- Players should learn to be aggressive with both backhand and forehand ground strokes
- Take advantage of your opponent’s weak or short (badly placed) returns
- Approach the net to put pressure on your opponent
- Use angle shots to take your opponent off court
- Stand in when your opponent has a weak second serve
- Winning points and games consistently will put pressure on your opponent by attacking on the scoreboard
Defensive Skills
- Good placement with your shots is the first step to good defence
Your return should help you firstly stay in the point and then allow you to attack when the opportunity arises
- Running hard to get every ball back into play
Your opponent will then have to try to hit better (harder) strokes to win the point often leading to errors
- When taken out wide during a baseline rally
Hit the ball high and deep giving you time to get back onto the court and therefore continue with the rally
- Against an opponent with a big serve
Block the return back (similar to a volley) using the pace of the serve to the backhand side if possible
- When you are losing during a match try to stay out there as long as possible
Keep the ball in play at all costs so that you can return the pressure back onto your opponent
- Every point you win will help you convert to games won so that the scoreboard pressure can be
exerted on your opponent
Develop your Attacking and Defensive skills during your coaching and training sessions so that these skills become a part of your game during matches and/or tournaments.
I hope that you are able to use these skills so that you can enjoy your matches and play to your ability so that you can get the results that you deserve.
Tennis the game of a lifetime
Contact me by Email if you have any comments or helpful hints in regard to keeping tennis simple.
Let me know the things that work for you.
Coach Steve
Email steve.james@stevejamestennis.com
Website www.stevejamestennis.com
Coaching Tip - June 2011
Combine your attacking and defensive skills so that you can take your tennis game to the next level
Winning against tough opponents is often decided by just a few points.
Tennis players often have one of these skills but in order to win close matches consistently you will need to develop good skills in both attacking and defending.
Attacking Skills
Do not just attack with your strongest (usually the forehand) stroke because that would limit your opportunities
Step in and hit your shot hard into the open court
This will sometimes force your opponent to go for too much with their passing shot often leading to errors
or allowing you to volley or hit into the open court
The court is then open for your next shot to finish off the rally or keep your opponent on the run
You can then get the ball back into a difficult position giving your opponent less time to react