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.

Pick up your copy of one or more of the lessons listed below.

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This Tip’s Related Tennis Lessons by Brent

- Doubles:  Why & When To Be Where On The Court

- Overhead Technique Fundamentals

- Discover How To Get Up To A 40% Discount On All Of Brent’s Current & Future Downloadable & DVD Lessons

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