Pace on Slow Balls?

[shsman2091]

I am usually a very aggressive serve returner. Yesterday however, I was playing against a solid player, but he had a very crappy serve. The first serve if it was in (5 % of the time) would be very fast, and usually I could return it with some good pace. The second serve was so slow however, that my 80 year old grandfather could serve faster than that. And then when I tried to return it more aggressively, the ball would always go out, anywhere from a few inches to 2 feet. It was very frustrating to see that he would hold serve with such a horrible serve. It wasn't even like he had any spin on it either, just a really slow, flat serve. And this doesn't just go for serves, I'm used to playing with players 4.5 and above that hit the ball with pace all the time, so I counterattack and it seems like my shots never go out even though I put so much pace on them. When I play against weaker players, the ball just seems to go out way to often when I try to be the least bit aggressive. I usually win those matches anyways, but not by how much I should be winning them by. Any tips?

 

[Marius_Hancu]

search at:
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several threads out there

 

[Andres]

Don't play the agressive returns you are used to.
Return with dropshots

A lot of fun, though

 

[arnz]

I have the same exact problem. Usually its a ball that bounces lower than the net and you are well inside the baseline moving in. I know the feeling. You want to hit it hard, but dont want to net it, so you try to put some topspin on it, but any slight mistiming and its to the net or long.

I notice that some of the pro players just slice it and direct it to a corner and then come to net to volley or hit an overhead. Not as fun but maybe less frustrating. It just annoys me when I feel like I should whack a ball and cant do it. I sympathize

 

[Rickson]

I am usually a very aggressive serve returner. Yesterday however, I was playing against a solid player, but he had a very crappy serve. The first serve if it was in (5 % of the time) would be very fast, and usually I could return it with some good pace. The second serve was so slow however, that my 80 year old grandfather could serve faster than that. And then when I tried to return it more aggressively, the ball would always go out, anywhere from a few inches to 2 feet. It was very frustrating to see that he would hold serve with such a horrible serve. It wasn't even like he had any spin on it either, just a really slow, flat serve. And this doesn't just go for serves, I'm used to playing with players 4.5 and above that hit the ball with pace all the time, so I counterattack and it seems like my shots never go out even though I put so much pace on them. When I play against weaker players, the ball just seems to go out way to often when I try to be the least bit aggressive. I usually win those matches anyways, but not by how much I should be winning them by. Any tips?

Learn how to dropshot weak serves. If you play on clay, the dropshot is great on weak shots, but if you play on a slow hard court, try something else. Dropshots work well on medium-fast hardcourts too, but bounce way too high on the slow ones. Practice that backspin and go get em, tiger.

 

[Becker]

I find it easiest to perform drop shots on serves or shots with moderate pace. If the serve is coming slow, however, I move in and slam it down the line most of the time.

So you could try moving in instead of taking a large windup and waiting for the ball to come to you. Often on those weak serves if you just wait for them there's a high chance it'll be an error.

Also, the issue is footwork. On big serves they come right to you, you don't have a lot of time to prepare, and if you get your racquet on it they go back pretty fast. On the smaller serves it seems like instead of meeting the ball where you do on the big serves, you wait for the ball to again come to you, and fall a bit more than usual. Of course, when the ball is falling a lot, you have to drive it or lift it up a bit more than usual, and that produces long balls.

Just a thought.

 

[AngeloDS]

Moving in and being more aggressive, I personally switch to a more extreme grip. I use a semi-western grip at the baseline, but when I go in to kill a weak ball I move my grip over a level to add more topspin. And it works well .

 

[Pomeranian]

Learn how to dropshot weak serves. If you play on clay, the dropshot is great on weak shots, but if you play on a slow hard court, try something else. Dropshots work well on medium-fast hardcourts too, but bounce way too high on the slow ones. Practice that backspin and go get em, tiger.

Another thing to add is after you hit the drop shot, move in so in case he actually gets to it, you can put away a volley at his feet or past him. (or even at him )

 

[DXS]

when I play someone like this, I shorten my backswing and hit with my norman pace. It works for me. When I do a full back swing I often hit long on cream puffs.

-ds

 

[shsman2091]

Thanks for the help guys, it all makes sense. I'll definitely work with these suggestions when I play those kind of players. Thanks again as always.

 

[nViATi]

You have to know your own limits. Don't go around thinking you're Roddick and you'll make a lot less errors.

 

[Rickson]

Another thing to add is after you hit the drop shot, move in so in case he actually gets to it, you can put away a volley at his feet or past him. (or even at him )

That depends on how well your opponent knows you. I come to the net so often that when my opponents see a dropshot from me, they automatically go for a lob if they get to the ball. I started staying back with those opponents and I just lob them after they get drawn in, but in most cases, you're correct to move into the net and cut them off. Remember, there's always the exception to the rule.

 

[buder]

the point of power tennis is to make your opponent cough-up a weak ball so you can take control of the point.

It sounds like you think of yourself as a power player. This means that your power is going to cause alot of defensive, paceless short balls, that is, your power is designed to create exactly the type of ball (short/paceless) that you are hitting long.

The problem is not your opponent's weak serve. The problem is your ability to finish. This is a common problem and most non-pros have it more or less.

Finishing from behind the service line requires higher head speeds. Higher head speeds cause more errors below the 5.0 level. So you just need to develope more control.

Many players find it easier to use their opponent's pace rather than create their own. Why? --because it's easier and requires less technical acumen. You are not alone and I predict you will solve this problem. You are also not alone when you bash the pusher. Pushers expose people who can't finish.

Instead of trying to crush the short serve, perhaps you should try a combination. Guide the ball deep to your opponent's weaker wing and move in for the volley finish.

 

[mucat]

When I face a weak 2nd serve, I will stand well inside baseline even before the ball was served. When my opponent served the ball, I will move up to take the ball on the rise, hit it flat DTL deep and move up to volley. When my opponent start to cheat to the DTL ones, I will mix it up with cross-court, and I will mix it up more with moving up to volley or stay at the baseline. But a large % will be DTL return and move up to volley.

Don't have to hit it hard, depth is much more important, you want to use the return to continue your advantage then finish your opponent on the next shot or two.

 

[jsiu]

In these situations, don't think of your return as a chance for an immediate winner (though if you're playing well and feeling confident in your shots, you can go for it). Instead, play the ball as if it were an approach shot. Place (keyword here) your return deep and down the line with either slice or topspin (not flat) and come in to the net. Chances are, you'll be given an easy volley to put away, which you're much less likely to miss. This will also put a lot more pressure on the guy to get his first serve in.

As far as playing with players with more pace, you're actually only generating a little bit of extra pace on the ball. Most of the speed on the ball comes from the other guy's own pace, which you're merely redirecting.

 

[Rickson]

In these situations, don't think of your return as a chance for an immediate winner (though if you're playing well and feeling confident in your shots, you can go for it). Instead, play the ball as if it were an approach shot. Place (keyword here) your return deep and down the line with either slice or topspin (not flat) and come in to the net. Chances are, you'll be given an easy volley to put away, which you're much less likely to miss. This will also put a lot more pressure on the guy to get his first serve in.

Why not flat? I find that flat balls actually make better approach shots than topspin because of the high bounce that topspin gives, which makes passing shots easier. I'd go for a slice approach, but I still can't understand why you say not flat.

 

[Becker]

Because fast balls come back just as fast? Also, you're not giving yourself time to get to net. You're taking time away from your opponent, but also from yourself. And again, if they can get to it, it's going to be coming at you as fast or faster. You want to force weak returns, not returns that could be potentially threatening.

 

[jsiu]

Why not flat? I find that flat balls actually make better approach shots than topspin because of the high bounce that topspin gives, which makes passing shots easier. I'd go for a slice approach, but I still can't understand why you say not flat.

He can most definitely hit flat, but I'm assuming the reason his shots are going long is because he's hitting too flat. A topspin shot has more room for error in terms of depth placement, whereas a flat shot must contact the ball within a narrower head angle range. Also, if the topspin return is placed deep near the baseline, his opponent can't play as aggressively (he'll probably be near the baseline since he just served). As shsman2091 gets more returns in, he can start to flatten out the shot a little more with a bit more pace.

I do agree that a slice would be a more effective approach shot in this situation, but a topspin return is easier to hit and has a larger margin for error. Not only will this put pressure on his opponent's 2nd serve, but will also help him build more confidence in his returns/groundstrokes as the match progresses (thus allowing him to hit those winners).

 

[BillyBee]

I would resist the urge to solve your slow-ball problem by hitting drop shots. That plays into the hands of a pusher and you'll end up slicing and dinking the ball and get taken out of your own game. Why dial down your power? I think you'll play your best tennis if you stay aggressive and put away these balls.

I would rather see you solve the problem itself --- you should be hitting winners off these creampuffs, or at least very strong shots that put your opponent on the run. If your shots are going just long, then it's only going to take an adjustment or two to solve that. There were several good suggestions in this thread for doing that.

I used to have this problem myself, but I was determined to do whatever it took to hit the ball hard and to also keep it in. I altered my swing a bit in those instances and now those shots are going in.

 

[mucat]

Because fast balls come back just as fast? Also, you're not giving yourself time to get to net. You're taking time away from your opponent, but also from yourself. And again, if they can get to it, it's going to be coming at you as fast or faster. You want to force weak returns, not returns that could be potentially threatening.

Since we are tallking about returning slower serve, it is going to be a short ball close to the service line, should have enough time to come to the net if you hit it on the rise. And if the ball is return with enough pace, chances are, the opponent will hit a weak one back.

 

[str33t]

I feel for ya. Happens to me when I play my uncle.