Is 'Chip and Charge' still valid today?

[yellowoctopus]

Chip and Charge Tactic: Is it still valid in Today's game?

...particularly for recreational level players. I'm asking because personally I have had less success at utilizing this tactic now than when I was playing during school. This noticeable decline in success is more prominent in my single matches than doubles.

Or perhaps it's just me

 

[SStrikerR]

As a college player, I use it as a rare surprise tactic. However, only when I know that there's a good chance that my volleys will be fairly easy. Against many opponents, that's not the case. But hey, some guys struggle with slices. Typically I use it on the deuce court, and chip it either dtl to their (if they are a righty) backhand, or deep down the middle if their footwork sucks. I wouldn't go cross court though, that would get me burned by mostly anybody.

I think an easier way to approach off of returns is to step in and take the ball early, and drive it to one of the same places mentioned earlier. Off of first serves, you just need to use your opponent's pace. The easier way to do this, though, is if they have a weak second serve. Returning from the middle of no mans land might be against your instincts, but against weak second serves, it's pretty easy. Murray is very good at this play, which is where I got it from. If the return is good, you can either follow it in for a volley, or stand back and wait for the weak reply and attack the short ball.

Even if you aren't a great returner, any of these strategies can be effective. If you do these from time to time, your opponent won't know what you're going to do. The more doubts you put in their head, the better your chances are. ESPECIALLY if you can pull of some solid returns a few times. Can you imagine being 5-6 down in a tiebreak, 2nd serve, and knowing that your opponent has the ability to hit a winner off the return? That's pressure. It might not work all the time, or when you want it to most, but you will make a lot of players nervous/tense by doing this. And one day you'll get them to double fault a key point away.

 

[srimes]

Watch that exobition set of edberg v tsonga and youll have your answer

 

[TennisCJC]

In rec tennis assuming 2 opponents of roughly equal skills, chip and charge is somewhat viable in singles and very viable in doubles.

Say you have 2 4.0 level players and 1 likes to attack and 1 likes to defend but they are equally balanced in skills. I certainly thing chip and charge in singles should be used at least occasionally by the attacking player. If you have a good 1/2 volley, volley and overhead to back it up, it can get you easy points if used as a surprise tactic at critical times.

If is even more viable in doubles. I have use chip and charge in doubles many, many times with success and if you hit a chip/slice with a bit of bite that stays low, you have given your team a distinct advantage. It is a great play against most 2nd serves in doubles.

 

[SStrikerR]

Do you ever actually get nervous about that? i'm more nervous if im aware that the guy is going to force me to play 4/5 shots, who cares if they might hit a clean winner, not much i can do about that

To the OP its definitely more effective in doubles but it can be done in singles. it become easier against slower serves if you return well on slower surfaces tbh

No, I'm not. Because at a younger age, people didn't or couldn't really attack second serves. As I've gotten older and my competition has improved, I have improved my second serve to the point where nobody I play consistently attacks it. Maybe once a match I hit a poor one and my opponent takes a crack at it, but that's about it. I don't care if somebody can hit a shot like that one or even two times. If they can hit it consistently though, that's when you need to look for solutions. In reference to the situation I originally posted...If somebody has successfully attacked your second serve in a set let's say 7 out of 9 times, and that situation DOESN'T bother you, then ignorance is bliss I suppose. Because it should. If someone can consistently successfully employ a winning strategy against you and it doesn't concern you, then you're either unaware that it's happening, or you're stubborn and think that you can win regardless.

Watch that exobition set of edberg v tsonga and youll have your answer

keyword exhibition. Don't make the mistake of thinking that exhibition tennis is like actual tennis.

 

[loosegroove]

At the rec level chip'n'charge is still totally viable. But less and less players are doing it. It's just not an option at the higher levels of play.

 

[KineticChain]

when ever i hear "chip and charge".. it conjures up the mental image of Federer passing shots rocketing to the left and right of Roddick as he approaches the net.. and then the face of remorse as Roddick dejectedly walks back to the base line... only to do it again the next point.

 

[LeeD]

It can work if you place a heavy backspin skidding approach within 2' of the baseline.
It won't work if you approach shorter than that, especially with moderate spin.
The approach spin needs to vary, adding or subtracting sidespin to the underspin shot.
Always the depth, until you find the opponent dialing into depth, then you go short angles, low and firm.
It won't work if you go CC every time on your approach. It won't work if you don't vary your placement's and don't go behind the baseliner on occasions.
But overall, depth is key.

 

[Supertegwyn]

I like standing up on the deuce court and hitting a heavy slice backhand down the line on a weak second serve and then running in.

It doesn't always work but it can panic them a bit.

 

[tlm]

Chip and Charge Tactic: Is it still valid in Today's game?

...particularly for recreational level players. I'm asking because personally I have had less success at utilizing this tactic now than when I was playing during school. This noticeable decline in success is more prominent in my single matches than doubles.

Or perhaps it's just me

For the pro game no that will not work anymore. But in rec tennis it is very effective if you can make decent approach shots and volley.

 

[kanulondon]

To the OP's question...



YES

I've normally do this a couple of times during a set and even the motion of me charging the net upsets the opposing player. It also distract me when the reverse is true

 

[TennisCJC]

when ever i hear "chip and charge".. it conjures up the mental image of Federer passing shots rocketing to the left and right of Roddick as he approaches the net.. and then the face of remorse as Roddick dejectedly walks back to the base line... only to do it again the next point.

Yes, and all the local 3.5 to 4.5 guys hit passing shots like Federer.

If you hit a decent chip approach with a bit of byte than the attacking player has the odds in their favor. If this approach also causing the passing player to hit on the run, then you have big odds in favor of the attacking player.

If you hit a soft floating chip that is very deep, you still have about even odds.

If you hit a soft floating chip that is a little short, the passing player has the advantage at 4.0 and 4.5 and odds are about even at 3.5.

Net pressure behind a decent approach still gives the odds advantage to the attacking player if the approach is good.

 

[widmerpool]

It's fine at 4.5 and below.

Unfortunately, the strings and slow courts made pro tennis one dimensional and chip and charge is a casualty of this monotone style.

 

[LeeD]

Most modern baseliner's don't know HOW to chip and charge. Instead, they slice approach and wander in.
The approach shot needs to be hit FIRM, needs to be hit DEEP, needs to have good placement to either force the baseliner to run far or to cover behind himself.
Short CC approach shots, mid NML, like Roddick hits, can be put away by most 4.5 level players. Even some ATP pros can beat Roddick's approach shots.

 

[LuckyR]

when ever i hear "chip and charge".. it conjures up the mental image of Federer passing shots rocketing to the left and right of Roddick as he approaches the net.. and then the face of remorse as Roddick dejectedly walks back to the base line... only to do it again the next point.

Your image is valid for the purposes of this thread... if you are playing Roger

 

[SouthboundAgain]

I think it's still valid at the lower levels (recreational). As you face better players, they'll hit better passing shots and it'll probably not work as well.

However, at any level, it is something that makes the server think twice and maybe try to force things a bit (just like taking one/a few steps inside the baseline on the return). At lower levels, I'm sure it induces a few double faults against certain opponents.

The nice thing about chip/charge is you see it so rarely these days that it tends to make the opponent uncomfortable. This season (USTA 4.5), I faced one guy who chipped and charged on about 50% of his returns, and he made me very nervous. He also had very solid volleys and a strong low chip. I wouldn't try that tactic with shaky volleying or a poor slice.

 

[LeeD]

Love our image of Roddick playing approach and S/V.
Go CC, go mid NML, hit it moderate speed and spin, then wonder why he get's passed.

 

[Sox Fan]

I am a solid to strong 3.5. Return of serve is the weakest part of my game.

Last week I was playing and my return was really bad so I moved inside the baseline and did the chip/charge thing on every serve. It was really effective and I am going to give this a shot tomorrow night at my USTA match.

Old school!

 

[RogueFLIP]

I love this, and I do this quite a bit for both singles and doubles.

At my level, I don't see it from my opponents so I think it's a little bit of a surprise when I do it to them.

But like someone else posted, getting it back deep is key. I'm pretty good at that, along with some sidespin when I chip.

Bc it looks like it's going to go long, most folks at my 3.5 level don't have the proper footwork to adjust when it does land in, and usually hit a weak reply.

and that lies the problem for me.....decent chip....it's the charge and volley that I need work on, hahaha. Work in progress.

But totally valid strategy IMO.

 

[SmilinBob]

I'm a serve-and-volleyer but play a somewhat conservative return game, however there's a few things I've found in tournament play where chip-and-charge can be extremely effective.

1. Establish that you can play at the net before you chip-and-charge. Make sure your opponent knows when you are up there, they have to play a good shot. It puts the pressure on them, not you. If you muff every volley you hit, the minute they see you coming in they'll just hit lasers back at you and force you to make the shot instead of them.

2. Do it in a pressure situation for the server where you can give up a point. 0-40, 15-40 are good opportunities where if you give up a point, you still have an opportunity to break.

3. Take the return well inside the baseline and move forward through the shot. The point is to get to the net, so don't waste any time doing it.

4. Keep it deep, low, and preferably to your opponent's weaker side. Depth and placement is more important than pace as a slow ball at least gets you one more step. But that's no excuse to leave a meatball that you'll watch go by you.

5. Don't push the issue. If they swing a second serve way out wide and you chip-and-charge down the line, the entire court is open for a cross-court pass. Be smart about it.

6. Don't try to win the point with the first volley if you aren't on top of the net. Just like serve-and-volley, you still need to set up the point. If the opponent's shot comes back low and you aren't much inside the service line, get your first volley deep and well-positioned and continue to close. Put it away with the next one.

 

[Maximagq]

Chip and charge can work at lower levels in my opinion but definitely not at the top professional levels. It can be good up to 5.5-6.0 though since McEnroe still has success against a lot of top college guys.

 

[goran_ace]

Chip and charge absolutely has a place in today's game even at the higher levels. I'm surprised that there has been only a few mentions of doubles in this thread. You can't try to crush every return and expect to win. UEs will destroy you. Better players get more returns in play. At the higher levels you will have a tougher time returning and sometimes the best return option you have is to chip it back and keep it low against an opponent who is coming in on his serve. A ball that dies on his shoelaces is a harder first volley for him to make than a driven return right in his wheelhouse. It may not be your bread and butter return but it's definitely something you should have in your arsenal.

 

[fuzz nation]

when ever i hear "chip and charge".. it conjures up the mental image of Federer passing shots rocketing to the left and right of Roddick as he approaches the net.. and then the face of remorse as Roddick dejectedly walks back to the base line... only to do it again the next point.

The Andy Roddick learning curve is actually a really good example for this discussion.

Early on, this image of Andy above would happen when would simply throw a slice at the other end of the court and move in. He seemed to have no idea how to transition forward from a good position, hit an effective slice, and control the action with his approach shots. He apparently thought that simply running to the net was enough to force an opponent to spray the ball and donate more points. Definitely a losing proposition against someone like Federer.

Only after he got some work done with coach Larry Stafanki did Andy learn how to chip and charge. This was one of the elements that helped Roddick get to the '09 finals at Wimbledon and push Federer to a 16-14 fifth set. To this day I firmly believe that although Roger won that match, Andy didn't "lose" it. In my mind, that final marked the end of Roddick's evolution from a being a rather one dimensional player into a rather competent all-court threat.

In the neighborhood of '08 and '09, Roddick learned to hit a more biting slice that flew lower and deeper than similar approach shots he would try earlier in his career. I grew up playing a lot on grass courts and Andy's weak transitions skills were easy for me to recognize when he was younger. Smart players like Federer could also suck him forward from a bad position with a slice placed in no-man's land. When Roddick took that bait, he would be attacking the net from too deep in his own end. In that '09 final though, Andy was much smarter about only going forward when he had a ball he could attack on his own terms.

The chip and charge attack in the amateur ranks is definitely a strong option in the doubles world, but it also helps any singles player to work with a more complete skill set. A doubles team can often take over the net by cutting the ball down into an opponent's feet, but singles can demand more precision. The trouble there is that the difference between a stronger and a weaker attempt at chip and charging is rather subtle.

A very effective slice may land only a foot and a half deeper in an opponent's end than a bad one. Not so many players have especially good slices and it's not rare to see too many of these shots hit too high and weak - the ball lands short and sits up. That's when would be chip and chargers get their hopes and dreams scorched by happy baseliners.

Learn to produce a "biting" slice that can be placed deep and that skids low. That will neutralize many opponents and let you take over the net in a much stronger position than just chucking a mediocre slice and following it forward in a kamikaze rush. If Roddick had learned this as a kid (along with what he already developed along the way), he may have enjoyed a few more wins through his career.

 

[yellowoctopus]

Mr. John Evert still recommends it...for doubles.

http://issues.tennistuesday.net/6-3-2014/p/6

 

[J_R_B]

I chip and charge in doubles a lot at the 4.0 level.