SB: The Drop Shot - What, Why, Where, When, Who

by Scott Baker
Tennis4You.com

I love the drop shot. What is a better way to demoralize your opponent with just one simple shot? What is a better way to force them to the net if they are not comfortable at the net, or to simply play with their mind as you force them to cover every inch of the court? However, is that why you use the drop shot or do you use the drop shot for less desirable reasons?

A lot of times the pros (and many of us) will use the drop shot as a move of desperation. Maybe we are being out rallied from the baseline and have lost some confidence, or maybe we get tired and want the point to be over quickly. Either way, I do not recommend that you use the drop shot as a desperate resource. Rather, use the drop shot as a smart and offensive shot in which you know will result in turning the point into your point to win. In most cases, using the drop shot as a desperate resource will cause you to hit a poor drop shot from a lousy position and you will most likely not win the point.

You always want to be in a favorable position to hit a drop shot. You never want to attempt to hit a drop shot when you are well behind the baseline. This means the ball has a longer distance to travel before it crosses the net, allowing your opponent more time to react and get to the ball. The best position to hit a drop shot is inside the baseline.

One of the biggest weapons you can have when you are going to hit a drop shot is the element of surprise. Anytime you telegraph (let your opponent see what you are going to hit) the drop shot you could be in deep trouble. If your opponent sees that you are going to hit a drop shot they might run sooner than you expect. If they get there in time while the ball is still high enough they might have a good shot to hit a winner or to take control of the point. To keep from telegraphing your shot, you need to bring the racquet back like you would normally to make it look like you are going to hit a ground stroke. I see a lot of players bring the racquet back and then stand straight up before the swing. By doing this you let your opponent know too early what your plans are. The longer you can make your shot look like a regular ground stroke the more off-guard you will catch your opponent. The slice ground stroke lends itself beautifully to the drop shot. There is almost no difference in the stroke until you hit the ball. If you are a big topspin slugger, hitting the drop shot in disguise will be a little tougher and will be telegraphed sooner.

The drop shot seems like such a simple shot, but can be very tricky to hit and hit at the right time in the point. Let’s take a look at the where, when, why, what & who’s of the drop shot.

What is a good drop shot?

1. A good drop shot is hit with slice/backspin.
2. A good drop shot bounces 6 times before it reaches the service line. A great drop shot never makes it to the service line.
3. A good drop shot is one in which the ball is on it’s way down when it crosses the net.
4. A good drop shot is one your opponent does not expect.

Why do you hit a drop shot?

1. To make your opponent run.
2. To take control of the point.
3. To bring your opponent to the net.
4. To win the point.

Where is a good place to hit the drop shot?

1. In the service box furthest away from your opponent. Always hit to one side or the other, never down the middle. Hitting to one side will give your opponent a longer distance to run and opens the court up for you.
2. Hit the drop shot behind your opponent so he/she will have to stop and change directions before they start to run to the ball.

When is a good time to hit the drop shot?

1. When your opponent stands well behind the baseline to return your shots.
2. When you drag your opponent well off of the court deep to one side or the other.
3. When you are standing on or inside of the baseline. Avoid hitting drop shots when you are standing behind the baseline. This gives your opponent more time to react and makes it a much tougher shot to execute!
4. When your opponent is not expecting it.
5. When you are hitting into the wind.
6. When the balls are getting old.

Who do I hit the drop shot against?

1. Players who do not run fast
2. Players who do not like the net
3. Players who stands too far back in the court
4. Clay court players

Good Luck on the Court!
Scott Baker
Tennis4you.com

Scott Baker
Tennis4you.com
Tennis Forum
E-Mail - tennis4you@hotmail.com
Copyright 2007, Scott Baker -- all rights reserved worldwide

Technorati Tags: tennis tennis instruction

SB: In Tennis Placement Comes First

Oh, where was this excellent advice when I was an up-and-coming teenage player? (Sigh ;-) -- KK

by Scott Baker
Tennis4You.com

I have said it many times, "Who doesn't like to hit the ball hard"? However, what fun is it to hit the ball hard only to consistently miss the court by a considerable margin? Well, I can answer that question for you, it is no fun at all!

When I first started playing tennis, I liked to hit the ball hard, landing maybe only half of my shots in the court. Then I got hooked up with a large group/league of players who were considerably more experienced.

They were very consistent players, and because of my tendency to place importance on power instead of placement, consistency was not my strong point. Why they let me come back the following week, I will never know.

They would just move me around the court with good placement and wait for me to hit the error. After a couple of weeks of losing my matches, I had to step back and look at what I was doing wrong. I was going for too much power off of my shots and not enough control.

So I decided to try their game of placement and control. I slowed my shots down and worked on placement. Within a few weeks I was keeping up; within a few months I was winning. What I had done was concentrate on placement. As I got better and more confident with my placement, I started hitting the ball harder.

It is much easier to develop power after you have developed placement, as opposed to developing placement after you have developed power. In other words, once you develop placement, your power will follow. You will get stronger on the court, your strokes will be more fluid and your confidence will build. Eventually you will start hitting the ball harder and harder. It may be so slight that you do not even notice it, but your opponents will.

I feel that placement and consistency are far more important than power. If you cannot hit the ball into the court where you want, in key situations, your game will suffer. I am much more likely to defeat an opponent who goes for too much on his/her shots and hits a lot of unforced errors than a player who moves me around on the court wisely and waits for me to hit the error.
Hitting without good placement is sloppy tennis and will get you in trouble against the better players.

If you are a power player who likes to hit the ball hard and does not care where the ball lands, take heed! Slow down, learn proper placement and technique, and let your power follow. Eventually you will get to the point where you can hit the ball as hard as you like and you will be able to aim the ball as well as keep it in the court with much better success. By being able to combine these techniques, you will dictate more points and be in control of more matches, making you a much better tennis player.

Let's take a look at some of the key advantages of being able to place your shots.
1. Better shot selection
2. Easier to wear your opponent down
3. Higher percentage of passing shots
4. Pulling your opponent off of the court
5. More dictation of points
6. Less unforced errors
7. Attacking your opponent's weaker side.
8. More matches won!

Please do not think these tips refer to just your groundstrokes; serves, volleys and overheads also fall into this category. Serves may be a little different in theory. I know a lot of players who just hit it hard and do not aim the ball and still are successful. However, the players who can aim and hit the serve hard do even better!

In architecture some argue that the form of a building comes before the function, and some argue that function comes before form. That is an argument that will go on until the end of time. However, we are not designing a building, here we are designing tennis players. For this subject matter there is no argument, you must work on your placement first and let your power follow. In the end you will be a much better tennis player for taking the time to learn placement in lieu of power and let the power naturally follow after you have developed good placement of your shots.

Good Luck on the Court!
Scott Baker

Scott BakerTennis4you.com
Tennis4you.comTennis Forum
E-Mail - tennis4you@hotmail.com
Copyright 2006, Scott Baker -- all rights reserved worldwide

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SB: Watch the Ball

No matter how good you are, your fundamentals can go south on you. Here's a tip as good for advanced players as it is for beginners...

by Scott Baker
Tennis4You.com

"Watch the ball". Is that so hard, or is it one of those things that are "easier said than done"? Watching the ball is one of the fundamental parts of the game of tennis, yet it is so easy to get away from.

I have played tennis since 1990. I have coached tennis, I play in leagues, tournaments, and have even been to Nationals with a USTA league, yet I can still fall prey to this bad habit of taking my eyes off of the ball too early.

Recently I had found myself struggling on the tennis court. I was framing a lot of my shots and missing more shots than I should have. I had tried everything to fix my game. I tried hitting with more spin, slowing my shots down, changing grips, taking time off from tennis and just about everything in-between. The one thing I did not try was keeping my eyes on the ball. Besides, what does that have to do with my strokes?

To be honest, watching the ball has a lot to do with anybody's strokes.

When you lift your head too early to see where you are going to hit the ball your racquet head starts to lift as well. That is the main reason that players hit the ball with their frame. Keeping your eyes on the ball and your head down keeps your racquet head where it needs to be.

There are a few ways you can work on teaching yourself to watch the ball. I believe that if you work on these aspects during practice this can become a natural part of your game. The first way is the way I learned to watch the ball when I was a beginner. I call it the "bounce-hit" method. As the ball is coming to you and bounces on your side of the court you say out loud (or in your head) "bounce". As you hit the ball say "hit". This forces you to watch the ball so you can stay focused with the timing of the ball hitting your racquet. Other players have had success by trying to see the seams or the writing on the ball as they go to hit the ball. Both methods force you to focus on the ball as you hit it.

If you are a player who struggles watching the ball, allow me to give you some incentive to start watching the ball. Below are some of the benefits of watching the ball.

• You will hit cleaner shots.
• Your shots will be better directed allowing you to set up points better.
• You shots will be deeper.
• You will be able to hit harder shots.
• You can hit with more spin.
• You will win more points.

I love seeing snap shot images of Roger Federer as he hits the ball. His eyes are always focused on the ball. Check out the picture below. He is still focused on where the ball made contact with his racquet and this is after he had hit the shot, talk about commitment!


For the last several months I have been working on watching the ball and what a difference it has made! I did not realize that I had gotten away from this basic part of my game. My miss-hit percentages have gone down well over 80% and I am playing much better. I am returning more serves, hitting better placed shots and winning a lot more of my matches. I feel like I am much more in control of all of my shots, and in turn the points as well. Watching the ball can have a huge impact on your game. Not watching the ball hit your strings is a lack of commitment and focus. Learn to stay focused and watch the ball to be the best player you can be.

Good Luck on the Court!!!
Scott Baker
Tennis4you.com
Tennis Forum
E-Mail - tennis4you@hotmail.com

Copyright 2006, Scott Baker -- all rights reserved worldwide

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tennis tennis instruction