TENNIS: BALL PLACEMENT

In earlier editions I have discussed DEPTH at length (pardon the pun!) This time I would like to discuss PLACEMENT with you.

When I talk about PLACEMENT I'm always referring to the left-right element of precision.

What you will see in a lot of professional matches is the same we teach our juniors:

In the baseline rally the cross court shot is the basic shot.

Why is this?

When you hit cross court you not only have 'more court' to work with, you're also closer to your optimum recovery spot (see picture).

When you hit the ball cross court from A1 recover to A2. When you are at A2 you are exactly in the middle between O1 and O2, which represent the most extreme shots your opponent will be able to hit on your cross court shot.

Of course your opponent will not always hit the ball cross court (and neither will you!), but taking position at A2 will give you the best chance to cover all his shots.

YES!

If you hit the ball shorter you'll give the opponent more angles to work with. I imagine this is no problem, because you have been working on your DEPTH, right?
 ;-)

Next time I will get into variations on the cross court rally.

In the mean time: PLAY and HAVE FUN!