Reality Check: An Overhead Is Rarely A Put-Away Opportunity
Mai and I got a not-so-pleasant dose of reality last week at the National Husband-Wife Grass Court Championships in Palm Springs at the Mission Hills Country Club.
In the semi-finals we found lots of ways to lose to the eventual tournament winners.
You probably know that feeling where it’s as if they didn’t really win the match by playing great winning shots, you just found one or more ways to lose it.
We pretty much got lobbed to death and frankly didn’t handle that situation as well as we could have. I must have had to play a minimum of 75 overheads while Mai had to handle at least that same amount and probably more.
Yep, count em up. 21 total games with most games going to deuce a couple of times. I haven’t done the math yet, but per point, uggghhh, it wasn’t a pretty picture.
We were not as patient as you have to be, especially on the grass, where you really don’t have great footing leverage (as you do on a hardcourt) to be able to get a little extra pop on your overhead. Consequently we began to go for overhead winners on lobs that just didn’t really present themselves as clear put-away opportunities.
So, what’s the answer to the lob queens and lob kings?
A couple of things that have to happen.
With George Proctor, a long time WebTennis subscriber, at the National Husband-Wife Grass Tournament at Mission Hills
#1 – You have got to practice your overhead with the thought in mind that you’ll eventually have to face a team that uses this strategy to try and break you down. Practice hitting in-play approach shot style overheads from behind the service line, reclaim your good net position, and then hit a ton more. Practice being patient, having good footwork to help you quickly set up behind the lob so you can easily and efficiently move back up to your net position.
#2 – Usually one of the opponents doesn’t lob as consistently deep as their partner. Put the pressure on that one player to have to hit yet another good lob. Turn the tables on them by showing them that you have no problem playing approach style overheads until the weaker lobber finally puts up a short one.
#3 – Always try to position yourself during the point so that the partner with the better overhead has that stroke in the middle of the court. So, for example, if you have the better overhead on your team, and you’re a righty, then you’d want to be on the ad side of the court when you and your partner are up at net. That way your overhead is always in the middle of the court, and that’s right, most lobs end up in the middle of the court.
#4 – Assuming #3 above (stronger righty overhead on the ad side), play most of your overheads back to the ad side of your opponent’s court. Why? Because the geometric angle of their lob coming back to you is much easier to handle than if the lob comes from an angle from your opponents’ deuce court. That angle for rightys is tough. You need exceptional footwork to get into a position where you can maximize good overhead stroke technique.
Check out this video… (Video not playing for you? Go directly to the YouTube feed over at http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rqEO1jE2ntY )
Video not playing for you? Go directly to the YouTube feed over at:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rqEO1jE2ntY )
So guess what I’m working on the next couple of weeks? You got it. Developing better patience for in play overheads and hitting most of them to the opponent’s ad court.
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This Tip’s Related Tennis Lessons by Brent
- Doubles: Why & When To Be Where On The Court
- Overhead Technique Fundamentals
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Bret,
The lob strategy was used by Arthur Ashe in a match against Herb Fitzgibbons in a Junior Toournment final round match at the Berkley Tennis Club in New Jersey many years ago. Herb wore himself down hitting so many overheads on a clay court that Ashe went on to win the match easily. Herb was a tall lankey guy who had an all court game and a big serve, but was unprepared for the lob strategy physically or mentally.
Jay
Hi Jay and thanks for the memories.
There are so many situations in the game that we rarely if ever practice.
I’ve always felt that practice should be focused on situations we encounter during matches as opposed to just strokes in general.
No question that we need to spend some time mastering stroke fundamentals, but eventually our practice times should be organized for those specific match situations that challenge us the most.
Brent
Brent’s Downloadable & DVD Tennis Lessons
Hi Brent,
Boy do I agree. I wonder if it makes sense to scout your opponent to find out if they’re persistent lobbers so you know to position the stronger overhead hitter in the ad court.
In general, isn’t it true that you want to position the stronger player in the deuce court so they receive more serves. So, in those cases where the overall stronger player is also the stronger overhead hitter, wouldn’t it make sense to start out with the stronger player in the deuce court, and then at the first opportunity during play reposition yourselves so the stronger overhead hitter is in the add court?
Just a thought.
Jim Fox
PTR Pro
Good thought Jim…
I would say in general that lobbers don’t have huge serves, so even a weaker returning partner shouldn’t have too much trouble returning serve, even from the deuce side.
But, one of the aspects of doubles that is rarely taught is how a team can quickly re-position themselves so that the player with the better overhead ends up on the ad side (righty).
Your thoughts on how to best accomplish that switch Jim?
Brent
- Overhead Lesson
- Doubles Lesson
Brent, I feel your pain with the lob fest!!But why not just sharp;y angle the overhead off the cour and pound the women partner with every overhead?I would think that especially on grass it would very hard to defend the overheads ie. skidding low balls.It has been a long time since anyone or a team has tried this tactic. Is this just peculiar to mixed doubles since few women have a good overheads? The women pros all seem to take the lobs out of the air with a swinging volley on either side.
Thanks again for the great tips! Would love to see something about juniors if you have time? Greg Thomas
Hi Greg and normally really good advice…
The grass at Mission Hills is so good that the courts play almost like hard courts. The overheads bounce up and sort of sit there. Really tough to get much movement through the bounce unless you’ve got a big time banger overhead.
We did try lots of sharp angle overheads, especially on their shorter lobs, and won many of those points, but once the lob takes you back anywhere behind the service line, that geometric angle for a sharp angle goes away quickly…
Brent
- Overhead Lesson
- Doubles Lesson
I have really benefited from your pointers and demonstrations. I still have problems in responding to a lob, particularly if the lob passes my head (which is normally the case). What would be your advise in this case.
Brent,
Have you ever tried giving them a taste of their own medicine? Lob them back; they generally can’t handle it, having only perfected returns of baseline overheads.