2009 August — Brent Abel's WebTennis

2nd Serve Return of Serve Technique Follow Up

August 25, 2009 By Brent 13 Comments

I want to give you some email feedback and my responses from our recent post http://webtennis.com/archives/232 on the return of serve in doubles, especially the 2nd serve return of serve…

Hi Brent. Thanks for the tip. It is good but I note that you are using an underspin return of serve rather than a topspin backhand.

This underspin back hand return is a weak return and makes you vulnerable for a stronger shot from your opponent.

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Not if I get my return down to the incoming server’s feet.

If the server has to consistently hit up towards me and my partner, then they have a big time problem.

There is no question that a nice hard dipping topspin return of serve certainly can be a weapon, but the reality is that it’s tough to be consistent with it unless the server has a really weak serve.

Also, executing a topspin drive can inhibit your natural ability to move forward through your shot and gain good court position after your return (as I mentioned above, I always want to force my serving opponent to have to volley up to both of us, not just my net partner).

If you stay back on your return of serve because your stroke mechanics don’t allow you to naturally move forward, and if the server volleys well enough to consistently receive your return of serve with a simple in-play volley back to you, the serving team now has better court position, and trying to win points when you’re back on the baseline and your opponents are both up at net is really rough…

I play doubles every Monday against a player who’s serve is not strong and could appear to be an opportunity to go for a big topspin return of serve drive, but he’s adapted really well by getting quickly up to net and simply handling the return with a volley that he consistently lays down at the feet of the returner.

He’s not bothered by the big topspin return knowing that he’ll have the better court position if he can simply play his volley back to the returner.

It’s best to be really versatile with your returns where you could drive cross court (and occasionally at the net player), slice, and lob.

To me, the 2nd serve return of serve should always be an approach shot opportunity even if you decide to play a lob over the server’s partner. Your opportunity here is to get better court position before the serving team can.

Even if you have a big time topspin return drive, if you become too predictable, better doubles players won’t be bothered by it.

Keep working on your different grips and always remember that spacing to the ball is #1.

Brent

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Hi Brent. Thanks for the tip. It is good but I note that you are using an underspin return of serve rather than a topspin backhand.

This underspin back hand return is a weak return and makes you vulnerable for a stronger shot from your opponent.

My response:

Not if I get my return down to the incoming server’s feet.tip-dubs-ros-2nd-serve

Create space with your feet to the path of the incoming serve so you can always move forward through your return to establish superior court position.

If the server has to consistently hit up towards me and my partner, then they have a big time problem.

He’s not bothered by the big topspin return knowing that he’ll have the better court position if he can simply play his volley back to the returner.

It’s best to be really versatile with your returns where you could drive cross court (and occasionally at the net player), slice, and lob.

Even if you have a big time topspin return drive, if you become too predictable, better doubles players won’t be bothered by it.

Keep working on your different grips and always remember that spacing to the ball is #1.

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Related Detailed Lessons by Brent…

Return of Serve Fundamentals (comes with a BONUS lesson on 1/2 Volley Fundamentals)

Slice Forehand and Backhand

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Filed Under: Tennis Footwork, Tennis Grips - Continental, Tennis Tip - Approach Shots, Tennis Tip - Return of Serve, Tennis Tip - Spacing, Tennis Tip - Split Step

Tennis Doubles Return of Serve Drill

August 24, 2009 By Brent 14 Comments

It’s absolutely vital that you become a return of serve specialist in doubles.

If you and your partner are true threats to return serve away from your opponent at net, not hit winners, but simply get a ton of returns back in play and away from that net player, you two will create all kinds of trouble for your opponents and make holding serve a nightmare for them.

Most players don’t practice their return of serve enough.

I highly recommend everyone who plays doubles practice their return of serve at least 30 minutes each and every week.

In this video, we’re working on 3 key elements to becoming a consistently good returner of serve.

Soft hands, shoulder turn, and then attention to moving your feet so you’re always getting the right spacing to the direction of the incoming serve.

You always want to give yourself a chance to play your return as an approach shot.

Big winning returns of serve are a by-product of those 3 keys. You won’t always hit a winner, but the pressure you put on your opponents will be even better than trying to always hit an outright winner.

Download Video or MP3

So, don’t disappoint me this week. Get out your schedule right now, call up your favorite practice partner, and go have it for at least 30 minutes this week working on those 3 keys to becoming a better returner of serve!

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Return Serve So Well You Create
Double Faults From Your Opponents…!

Claim Your Copy of Brent’s Downloadable or DVD Detailed Lesson
On the Fundamentals of The Return of Serve

PLUS, You’ll Also Receive a BONUS Lesson on ½ Volleys

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Filed Under: Tennis Strategy - Doubles, Tennis Tip - Return of Serve

Spatial Relationships in Tennis – "Shank You"…

August 17, 2009 By Brent 7 Comments

I had a great time down in Ojai this past weekend attending my niece Morgan’s wedding.

Family, lots of new friends, perfect weather, and the entire production could not have been more perfect.

Uncle B and the beautiful new bride Morgan

Probably wasn’t a dry eye during the ceremony.

She got her guy, and he got her gal, and how cool it is to see two young people so crazy for each other…

Thank goodness that some traditions remain classic and that lots of weddings haven’t gone the way of a full blown western so-called modern forehand. Please…

On Saturday morning before the wedding, I played some doubles with the groom Bill, one of my nephew’s Tim, and Bill’s business partner Devin.

These guys are all classic young early 30s tennis players who can play at about an NTRP 4.0 level who have grown up watching semi to full western forehands on TV and are trying hard to hit forehands with pretty big swing shapes.

“Shank you very much” was sort of the common theme with these young guns meaning that they were constantly giving away free points by simply miss-hitting easy balls.

And after we were done playing, Devin asked me what one thing should he be thinking about with his strokes.

And if you’ve been with me at WebTennis for any amount of time, you know what my answer to him was likely going to be.

“Spatial relationships…”

And I love the look I get when I first say that term to someone who’d not familiar with my teaching style.

And this is a smart kid who I’m sure is a business genius in his field, but that look of “huh, uh…” just took over his face.

So of course mister nice guy here can’t let him wallow too long, so I rescue him with the meaning of spatial relationships in tennis.

Click the photo to learn more about the PracticeHit Stroke Developer

You’ve got to specifically align your body to the path of the incoming ball so you can make whatever stroke you have as repeatable as possible.

What’s the ideal distance away from the ball do you want to be aligned to the path of the incoming ball when you swing your racket?

The less focus and attention to spatial relationships with the path of the incoming ball, the more you have to improvise your swing.

And trying to improvise an amateur semi to full western forehand is worth the price of admission.

The term “shank you very much” was coined with these guys in mind.

Real smart business guys with Ivy League degrees can look just a tad uneducated, if you know what I mean.

And the same applies to all of us whether we have classic continental grip style games to even today’s baseline stuff, without a consistency for your spatial relationship with the incoming ball, you’re going to be a mishit wonder.

I was recently interviewed about winning the national 60s Hardcourts this past April, and I kept coming back to the same answer for what helped me play well enough to win that title.

I kept not missing the perceived easy shots because I was focused on spacing first and allowing my instincts to dictate where I was going to hit this next shot.

We spend way too much time trying to perfect swing shapes, etc., and not nearly enough time grinding through the boring stuff of using our feet to insure we have the exact distance away from that path of the incoming ball so our swing can be greatly simplified.

Just imagine how many possibly poor spacing possibilities there are for say a standard forehand groundstroke.

I mean there must be thousands and thousands of ways we can misalign ourselves to the ball.

Could we ever practice enough to be able to deal with each and every one of those spacing situations?

No way…

If a very specific spatial relationship is not the #1 practice focus on each and every one of your strokes, then you’re going to be limiting your ability to improve and to truly enjoy this game.

Improvisation is what creates the “shank you very much” comment.

Here’s an email I got this last week from one of your fellow WebTennis subscribers.

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“Brent,

Your videos on spacing have proven to be an enormous asset to me.

I have always suffered from focusing too much on stroke mechanics, especially in tournaments, blaming this or that for not playing well.

Getting the stroke mechanics out of my head during play hasn’t been easy.

I can see I need more practice at it.

Thanks for giving me my game back!”

Tom L, Seattle WA

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And there you have it folks, thanks Tom, that’s all that needs to be said.

So, your focus this week is to get out there on the court, and if you only have time for a practice match, at least spend the time during the warm-up thinking about the distance you need away from that path of the incoming ball.

Create that ideal distance with your feet and not having to improvise with reaching your arms.

For now, trust your instincts to tell you where and what kind of shot to hit.

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