One of the biggest skills you can acquire as both a singles and a doubles player is the ability to consistently play a transitional 1/2 volley as you pass through “No Man’s Land”.
Being consistent with your transitional 1/2 volley means that …
- you don’t pop this shot up,
- you play it to a spot on your opponent’s court that doesn’t give them an easy passing shot,
- you can also smoothly move forward as you’re playing your 1/2 volley up to a great net court position so that your opponent now has to deal with an incredibly difficult next shot.
I’ll bet a big sum of dough that you’ve tried to refine both your forehand and backhand 1/2 volleys and have found it a very tough shot to master.
And most of the time you haven’t had a simple model to copy.
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Coming January 2012 – A New 3 Week Course from Brent
“Your Transitional 1/2 Volley Can Look Like This”
How You Can Copy The 5 Fundamental Parts of Brent’s
Forehand & Backhand 1/2 Volleys in 21 Days
Es muy interesante tu aportación, te agradezco por tu apoyo, soy un profesional (entrenador de tenis), con una discapacidad en la pierna izquierda que ha entrenado a muchos jugadores de tenis profesionales de mi país, lamentablemente este año no he trabajado por problemas de salud y falta de oportunidades de trabajo.
Me dedica también a realizar proyectos sociales en benéfico de los que no tienen economía, espero seguir aportando en la sociedad a margen de mis discapacidad.
Te deseo un Prospero Año 2012, y que sigan tus éxitos.
Saludos y Buenas Vibras.
MARCE
The half volley is one of my better shots. It’s all the others that need help.
Hello Marce. Thanks for your comments.
[ Can someone help me translate? Thanks in advance. ]
Brent
translation of Marcelino’s post:
Your contribution is very interesting, thank you for your support, I am a professional (tennis coach) with a disability in his left leg that has trained many professional tennis players of my country, unfortunately this year I have not worked for problems health and lack of job opportunities.
I also engaged in social projects in benefit of those who have no prospects, I hope to continue contributing to society regardless of my disability.
I wish you a Happy Year 2012, and continue your success.
from Google translate. I have used it for both my Spanish and Portuguese speaking friends and they say it is pretty accurate.
Greetings and good vibes.
Hi,
my problems with 1/2-volley is, that I tend to fall backwards with my weight while hitting the ball, what often leads to a stoke ending pretty high in nomans-land and in consequence, my opponent passes me with th e next shot very easily. Second I do not finish my stroke in fear of pushing the ball into net or to far behind the line.
Roland
Hi Brent,
i’m a 61 year old former so called athelete , and I’m hoping to hone up my game so I can play some tournament matches around the Montreal area in 2012.
I’ve got good legs still, but need to polish up on my strokes. After an hour of singles , I can still jump over the net no problem..
What percentage of tennis is the mental aspect compared to being fit physically.
Love your way of teaching tennis Brent.
Looking forward to hearing from you .
Donald ( tennis mainiac)
Hi Donald.
Pleased to read that 2012 is going to be your year to get back into playing some tournaments.
The 1/2 volleys require 5 specific fundamentals to accomplish your shot making goal of allowing you to transition up to net.
It’s less about the actual shot and more about moving efficiently through the shot so that you can get up inside that service line and force your opponent to have to hit ‘another’ perfect passing shot.
Brent
Hey Roland.
Pretty common mistakes you detailed there.
Remember, the 1/2 volleys in no man’s land are simply a slowing down point as you transition up to the net.
They don’t have to be world class shots, but you’re right, you need to be consistent with making the shot, not giving your opponent an easy opportunity, and getting yourself up iside that service line.
Brent
My problem usually occures when i attempt to chip and charge, just watching u, I believe the problem is my split step.
Hi JP.
The problem is when you chip and charge OR is the problem after you chip & charge and then don’t split on time?
Brent
Pretty simple to answer this one…hitting the ball low and on the rise while on the approach. The timing is so hard to get right, especially when you have to take it just a foot or so off the ground. I typically only have about a 50/50 chance of getting these back over the net, and even a lower percentage of placing my shot in a desirable position.
It seems at my level (club) a serve and volley player could be very successful. The approach shot is of course a major component of that.
Hi Dave. Good feedback. Thanks.
A lot of being successful with the 1/2 volley is being comfortable that you can take your time through the shot – that you don’t have to rush any of it.
For awhile, train yourself to artificially take MORE time that what feels comfortable right now.
My hunch is that after awhile you’ll realize that you’ve got way more time that what you think.
Brent
Most problems occur during my chip & charge play – most times this is a slice backhand or forehand stroke for me so unless the shot is really deep my opponent has plenty of time to setup & attempt a flat/topspin passing shot. My biggest problem in returning their shot is poor anticipation – not having time to position my body to play the half volley …I think I need to watch the ball better & execute split step better (earlier ?).
Have a good New Year & keep up the good work !
Hey Matt.
Rather than trying to go so deep with your placement where I’ll bet your shot tends to sit up too much, try chipping much shorter and force your opponent to have to play their next shot UP to you.
You still want to come in, but now the geometry of your short and low chip AND with you now looming up at net is a real problem for your opponent.
Brent
interesting notion Brent – I’ll try this tomorrow, but I thought good approach shots are supposed to be as deep as possible…if he does get to the ball & hit it over the next I’ll need very quick hands to volley it back again as the distance between us will have narrowed considerably…
Matt
If you play your approach short and low Matt, there’s no way your opponent can come in and just crush it at you.
The ball will be down below the top of the net when he/she makes contact, and only a great shot from them can really be a problem.
Try it …
Brent
Frankly speaking I don’t have solid half volley in my arsenal.
Maybe this is the reason I am not good at serve & volley. I think my biggest problem is that I am panicking at the net although I am working on my volley very hard.
In my case, execution of the half volley is mostly instinctive when I am caught on “No Man’s Land” after good return.
I think your new course might be useful for me.
Morning Ralph.
Regular quality “work” on any stroke will not only clean it up but will also help you relax when executing that shot.
Look for the new course announcement next week.
Brent
Brent.
Im tall, and I have the toughest time with the soft low shot at my feet. I tend to run through it. I never know wether to try to fly up to the net trying to get to it before it get too low or just stopping let it bounce in front of me and hit the haly volley. My half volley is pretty good but my decision making is poor and footwork is slow
Hi Charlie.
Tall players do better with their 1/2 volleys when they split step early and allow the ball a chance to get a little higher off of the bounce.
One thing that I’m going to hammer home in the new 1/2 volley course is that there is NO value for rushing through this shot.
You and everyone else doesn’t have a put away opportunity with the 1/2 volley, so again, learning how to take your time to transition through it will produce not only a consistently controlled shot, but just as importantly, you’ll find that you’re able to move into the next court position where you now have the advantage,
Brent
I’m a doubles player. I don’t do much with my half volley…just block it back without a whole lot of control. I’d like to have more confidence in it for serve and volley. If I did, I’d probably chip and charge more. Good topic Brent!
Hi Mike.
Love it. Let’s get to work on your 1/2 volley next month and make you a chip / charge monster
Brent
My is when I cip and charge. I also struggle with the right foot work to pull off this shot effectively.
Hi Chuck.
OK, got it.
Chip & charge initially requires good “spacing” away from the path of that incoming serve so you can play the ball to your side, not directly in front of you.
Once you get that good alignment, the swing part is pretty simple.
We’ll definitely work on this play in the new course.
Brent
For most of my career, I had a good half volley because I played serve and volley and was not fast so had to hit a lot of them. in my declining years, I have problems because I don’t go back as well so I typically hesitate to come in behind my serve because I know I am likely to get lobbed (and most of my partners do not go back well either). Thus, I get caught not really committed to coming in and then have more difficulty deciding whether to just wait for short ball and hit a full ground stroke or hit the half volley or take the volley in the air. Thus, indecision has eroded my half volleys. If I know an opponent will not lob much, I am okay coming in, but that is rare.
Recently, I have learned that it is better to hit a half volley more like a ground stroke without any backswing, but still following through more like a ground stroke to keep the ball down. Earlier in my career, I think I hit half volleys with an open face like a volley.
Hey Robin.
Right, as we get older, we have to make some adjustments.
One thing that I’ve added to my 1/2 volley strategy is a shorter, lower, and more angled shot that requires my opponent to move up into the court and have to then deal with a higher net, shorter court, and some pretty tough geometry.
The other shot this new course will teach you is a drop 1/2 volley.
It works with practice and can set up your deeper 1/2 volleys.
Brent
Serve and volley transition.
Perfect Steve.
This course is right up your alley (man, did I actually type that?).
Brent
Poor decision making during a serve and volley play, a soft, low backhand shot at the feet that I dont get into the right position to either return as a volley or a 1/2 volley
Hey Don.
Footwork is most definitely a key as getting aligned properly to the path of that incoming slow ball to your backhand is imperative IF you want to be able to keep this shot simple and clean.
I’ll show you how …
Brent
Have difficulty with the ball at my shoe strings against a good returner when serving and volleying in doubles.
OK. We all do Audrey, but there are a couple of things to minimize that chances that the return will actually end up at your feet.
An earlier split step is #1. Remember, you don’t have to rush through that area of the court, in fact, a lot of this new course is going to prove to you that success in executing this shot is all about taking your time.
Some of that is mental – feeling confident and comfortable that you can take your time there, execute your shot, and continue transitioning to up inside the service line.
Brent
I want to make I dont ever “rush” through the half volley….I am a serve valley dude both singles and doubles…this year is a year to build maturity,,,I noticed in your vid that there is no rushing to the get to the net you simply split when the oponent makes contact and move in to the volley position..NO RUSHING THIS YEAR!
Hi Eric. Always good to hear from you.
That’s a great new year’s resolution!
Transitioning to the net from the baseline can be broken down into 3 parts.
1) Transition area #1 is when you move forward from the baseline and split step prior to making your transitional shot.
2) Executing the transitional shot (volley or 1/2 volley or chip charge or flat approach)
3) Transition area #3 is after your shot.
#1 is really only a couple of quick forward steps before you have to go into your split step, and then coming out of your split step so you can initially align yourself to the side of the path of the incoming shot.
#2 is the easy part IF you do #1 correctly.
#3 is just as easy IF you do #1 correctly.
So clearly, the first couple of steps you make forward from the baseline AND the quality of your split step is really where it’s at …
Brent
Since this post I had a chiropractor fix my back and have spent a gazillion hrs coming in smoothly/with more patience and hitting half volly’s everywhere…(practicing all the angles)
the result is very frustrated oponents and a lot of easy picks at the net!!
thanks again for the vid of you
I tend to pick the ball up well on the Half Volley but usually I do not land the ball deep enough …. ensuring ‘Suicide’ ……..
Hey Marc.
One of the things this new course will help you do is develop a variety of 1/2 volley shot types.
You don’t always have to play this shot deep.
You could also play a short low angle.
You could also play a drop shot off of your 1/2 volley.
You could also play a lob 1/2 volley over the net player in doubles.
Once you “show” your opponents those different types of 1/2 volleys, you’re deep 1/2 volley will be much more effective.
Brent
Brilliant video as always. Toughest aspect of this is a well struck low shot to my backhand. And a tough low shot to my shoelaces. I need to bend lower and volley these shots–to half-volley, I’d need to step back, which I know isn’t good. Happy new year young man!
Hi Rob.
Glad you liked this video.
Right, that is a tough shot, but you can learn to handle it.
This new course will show you how.
Same to you – Happy New Year!
Brent
Merry Christmas and Happy New Years Brent,
I think my biggest challenge is “consistently” maintaining a serious probing and relaxed toying state of mind so I can, over time, figure out how where I want to place my half volleys based upon what I’m learning as the match develops vs. getting caught up in the match.
Two days ago, Clarence and I were 1-1 (6-3, 2-6) against a strong doubles team. We concluded that playing all the shots we could, including the half volleys, right down the center of the court was critical because the opposing team was not working well together as a team in the middle – they were moving well, individually, towards shots to the outside sections, which is how they earned the second set.
We won the third set 6-2, by adapting to their court positioning and shot making weaknesses vs their strengths. We did not try to hit harder. When I did go for an angled shot, I mostly did it at the net which reduced their ability to get to it vs angled shots from the back or mid court where they had more time.
I think the root of building confidence to get off the baseline is based on two things: ability to judge the quality of my shot of vs. likely response…. AND confidence in being able to make a 1/2 volley or long volley. I get the first from probing and toying, and the second from drills.
Keeping my feet moving/split step/and taking more steps between balls has a big effect on my half volley consistency now that I understand the stroke to some extent – particularly leverage, absorption, directing, short stroke, and stroke ending.
I have noticed that the more caught up in the game I am, focused on winning, etc., the more I am apt to stop moving, doing less split steps, and taking fewer steps. So, it is really critical for me to being in touch with my body and my state of mind.
Always a treat RS.
Congrats on what I think has been a great year for your improvement in tennis.
You’ve taken it seriously but had fun along the way.
I’m impressed with what you’ve accomplished so far.
Footwork is the key to always getting you in the right hitting set up position so that the swing mechanics can be used.
Lousy footwork forces all of us to have to improvise with the swing, and that’s usually not a great result.
Looking forward to continuing to work with you in 2012.
Brent
Awesome video. I had never thought about “Transitioning through No Man’s Land”. I would always rush to the service line eventhough I have a good half volley shot which usually is a decent offensive shot because I have more time to hit and place.
Hi Dennis.
No Man’s Land is simply an area where we get to play shots from as we move to a better court position up at net.
With the right footwork, simple stroke mechanics, and mindset, that area of the court is NOT a problem.
Brent
Wow, hot new intro music for 2012 – I can tell this is going to be a great year! Happy New Year to all.
Hi David!
You noticed. Alright!
Glad you liked it.
Brent
Since I am relatively short (5’8″), how can I best use that as an advantage in my execution of a half-volley?
Hi Ken.
Shorter players are at an advantage with the 1/2 volley primarily because they can get closer to eye level with the ball and then move forward against the ball.
Taller players have to look down into the ball and sort of reach for the ball wit their stroke mechanics.
Brent
The biggest problem I have with a transitional volley is when (serve and volley) a heavy diving topspin is hit to the backhand side. It is harder to judge this shot and I’m never sure whether to try to get it as a volley or a half-volley and it is pretty difficult to get a good shot out of it.
Hi Jonathan.
The key is to set your racket face behind the spot that will be the eventual contact point.
And set it there early.
Too many players react to the shape of that dipping topspin shot by starting their racket set way too high and then having to lower it at the last seconds as the ball dips down.
Figure out where the true contact point is for you with these 1/2 volleys and then practice like a mad man setting the racket there early.
Brent
I’ll ditto some of the previous comments. For me, the toughest part is as I’m coming in (serve and volley or return and volley) the dipping shot, sometimes at feet or sometimes wide, not sure if volley or half volley, getting correct spacing (especially if jammed), the body movement and racquet adjustment in short amount of time. It compounds if I am eating tough half volleys/low volleys all day and a higher ball comes along, I’m not ready for that either.
I don’t play high level, so I am satisfied if I make the correct shot (volley/half volley) and play it out .
Hi PJ.
With the racket and string technology we now have, no question that more and more players can make the ball dip with topspin.
Read my reply directly above to Jonathan.
Brent
Thanks for the video, Brent.
Merry Christmas and a happy new year to you.
I suppose my biggest problem trying to do the tricky transaction half volley is time! – I’m running towards the ball, the ball is coming more or less at me, and I’ve somehow got to find the time to splitstep, ready my racket, read the ball, move to the ball, and finally make the shot that doesn’t turn into pattycake gift that my opponent just puts away!
Frankly the only time I try and use this shot is after a good forceful 1st serve in doubles.
In singles, I prefer to wait until I can hit a good deep shot to my opponents backhand and then try approaching the net. As my game now stands, the transaction volley or half volley is just too risky to attempt except under optimal conditions.
Hello roGER,
IMHO as a layman, with all due respect and kindness:
1) If you time your split step correctly, mostly you should have plenty of time to do one, even an abbreviated one, unless you and your opponent are on top of each other. I split step just before they hit the ball and even earlier as I get closer to the net…you get a feeling for the timing as the game progresses, relative to the opponent’s game. The key is to keep doing them as the flat foot habit is a nasty one that is hard to break.
2) As I am moving off the baseline, if I am assuming they are going to hit a midcourt shot, should they provide one to me, I plan for the slow down and to not run through their shot. The run throughs, I believe, are the habit one gets into trying to avoid a transition shot altogether… again very hard to break.
3) I usually can move to or away from the ball faster if I split step, than if I’m caught running through the ball. So, I really don’t have time not to split step and settle down a bit IMHO. Settling down a bit also improves my follow up volley so I’m not too juiced up for it.
AGREED (to some extent) regarding setting up the optimum approach shot. That it is not automatic (for me), that there is not one baseline, return of serve stroke, or serve AND then 2nd an automatic move in with a 1/2 volley for me either.
So yes, I DO like to probe a bit, though,with a few strokes to see help me figure out how to set up good conditions for the move forward.
BUT, a few “premature” move forwards are part of my probing as well to see what they jam me up with or not.
However, I find that it is easy to get in a habit of hanging out on the baseline, so I need to eat a few along the way to get myself moving forwards if necessary.
I find I’m more aggressive in doubles than in singles as many good singles players have told me they feel more constricted when playing doubles. I get a lot of the “first strike” strategies from singles players. However, if I can neutralize, or prevent them from taking me out or my losing control when faced with their first strike, it’s on thereafter.
Sometimes, eating a few has it’s benefits as many players are use to smacking one at an opponent, causing them to immediately change their strategy. When you stay with it, it kind of rocks them a bit as eventually they blow it and then they are the one that lose their confidence.
So, I think that a gutting it out, like one does with fake poaching (suffering a few passed down the lines), is an option to waiting for the “optimum” approach shot, and can produce more benefits that waiting for the “optimum” approach or poaching shot.
If the player is much better than I am, it also can end the match quicker as they basically run me off the court. (smile) All court, as I recall, is about our putting pressure on our opponents and that takes a bit of patience and willingness to accept some lost points, assuming the match is not grossly one-sided (in my experience) which means just about anything I do doesn’t work.
Note: the first time I move forward and get nailed, I get a smirk from them that kind of says that will learn yeah! The next time I get a look that says kind of a slow learner there dude? When they blow it the third or fourth time it reverses in that now they know I’m not backing down and they ain’t got the goods to break through me consistently and they are worried now as I have shown the confidence in my transition shots to force the issue.
Hi roGER.
Read my comments to Eric – http://bit.ly/rsAblv
Brent
The biggest issue is when preparing to send the ball to the other side in transitional area i am “telling” in advance to my oponents where I’m sending the ball… They don’t need to guess so they anticipate and frequently “kill us” returning the ball back again…
Greetings from México… Have a súper great 2012…
Guajo
Hola Guajo.
One of the things we’re going to work on with this new 1/2 volley course is developing variety.
A drop shot 1/2 volley, a lob 1/2 volley, and a short angled 1/2 volley.
Once your opponent hasa to cover the short 1/2 volley, your deep ones will be much more effective.
Brent
First of all thanks for being so kind to give me a reply… And a very good one.
I look forward to hearing from you and your training soon.
Greetings
Guajo
Thanks for the tips Brent. After a deep shot, half volleys for me work best if I go short forcing my opponent to charge in with a good chance of popping the ball up where I can attempt a put away shot. If I can’t do a put away shot with his return, I’ve forced him in toward the net where a nicely placed return lob over his head can win me the point. However, if he gets to my half volley because it wasn’t quite short enough, he can lob over my head or attempt a passing shot giving the advantage to my opponent .
Hi Gib. Good feedback on your short 1/2 volleys.
Mix in the short ones with the deep ones to keep your opponent unsettled.
Brent
I have decent success with half volleys when reacting or you might say “scrambling” in doubles, especially when I’ve been at net and am retreating because my partner (or even me) has hit a weak shot.
It’s a problem when that weak shot is a real sitter, and I can’t count on getting my racket in front of the bouncing ball. Sometimes, though, I have good “Inner Game” moments with this shot because there’s no thinking involved.
Happy New Year Brent.Playing lawn in Adelaide now in summer.Harder to play half volleys on that surface as you really need to make the nett to play a full volley.Looking forward to the course though.
Your 2012 programme looks good.
Hi Brent, I’m from Trinidad, West Indies and came across your tips a few months ago….all awesome and great tips!…thanks very much for your insights and advice. This video of 1/2 volley tips, I couldn’t help notice your racket strings were twisted in all directions and from experience, un-necessary string movement when the ball is hit makes you mis-hit the ball everytime. I once did an experiment and used loctite super glue on my strings and it worked like magic!!…after some time, though, the strings loosened again and it was more loctite for it…worked again!!! Note here that the glue did not deteriorate the strings in any way….as a matter of fact, the strings are still on my racket…some (yea, i know) two years now !!!! Im just a recreational player and I have not played in the last 8 months…gonna start back in mid January.. Your courts are really nice!!!
I’m 70 play only doubles with guys in their 40′s and 50′s so try to get to the net as soon as possible. My problem is that the ball gets to me faster than what it appears to be getting to you in your videos. Am I just slow or are you preparing a lot sooner?
Thanks Richard
Hi Brent,
Happy New Year. I’m jealous of you guys in warmish climes who can play tennis in winter. New York isn’t great for tennis in January to March.
The time I have real problems half-volleying is when I cannot get my body behind the ball, particularly on the backhand. I happens (particularly in doubles) when I serve to a lefty’s forehand in the 2nd court and he returns sharply crosscourt. In the reverse situation (1st court to a right hander) you can play a squash shot, reaching back behind your rear foot, but human anatomy prevents this on the backhand. I usually try to stop in no-man’s land and chip on the rise. What do you think?
By the way the 2nd and 3rd backhand half-volleys on your video, well controled and all as they were, were not really half-volleys. You waited and took the ball as it rose above knee height.
Hi John.
Another thing we’ll work on in this course is identifying those shots that you can allow to get a little higher off the court and play more of a mini approach shot.
Whatever shot it is, and whatever we label it, the #1 key to a transitional shot is that you CAN take your time.
There is never a need nor value for rushing through it.
Brent
Thanks Brent for all of your tips. I have been playing Tennis for a long time and the most difficult shot in tennis, in my opinion is the half-volley. Most of the time when I hit the half-volley was for a defensive response in nature. It’s hard enough to return the shot at your feet let alone trying to place the ball in the attack mode. The balancing of the body is crucial in an attempt to control the direction of the half-volley ball.
If you have any tips regarding for better executing the half-volley, please let me know. I am all ears.
Btw, some of the shots in your video were not half-volleys. I think they are more like “hit on the rise shots”, as Agassi’s favorites.
Have a great New Year and keep up the good works.
Definition: A half volley in tennis is a shot that is hit immediately after the ball bounces before it reaches the apex of its flight. It is sometimes called an “on the rise shot”.
BTW, the definition is from wikipedia.
And also from that source:
“Technique
…This is the basic form for the volley, hence the name: half volley. The two parts of the tennis court where this shot is generally used are on the baseline and the service line.
Strategy
A half volley is a difficult shot to make. Often a player hits a half volley only when forced by the opponent or caught out of position. Arguably the greatest half-volleyer in history is John McEnroe; other professionals such as Stefan Edberg and Pete Sampras had excellent half volleys that were used as weapons.
In his 1979 autobiography Jack Kramer devotes a page to the best tennis strokes he had ever seen. He writes: “HALF-VOLLEY—Gonzales and Rosewall. Kenny had to learn to hit a half-volley because his serve was so weak that he had to pick up shots at his feet as he came to the net. With his great serve, I don’t know why Gorgo had to hit so many half-volleys, but he sure learned how.”"
When the shot rises way off the ground, it’s no longer called a “half-volley” shot. The half-volley shot has to be hit as soon as it bounces off the ground. That is why we call it “half-volley” or “demi-volley” like in soccer.
Ah yes, we need a measuring stick and a clear number of allowable inches. SMILE
Such New Years fun.
1) Wiki says hit after the ball bounces before the apex of its flight. (no maximum inches to that whatsoever i.e. no stated limit to height of bounce)
2) Sports definitions.com says just as the ball hits the ground. (unfortunately no number of maximum qualifying inches).
3) Answers. com says in which the ball is hit immediately after it bounces off the ground. (again no maximum number of qualifying inches)
Conclusion: I bet nobody but us two cares about the definition, only about getting good at making all those shots Brent made whatever anybody wants to call them. 1/2, 2/3, 3/4, 5/8…etc.
Rodger and Out.
Which is my specific problem? ……….hm………..all of those you’ve just mentioned. All the best, you;re wearing well for 64, it’s all that tennis.
The part of my game that causes problems isnot to much of the half volley, but when your pulled, by your oppenent toward the net and end up in no-mans land and having to do something with the ball so you don’t eat from my oppenents next shot.
In doubles, is there are score situation that is best suited for the chip and charge strategy?
Often I play against 4.0+ players that have a big serve, and I find it very difficult to attack the net after a return of serve. Is there a way to neutralize big servers and effectively use the chip and charge strategy?
Hey Jim, I will be interested in Brent’s reply. When I played against some top 4.0s last season, I found myself in a worse situation. If my return provided them a short or weak shot, as often it did, I had to take the pain of a down the line rip ending the point or some other hard attack. So for me, my goal was to do whatever I could do to prevent providing them a shot they could end the point with – never even considered a c&c strategy.
So my first step has been spending quite a bit of time studying and working on my return of serve. End result is a new short leveraged return of serve stroke…still a work in progress.
Hi Brent
Have looked at lots of coaching videos in the past, like the way you teach,
Look forward to looking at all your presentations and will get back to you.
Professor Stephen Hunt