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by Rob Antoun
Taken from Rob's new book
'Women's Tennis Tactics', Rob discusses the importance of confident
net play in women's tennis. Female players are
choosing to approach and play at the net more carefully because
the strength of the passing shot and lob has improved so much
in recent years. In
this article tactics for effective net play are shared.
Smash
The smash is played against a ball that travels over and above
the head of the net player. It is hit using serve technique and
therefore requires precise positioning underneath the ball. This
is because the required swing is longer and requires more coordination
than the swing needed for a volley (the same reason that a server
must toss the ball accurately). This longer swing allows the
player to impart more power and spin on the ball. Having a strong
and reliable smash is a great advantage to a female player. Unlike
in the men’s game (where having a powerful smash
is almost a prerequisite), not all women hit this shot to a high
enough quality. |
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This contrast in execution is attributable to the difference
in height and upperbody strength between male and female players.
Many female players try to win all their points from the baseline
because they are fearful of
playing from the net. This mentality often leads to a player forcing her shots
too much from the back of
the court and making too many
errors as a consequence. Although
executing the smash can be difficult
for females, this shot is often under
estimated and certainly not practiced
enough, even though it should
be included as an important part of
a player’s attacking options.
The smash should be used when
the oncoming ball travels too high
for the player to hit as a volley. This
is generally around head height
and above. Similar to the drive
volley, the smash should be hit
into big target areas on the court
because its power, rather than its
placement, usually overwhelms an
opponent, and also because an
opponent often chooses a side to
defend after lobbing—and moves
there before the smash is hit.
Areas such as the middle T on the court can provide excellent high percentage
targets to aim for when an opponent moves too early.A strong smash should be
aimed well inside the lines of the court.
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The smash (and bounce smash) should be practiced from all areas
of the court. Sometimes, however, a player can have difficulty deciding
whether to smash, drive volley, or volley a ball because the trajectory
of
the oncoming ball (i.e., its height, spin, and depth) is hard to read. Early
perception and decision making are vital in this situation because each shot
requires different technique and different positioning.
Drills 4.5 and 4.6 on pages 152 to 153 can help a player improve her technique
and confidence on the smash, and drills 4.7 and 4.8 on pages 154 to 155 can help
her develop winning combinations with the volley
and smash at the net.
Coaching Tip
To encourage smart net play, the coach should award two bonus
points when a rally is won with a drive volley, volley, or smash.
He or she should award one bonus point if a drive volley, volley,
or smash has been played within a winning rally. equally, points
should be subtracted when a player misses an opportunity to approach
the net. This is an important point. Players must learn to take
their opportunities instantly because they may not get another
chance within the rally—especially
when playing at a high level. One of the most common formations in women’s
doubles (especially with younger players) is the one-player-up/one-player-back
position. This position occurs after the serve and return have
been played and a neutral crosscourt rally between the two opposing
baseline players has begun. This formation is most often used between
opposing pairs who choose to serve and stay back rather than use
the serve and volley tactic. There are two key tactical intentions
when playing from this position: the net player looks to intercept
with a winning volley and the baseline player looks to approach
the net. The better the crosscourt groundstroke played by the baseline
partner is, the more chance the net partner has of intercepting
with a volley. Generally, the wider the groundstroke is, the more
chance the net player has of intercepting the opponent’s
reply. This is because it is harder for an opponent to keep the
ball away from the net player from a wide baseline position than
from a
middle position. |
The net player moves forward to the ball she is about to volley.
This movement allows her to play the shot more aggressively. She
should hit it into the intercept volley target area, which is positioned
in the middle of the court.
This allows for a high margin of error. It also results in the volley being hit
down to the feet of, or behind, an opposing net
player, which is very difficult to defend against. In figure 4.6 a crosscourt
groundstroke rally has been played, and the net player uses the intercept volley
to win the point. Note how the opposing baseline player hasn’t been
able to create enough angle crosscourt to hit past the net player. The net player
must cover the down-the-line groundstroke from this wide position also (similar
to covering the line after a wide serve). An opponent will often play down the
line from a wide baseline position, especially if she sees the net player anticipating
the intercept volley by moving across the net too early.
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The second main tactical objective from a one-up/one-back formation
is for the baseline player to join her partner at the net. The baseline
player can use a variety of shots to approach with, just as she can
in singles. These could include the deep slice approach (crosscourt
to the opposing baseline player), the short
angle topspin or slice approach (used to drag the opponent short and wide), the
building crosscourt groundstroke, the aggressive loop, and the drop shot. Once
both players are at the net, they must form a strong team—moving forward,
sideways, and backward together as one unit; communicating clearly; assigning
responsibilities (e.g., who takes the lob down the middle?); and making correct
shot selections.
Choosing the direction of the volley and smash, in particular, is crucial when
both players are playing at the net. A key rule is for them to play down the
middle of the court when under pressure (see figure 4.7) and to play wide of
the court when in an attacking position (see figure 4.8). The volley (and smash)
hit down the
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middle reduces the angles available to an opposing team and gives the net pair
the chance to maintain control over the centre of the net. The volley (and
smash) hit wide is a better option for the net pair when in a dominant position
because once their opponents are wide of the court, they will have created
more space to hit into (which will help them finish the point).
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Standing Ground at the Net
Sometimes a player hasn’t put her opponent under enough pressure when approaching
the net. In this case she will often feel like a ‘sitting duck’,
an easy target for her opponent to hit past (or at!). As a result,
the
net player will often guess which side the passing shot will be hit to and move
there before the shot has been played. If she makes this movement too early,
her opponent will simply hit her passing shot into the space
she has left. In other words, she has made her opponent’s decision as to
where to hit! It can be more effective, therefore, for the player to hold her
position at the net, standing her ground until the opponent actually hits the
ball. This tactic forces her opponent to make the decision as to which side to
hit to. This can distract an opponent who is waiting for the net player to make
the first move. When the net player doesn’t make a move, the
opponent to make a last-minute decision that can affect the execution
of her passing shot or lob. the tactic could be used whenever the
net playeris unsure of where her opponent will hit to.
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