Win More Points With Your Feet

If you try to pinpoint the recurring and primary reason players lose points, you will be amazed to see how many errors are the result of poor positioning -- not stroke mechanics.

You will rarely see a player in perfect position to hit a ball mis-hit a groundstroke.

Players are either too close too balls and get jammed; they are not properly positioned to the side of the ball and have to swing at a ball directly in front of them; they hit balls with their weight back, losing depth and pace; or are too far away from balls and end up slapping at shots and losing control.

Strokes Come Last
The striking skill is the third skill a tennis player needs. You must first learn to quickly judge the direction, depth, spin and speed of incoming balls. Once you have determined where the ball will land, how soon and with what type of spin, you then must properly position herself to properly make the shot.

Only after you has correctly executed these first two skills can you make a proper swing. Yet how often do you practice ball reception and positioning skills?

Following are several tips to help you better get into position to hit optimal groundstrokes and reduce errors.

Turn Before You Run
The human brain can hold only one though at a time. If you have ever read a book while listening to a favorite CD, you have probably had to go back and re-read a page or two after you found yourself listening to a favorite song and not paying attention to what you were reading. Or you may have had to re-wind a tape because you became so engrossed in a particular chapter you missed your favorite song.

If you run to a ball and have not properly turned your shoulders, you now have to give your brain two commands when you arrive at the ball: 1) get the racquet back; and 2) stop.

You can't do both. If you make the decision to get your racquet back, you will continue to run and will get too close to the ball. If you focus on getting to the ball and stopping, you will end up not getting the racquet back in time and will swing late.

Learn to make your first move from the core of your body when you have to run for a ball. The initial move should not be with the leg or foot with the body following, it should be a quick shoulder/torso turn, with the legs following.

A quick pivot which naturally gets the body moving in the direction of the ball is the first move of world-class players and allows for a smooth take back of the racquet so that when you arrive at contact point, all you have to do is stop to get into position.

You can now make the proper stroke.

Hit at the Peak of the Bounce
Another critical aspect of positioning is contact point. Where should you make contact with the ball?

You can either hit the ball as its rising, right when it stops rising, or when it begins to descend after it bounces.

You will notice many players on your team back up from each incoming ball, waiting until the ball has bounced, reached its apex (it's highest points after the bounce), then almost touches the court a second time before they hit it. Notice how far behind the baseline these players are, or the fact that they are actually able to play short balls from or near the baseline because they refuse to move forward and wait for the ball's descent so long, the ball reaches deep into the court before its second bounce.

From a simple physics standpoint, hitting a ball at the apex is the highest percentage shot because you have to put less elevation on the ball to get it over the net.

Learning to hit the ball at the peak of the bounce not only decreases your margin of error when hitting groundstrokes, but now also gives you a positioning reference point.

Players who drill with cooperative, baseline or “consistency” drills during the week tend to stay on the baseline during matches. Players who train to attack every ball at its apex position themselves much better when hitting groundstrokes because their point of reference to hit their groundstrokes is no longer the baseline, but the ball itself.

Practicing using baseline rallies creates goalies who position themselves on the baseline in order to make sure balls do not get past them.

Especially watch players with semi-Western or Western forehands and players with two-handed backhands during matches. They will prefer to hit high-bouncing balls at shoulder level or higher when they go for big shots. They will also be on top of or inside of the baseline.

Are you practicing this way during the rest of the week?

“High” Backhands
Ask most recreational players with a one-handed backhanded which is the toughest shot in tennis, and they'll almost unanimously tell you, the “high” backhand, or one which they must hit at or above their shoulders.

There is no such thing as a “high” backhand. If a player with a one-handed backhand lets a ball play them and rise to the height of their shoulders or above, they are creating a difficult shot for themselves, and quite often return a weak shot with their weight going backwards.

Try this drill with if you have a one-handed backhand.

Position yourself on the baseline while your coach or a teammate feeds balls from the net which will land deep, to your backhand, and with a high bounce. Notice how difficult it is for you to hit balls which bounce at or above shoulder level.

Now, ask yourself where you would optimally like to make contact. Begin the drill again, but see that by properly positioning yourself to get off the baseline or take the ball on the rise, if necessary, you can hit every ball at your desired contact point. You will be amazed at how simple it is to make contact at your desired bounce height with every backhand, simply by using the ball bounce as your reference point, rather than the baseline.

No matter what type of strokes you use, find out what your optimal contact point is for each stroke, then learn the importance of hitting groundstrokes at that contact point as often as possible during drills. You will immediately see yourself shifting your weight forward when hitting strokes during drills. You will also begin to see yourself moving to the side of balls to properly hit them, rather than standing in front of balls because you are defending their position at the baseline.

Summary
If you are not drilling in ways which allow you to practice the same body balance you will be using in your matches, you will not suddenly be able to override hours, days, weeks and months of improper training during matches.

#1 Use ball-racquet contact point as your positioning reference point, not the baseline.

#2 Learn to hit the ball at the top of the bounce.

#3 Learn to make your initial move from the core of your body.

#4 “High” backhands are more a result of positioning, and not the incoming shot; learn to hit on the rise.