

So get low - by bending those knees and taking a full shoulder turn - to power even your high shot drives.

 

[BMC9670]

If the shots are deep and high with a lot of spin, you may have room/time to move forward and take a half-volley. I once played a match where an opponent killed me in the first set hitting deep, high topspin. I felt I was either backing up or short hopping everything and was always on defense. In the second set, I decided to move forward on everything and was much more successful taking some out of the air. At least I could be offensive and not always let him dictate the point.

 

[Nellie]

Don't be intimidated - think about attacking the ball! Things I find to be helpful for attacking the high ball:

1) Do not hit while moving backwards (your momentum is going to take away all of your power because your body weight is moving away from the ball). Instead, move backwards to a desired position, get set, and try to move forward during the stroke (Sometimes you cannot). Even if you feel out of position when the ball arrives, you need to hit a high/low ball from a solid base (by getting set). If you have to hit on the run backwards, than you should hit a defensive lob to restart the point.

2) Vary your stroke for high balls - Take back the racquet high, swing level, and and finish high. Too many people swing from way low to high on high balls, opening the face of the racquet, causing weak, lob-like shot. Essentially, it is not right to swing like your are hitting a ball at normal height and instead, continue to swing, past the normal contact point to reach the high ball. A great thing about high balls is that you can hit the shot mostly flat/even slightly downwards (close the racquet face) to clear the net/hit into the court.

 

[xFullCourtTenniSx]

When the incoming ball hit deep with topspin, I try to step back and create some space then kind of lob back. I feel the ball lack of power.

How do you handle the high topspin shots? Any tips or drills you could recommend? Thanks in advance.

Active feet, position yourself so that when you make contact with the ball that the contact height will be around chest to shoulder height, balance yourself, and hit straight through the ball with a slightly closed or totally flat face and get some of your weight through it. You don't need to hit it that hard. If you took it on the rise, that in addition to hitting straight through the ball should give you plenty of pace and depth. I only use maybe 50% of my full swing potential without any knee bend when doing it and I still get plenty of pop and depth (though I use a very powerful racket and focus completely on contact with the ball, getting my weight through the shot, and staying balanced).

Do that for practice. Then when you get the feel for it, you can start taking serious rips on them. Bend your knees, get in position more quickly, and rip the **** through the ball using plenty of spin. Or you can let the ball get a little higher (shoulder to head high) and drive straight through the ball with a slightly closed face. To do that though, you need to start with a high backswing (at least over the shoulder) and early preparation to drive straight through the ball early before it bounces too high.

 

[crystal_clear]

Usually LeeD says this, but practice practice practice.

You need to get used to Topspin Shots, and be able to hit them back. I minutely struggled from this too. Although the topspin usually caused the ball to bounce back up really high, I just waited for the right place to hit it by practice. Kind of like the smash, when and where you hit it comes with experience.

Have someone do nothing but feed high topspin balls to you, and practice against them.

I struggled in the practice session...

if it is bouncing high with spin, i either take a few steps back and spin it back (remember you are further from the net now so make sure you get the appropriate net clearance and depth, its ok even if its a high spinny shot back, give your opponent the same problem)

OR take it on the rise and kind of hit down on it, if you are comfortable with this, you can get opponent on the back foot, or you can play it quite softly and just get the ball back without giving too much advantage away.

At my level, the former works quite well, opponents do not handle high, loopy, spinning balls that well.

I did the same thing as you, hit back high, loopy topspin balls. Good reminder to hit deep as I stayed far from the net.

Unless it bounces well OVER your head, just stay forward and balanced, hit the ball as normal, but turn over your finish for a extreme WW type finish. Pronate on forehands, supinate on backhands. That turnover on the followthru allows you to close the racketface on impact, and it works better on high balls that you'd normally hit long.
If it's going to bounce OVER your head, then move forwards and volley it strongly forward. The backspin will keep the ball from going too long, and you can practice your volleys against your opponent's looper shots. Just remember to stay in good posturer, try to turn the shoulders, and volley to an open court. A low slice works every bit as well as a heavy topspin shot, so either does the job just fine at our levels.

I wish I can handle the high balls well like you.

One of the mistakes I see players make all the time on high shots is that they don't bend their knees just as much as for a waist high shot.

To generate power, you have to use a leg drive and coil/uncoil the core muscles.

When standing too tall and straight, not only do you lose the leg drive, but to get a full body coil you need to bend your knees to maintain your balance.

So get low - by bending those knees and taking a full shoulder turn - to power even your high shot drives.

Yes, you are right. I didn't bend knees when hitting high balls and hit with no power. Bend knees, full shoulder turn, use a leg drive and coil/uncoil the core muscles -- good suggestions. Hope I can really do it on court.

If the shots are deep and high with a lot of spin, you may have room/time to move forward and take a half-volley. I once played a match where an opponent killed me in the first set hitting deep, high topspin. I felt I was either backing up or short hopping everything and was always on defense. In the second set, I decided to move forward on everything and was much more successful taking some out of the air. At least I could be offensive and not always let him dictate the point.

Don't be intimidated - think about attacking the ball!

BMC and Nellie suggest the same thing -- Be aggressive

Things I find to be helpful for attacking the high ball:

1) Do not hit while moving backwards (your momentum is going to take away all of your power because your body weight is moving away from the ball). Instead, move backwards to a desired position, get set, and try to move forward during the stroke (Sometimes you cannot). Even if you feel out of position when the ball arrives, you need to hit a high/low ball from a solid base (by getting set). If you have to hit on the run backwards, than you should hit a defensive lob to restart the point.

2) Vary your stroke for high balls - Take back the racquet high, swing level, and and finish high. Too many people swing from way low to high on high balls, opening the face of the racquet, causing weak, lob-like shot. Essentially, it is not right to swing like your are hitting a ball at normal height and instead, continue to swing, past the normal contact point to reach the high ball. A great thing about high balls is that you can hit the shot mostly flat/even slightly downwards (close the racquet face) to clear the net/hit into the court.

1) Yes, don't hit while moving backwards. Need to stop and split-step then hit balls.
2) Yeah, I am not used to hit the high contact stroke. I watched a Major Men's 1 (above A level )match the other day. They kind of smash swing stroke (high to low swing path) to hit the high ball.

Active feet, position yourself so that when you make contact with the ball that the contact height will be around chest to shoulder height, balance yourself, and hit straight through the ball with a slightly closed or totally flat face and get some of your weight through it. You don't need to hit it that hard. If you took it on the rise, that in addition to hitting straight through the ball should give you plenty of pace and depth. I only use maybe 50% of my full swing potential without any knee bend when doing it and I still get plenty of pop and depth (though I use a very powerful racket and focus completely on contact with the ball, getting my weight through the shot, and staying balanced).

Do that for practice. Then when you get the feel for it, you can start taking serious rips on them. Bend your knees, get in position more quickly, and rip the **** through the ball using plenty of spin. Or you can let the ball get a little higher (shoulder to head high) and drive straight through the ball with a slightly closed face. To do that though, you need to start with a high backswing (at least over the shoulder) and early preparation to drive straight through the ball early before it bounces too high.

That's exactly I need to do to hit the high ball. I will practice this after my BH volley.

 

[LeeD]

High balls.
Step in, take it shoulder high, flatten your swingpath, roll over on the finish. Need to be very sideways (closed stance), and shorter than normal swing to achieve a solid hit.
This works on 2hhb also, besides SW forehands.
For 1hbh, easier to hard slice.

 

[10nistennis]

Here you go.

Watch this video, and it will greatly help.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=S5zweEQSnho


Thanks to Will Hamilton and FYB for this great video.

 

[WildVolley]

I find I more often end up with the Nadal finish (reverse or lasso) when handling an unexpected high ball because of heavy topspin.

I don't know if this is a preferred technique?