What's the best way to play this shot ...

Davis937

Davis937

Professional
During my doubles matches I was having a difficult time with this particular shot ... actually, it's also a tough shot for me when I play singles ... essentially, it's the short ball that lands in the service box ... it's not a low ball (... in that case I would be defensive and play a slice on BH or a "careful" FH with topspin ... not an offensive shot ... go more for placement) ... also, it's not a "juicy" ball that bounces above net level and just begs for you to put the ball away ... it's that tricky short ball that bounces just at net height level or just a little below the net ... I have an easier time attacking this ball with my 2HBH and am able to put the ball away maybe 50% of the time ... I have more difficulty with this shot on my FH (I play with a SW grip) ... I'm always aggressive with this ball and try to pult it away (again, it should be an aggressive shot ... it's not a low ball significantly below the net) ... however ... I end up blowing this shot about 90% of the time ... either net the ball or it goes long ... I normally hit with pretty good top spin on both sides ... any suggestions/thoughts/comments on how I should handle this ball with my FH stroke ... I'm also perplexed why I seem to handle this shot better with my 2HBH ... thanks in advance for your feedback!
 
you seem to be under the conception that these short balls must be absolutely attacked which is not the case. According to you, your topspins are pretty good. Have you tried being a little more conservative by hitting a deep topspin into a corner to set yourself up for a volley?
 
How is it tricky if it bounces right into your perfect strike zone? It's all in your head.

All you need is a little practice... do a drill where you're fed this kind of ball... hit a hundred or so and you'll get the feel for it.

Also putting it away is not the only solution, like GeorgeLucas said. The most effective (in terms of low risk/high reward) shot in this case is a heavy topspin, whether short at an extreme angle (which push your opponent out of the court) or deep at the body (so he/she has a tough time returning it).
My favorite way to do it is a deep, heavy spin ball to the backhand.
 
The most important thing is to get there ASAP, then just place the ball where you want it for a forcing shot or an easy volley. Corners, sharp angles, drop shots, anything works in this case, you can be creative and mix it up with these.

If you're having trouble getting to them and can't set up, you can always just "guide" it deep to one of the corners and prepare for a volley.
 
Zachol82 said:
Don't listen to him^^ he doesn't like volleys, and I have proof too! Just volley!!
Click to expand...

I thought volleying mean you punch or slice a shot before it bounces on your court. OP describes a shot that already bounces short inside the service line. Do you mean FH-punch or bh slice it back? Never seen how that is played.
 
user92626 said:
I thought volleying mean you punch or slice a shot before it bounces on your court. OP describes a shot that already bounces short inside the service line. Do you mean FH-punch or bh slice it back? Never seen how that is played.
Click to expand...

Oh, I guess OP did say it bounced...sorry, I failed there.
 
Davis937 said:
During my doubles matches I was having a difficult time with this particular shot ... actually, it's also a tough shot for me when I play singles ... essentially, it's the short ball that lands in the service box ... it's not a low ball (... in that case I would be defensive and play a slice on BH or a "careful" FH with topspin ... not an offensive shot ... go more for placement) ... also, it's not a "juicy" ball that bounces above net level and just begs for you to put the ball away ... it's that tricky short ball that bounces just at net height level or just a little below the net ... I have an easier time attacking this ball with my 2HBH and am able to put the ball away maybe 50% of the time ... I have more difficulty with this shot on my FH (I play with a SW grip) ... I'm always aggressive with this ball and try to pult it away (again, it should be an aggressive shot ... it's not a low ball significantly below the net) ... however ... I end up blowing this shot about 90% of the time ... either net the ball or it goes long ... I normally hit with pretty good top spin on both sides ... any suggestions/thoughts/comments on how I should handle this ball with my FH stroke ... I'm also perplexed why I seem to handle this shot better with my 2HBH ... thanks in advance for your feedback!
Click to expand...

sw grip is the most idea grip for fh. the grip is not ithe ssue here. fh approach shot must be hit using a closed stance shot to be effective; better than going for a open stance. hold your horses when you swing the racquet. dont go for the kill shot, apply 70% topspin and focus more on placement. If you can control where you want to drive the ball - you'll win more points than wasting the shots with errors. And yes, another suggestion is using the fh slice. You can attack the ball quicker and place the slice shots in any direction you like - btl,cross court angle or even hitting down to the wheels of the net person.

another point is not to over ran when getting to the ball. try exploding with big first two step and thenquickly shuffling your feet as you balance your footing when you are to make ball contact. over running and stopping to hit the shot -results in over hitting the approach shot.
 
Last edited:
In D Zone said:
sw grip is the most idea grip for fh. the grip is not ithe ssue here. fh approach shot must be hit using a closed stance shot to be effective; better than going for a open stance. hold your horses when you swing the racquet. dont go for the kill shot, apply 70% topspin and focus more on placement. If you can control where you want to drive the ball - you'll win more points than wasting the shots with errors. And yes, another suggestion is using the fh slice. You can attack the ball quicker and place the slice shots in any direction you like - btl,cross court angle or even hitting down to the wheels of the net person.

another point is not to over ran when getting to the ball. try exploding with big first two step and thenquickly shuffling your feet as you balance your footing when you are to make ball contact. over running and stopping to hit the shot -results in over hitting the approach shot.
Click to expand...

Hey TW forum members ... THANKS for the feedback and comments ... some good pointers to consider ... hey, D Zone ... some of your points in particular are helpful ... too often I seem to be in an open stance when I try to hit this shot ... I'll experiment with the closed stance ... also ... yes, I try to make this shot a put away shot ... I think my eyes get a little too large and immediately I think "kill" in this situation ... I will work on playing this shot with a little more control ... and ... more topspin ... finally, yes, one problem for me with this shot is positioning and footwork ... I am not fully balanced when I hit this shot ... and there are instances when I run past the ball ... again ... I need better control and discipline with this shot ... any theories why I do significantly better on this shot with my 2HBH?
 
Davis937 said:
Hey TW forum members ... THANKS for the feedback and comments ... some good pointers to consider ... hey, D Zone ... some of your points in particular are helpful ... too often I seem to be in an open stance when I try to hit this shot ... I'll experiment with the closed stance ... also ... yes, I try to make this shot a put away shot ... I think my eyes get a little too large and immediately I think "kill" in this situation ... I will work on playing this shot with a little more control ... and ... more topspin ... finally, yes, one problem for me with this shot is positioning and footwork ... I am not fully balanced when I hit this shot ... and there are instances when I run past the ball ... again ... I need better control and discipline with this shot ... any theories why I do significantly better on this shot with my 2HBH?
Click to expand...

2 handed backhands are hit relatively flat (or at least 80% of the variations are), so you understand more of how much to put on the ball. If you use heavy spin, you just junk the ball and let it drop on its own.

The problem with your forehand is that you probably don't get the racket below the ball enough and as a result don't generate enough spin.
 
If this ball bounced short in the court and didn't have a lot of pace on it, may I ask why your net partner did not poach it off?

I'll need more background to give you a more strategic answer, but if I were to assume my opponents were at net or approaching, then I'd hit a slow roller up the middle of the court and join my partner at net.
 
It's really a shame how the young people today can't volley. To the point of not even recognizing an opportunity ball and hitting a nice approach shot deep and setting up a gimme volley...especially against other younger players who have no idea how to play net rushers and hit passing shots and sensational lobs. Truly sad...:(
 
I would go with heavy topspin.
But I think you are thinking "Automatic putaway" and you shouldn't. Don't try to hit a spectacular winner. Almost expect your opponent to get to it but be in a good position to put the ball away.

Also if it's close enuf, go right at the closest net man...hard! Try to hit him, not pass him.
 
Davis937 said:
Hey TW forum members ... THANKS for the feedback and comments ... some good pointers to consider ... hey, D Zone ... some of your points in particular are helpful ... too often I seem to be in an open stance when I try to hit this shot ... I'll experiment with the closed stance ... also ... yes, I try to make this shot a put away shot ... I think my eyes get a little too large and immediately I think "kill" in this situation ... I will work on playing this shot with a little more control ... and ... more topspin ... finally, yes, one problem for me with this shot is positioning and footwork ... I am not fully balanced when I hit this shot ... and there are instances when I run past the ball ... again ... I need better control and discipline with this shot ... any theories why I do significantly better on this shot with my 2HBH?
Click to expand...


observed your movement when you play with 2hbh - normally you approach the ball using closed stance. Hence, why you are able to hit the shot with much more efficiency.


here's a good vid:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=u8QiqGY0Btw

learn to apply and used these footwork - you'll notice a big difference with you game and you volley will definitely improve as well.
It may be hard at first - relax and try to work on the footwork first and foremost. maintaining the same or slow down your racquet speed when you swing. As you get more comfortable with the footwork - you'll be able to hit with much authority (it will naturally come).

Three type of footwork options on approach shots"
1. Lifiting Footwork (Used by James Blake)
2. Cross Over Footwork ( aka as Carioca Step or Grapevine step) - Sampras
3. Run Thru footwork
 
Last edited:
Davis937,

You have answered your own question. You said you miss it on the FH 90% of the time. That is because you are over hitting it every time. This is mostly a head problem and not a stroke problem (guessing as I have not seen you play). With good top spin off both wings as you say, you should be happy to get a steady diet of these types of shots. Here are few suggestions.

First, don’t over hit it. This doesn’t have to be a winner, just a forcing shot so you can put yourself into a position to end the point with an even easier shot (probably a volley or overhead) on the next stroke. Second, you have to adjust your stroke slightly as you get closer to the net because if you take the same swing you do when at or near the baseline, you will hit this short ball long almost every time (maybe 90%, hint, hint). Use your topspin and hit a driving shot to the open court or if in doubt, cross-court over the lower part of the net. Then cover there most likely shot return, which depends on how good your shot was and there tendencies. If you hit a solid shot, they most likely will lob or go up the line or if really lucky, try a go for broke prayer shot you will win 90% of the time.

Without seeing your strokes, I can’t be much more specific than that. It will take you bit to figure out the adjustments that need to be made (or take a few lessons), but once it clicks and you figure out the keys for YOUR strokes, you will make rapid progress. The above advice will help you in the mean time.

Best of luck

TM
 
Good posts, especially the last two. This shot has a name, as someone pointed out, its an "approach" shot or put another way "an invitation to come to the net and win the point".

Although you don't have to stop to make this shot it sure does help to slow down, get you feet in place and not overhit. The one thing I see is that many players who are given this shot simply volley it back to the other player instead of trying to work an angle or drop it shot.
 
I thought OP was talking doubles.

Assuming your partner is asleep at the switch and didn't poach this ball, then what you do with it depends on what your opponents are doing.

If they are both at net, drive it at the weaker opponent if above net level or up the middle.

If they are both back, drive it deep up the middle and let them figure out who should take it. Or hit to the weaker one. Or try for an angle or drop shot.

If they are one-up one-back, angle it between them.

There's no need to hit a winner, especially if you know you are prone to missing. Hit a good ball and let your opponents hand you an UE. IMHO.
 
Since the OP can hit winners off of this shot 50% of the time on the BH (assuming that is not a gross exageration) but makes an UE on the FH (with a SW grip, no less) 90% of the time, then this is Mental Game issue, not a stroke issue.

We have all been there at times. A short ball, our eyes get huge, come in for the kill and... hit the tape. He just needs to settle down and hit a ball without the expectation that it is a putaway or dial down the pace (if that is the source of the UE).
 
Tennisman912 said:
Davis937,

You have answered your own question. You said you miss it on the FH 90% of the time. That is because you are over hitting it every time. This is mostly a head problem and not a stroke problem (guessing as I have not seen you play). With good top spin off both wings as you say, you should be happy to get a steady diet of these types of shots. Here are few suggestions.

First, don’t over hit it. This doesn’t have to be a winner, just a forcing shot so you can put yourself into a position to end the point with an even easier shot (probably a volley or overhead) on the next stroke. Second, you have to adjust your stroke slightly as you get closer to the net because if you take the same swing you do when at or near the baseline, you will hit this short ball long almost every time (maybe 90%, hint, hint). Use your topspin and hit a driving shot to the open court or if in doubt, cross-court over the lower part of the net. Then cover there most likely shot return, which depends on how good your shot was and there tendencies. If you hit a solid shot, they most likely will lob or go up the line or if really lucky, try a go for broke prayer shot you will win 90% of the time.

Without seeing your strokes, I can’t be much more specific than that. It will take you bit to figure out the adjustments that need to be made (or take a few lessons), but once it clicks and you figure out the keys for YOUR strokes, you will make rapid progress. The above advice will help you in the mean time.

Best of luck

TM
Click to expand...

Hey, TennisMan ... thanks for the response ... yes, I definitely need to work on NOT over hitting this particular shote ... I routinely try to end the point on that shot (... and I usually do ... I end up LOSING the point) ... you talk about making a slight adjustment ... specifically, what kind of adjustment are you talking about ... a grip change ... more knee bend ... more topspin ... I know my eyes often get too large on this shot ... I tend to get "over" excited ... need to relax and make sure my footwork and positioning is good ...
 
LuckyR said:
Since the OP can hit winners off of this shot 50% of the time on the BH (assuming that is not a gross exageration) but makes an UE on the FH (with a SW grip, no less) 90% of the time, then this is Mental Game issue, not a stroke issue.

We have all been there at times. A short ball, our eyes get huge, come in for the kill and... hit the tape. He just needs to settle down and hit a ball without the expectation that it is a putaway or dial down the pace (if that is the source of the UE).
Click to expand...

Hi LuckyR ... as mentioned in my response to Tennisman ... yes, I need to dial it down a bit on this shot ... I believe I am over hitting on this particular shot (... trying to end the point there) ... placing the ball (... and making sure the ball lands in the court) should be a higher priority for me ... yeah, that ball is just too tempting looking, and it's not that easy of a shot ... care must be taken to pull it off ... thanks!
 
as mentioned before think of this shot as an hurting shot NOT a finishing shot. your goal is not to end the point (if that happens great) but to expect a weaker shot in relpy which will give you a bigger target for the winner.
thinking this way will help you to not over hit since you dont need to "kill" it
 
If you're set up to hit the ball from right around the service line, even if it's a little below the netcord, your opponent has given you infinite weapons to hurt them with. They've basically given you every angle on the court and taken 1/2 their time away to react.

Just collect yourself and determine their positions. Both up? Topspin pass. Both back? Drop shot. One up one back? Topspin or slice between them or sharp angle away from the net player. Mid court? Aim for feet.

In any case, take your time and don't try to over power it. They've taken enough time away from themselves with the placement, you don't need a bunch of pace to make the shot difficult or impossible to return. The worst thing you can do is bail them out by over cooking it or dumping it in the net.
 
Davis937 said:
During my doubles matches I was having a difficult time with this particular shot ... actually, it's also a tough shot for me when I play singles ... essentially, it's the short ball that lands in the service box ... it's not a low ball (... in that case I would be defensive and play a slice on BH or a "careful" FH with topspin ... not an offensive shot ... go more for placement) ... also, it's not a "juicy" ball that bounces above net level and just begs for you to put the ball away ... it's that tricky short ball that bounces just at net height level or just a little below the net ... I have an easier time attacking this ball with my 2HBH and am able to put the ball away maybe 50% of the time ... I have more difficulty with this shot on my FH (I play with a SW grip) ... I'm always aggressive with this ball and try to pult it away (again, it should be an aggressive shot ... it's not a low ball significantly below the net) ... however ... I end up blowing this shot about 90% of the time ... either net the ball or it goes long ... I normally hit with pretty good top spin on both sides ... any suggestions/thoughts/comments on how I should handle this ball with my FH stroke ... I'm also perplexed why I seem to handle this shot better with my 2HBH ... thanks in advance for your feedback!
Click to expand...

Just keep your eye on the ball. It is very tempting to look at the spot you are hitting to when hitting an easy ball or a put away. But it will only make you miss.
 
I like to catch those types of balls as early as possible and slice them hard inbetween the net player and baseline player, this usually results in a winner, if not the next shot usually is a winner. Because Ive already got a continental grip for volleying when playing the net, this shot is easiet to hit because there will be no grip change.
 
Davis937,

That is a good question that cannot be answered entirely without seeing you play as your normal swing path, swing speed (also relative as what I consider high someone else might consider low or vice versa, ad infinum) and other factors will affect this to some degree. But if you want some general suggestions, here we go.

First, step in and hit it as early as you can, before it drops below the level of the net. If above the net you can be much more aggressive without taking tons of risk. Second, to do this, you must have good footwork and see the short ball coming so you can get in proper position to hit it. The better your footwork, the better and more consistent this shot will be.

Third, you want to shorten your back swing some, but DON’T abbreviate your follow through. You want to finish the shot after impact completely. Pros are great at this. No matter what happens during a point, they always finish the stroke from the baseline or when they step into the shot you are asking about. They may change the path or the type of follow through, but they never stop just after impact or “short arm it” on a groundie/short groundie. It is common (mistaken) thinking at rec levels that a normal backswing and then a short follow through is better but it is not. By stopping your shot just after impact, you are not getting the usual amount of topspin as on a full stroke. Result: it goes long, especially if you are prone to over hitting it anyway.

Fourth, you want to hit through the ball with topspin more than brushing up on it. This is tricky and the hardest because the height of the ball affects this. The higher the ball is (i.e. above the level of the net), the more you can hit through it with topspin and the less you want to just brush up the back as you might on a groundie, again depending on your usual shot and swing path. A ball above the net you can hit very hard by hitting through it with a very slightly closed racquet face giving you all the topspin needed. If you don’t commit to this and don’t accelerate through impact, you will hit it in the net doing this so I am hesitant to even mention it. If the racquet fact is slightly open, it is automatically going long.

The lower the height of the ball when you strike it, the more topspin you need and the less you can drive through it. This will take some experimentation for you to figure out how much topspin you need at each level of ball height. But once you figure it out, you will adjust on the fly and be winning these points easier than you may think. Obviously a ball around knee level will need much more top than through unless you have very high racquet head speed (beyond out conversation here).

For the ball you specifically questioned, right at net high or slightly below is going to depend on your swing path a lot. I would recommend 90% through it and maybe 5-10% brush up as a starting point. You don’t need to hit up on this hardly at all to clear the net so don’t exaggerate the brush up and think more through it, or you will frame it or hit too much topspin and it will fall short, putting you a bit more on the defensive.

These guidelines should get you started. After that it is practice and experience that will teach you the amount you need. If you put in the time though, eventually you will make the adjustments without thinking, it will just happen. Hope all this makes sense to you.

Best of luck

TM
 
Last edited:
You must log in or register to reply here.

Similar threads

Davis937
What's the best way to play this shot ...
Replies
14
Views
2K
Djokovicfan4life
Djokovicfan4life
K
How Do I Hit This Shot
Replies
8
Views
1K
joe1987
joe1987
anubis
Shot preparation: distance from the bounce
Replies
32
Views
3K
LeeD
L
Medved
moving forward 2HBH
Replies
10
Views
703
Medved
Medved
Davis937
So, how do you handle these two shots at net ...
Replies
21
Views
2K
Davis937
Davis937
Back
Top