Five (Easy Fix) Common Mistakes

There are some very common mistakes I see players make on the courts.

Walking into the court after the serve
Receiver standing too close to the baseline
Hitting return into the net
Hitting ground stokes when you could volley
Failure to get to the NVZ after the return

Let's look at each one. I will explain why it's a problem, how to fix it, and how to exploit it if your opponents are making those mistakes.

Pickle related nostalgia

1. Walking into the court after the serve

First, let's talk about why this is a mistake. If the return comes deep, you have to let it bounce before you hit it. So if the ball bounces in the court, but behind you, you will have to back up in order to hit it. Hitting a ball when you are backing up is a recipe for a weak awkward hit. I see this all the time, even 4.0 and sometimes 4.5 level players make this mistake. Lots of players at lower levels make it. The result is often a third shot that is into the net or just sloppy and high. Neither outcome is good for your team.

The fix

After the serve, take a hop backward to make sure you are outside the baseline. If the ball hits on the line, you will be behind it that way and your stroke will be hit while you have your feet under you.

"What if the return is short?"

It is always easier to move forward. Your stroke will be more controlled, you will have more power (if you are hitting a drive), and your shot will be more accurate if you are moving forward to get it than if you are backing up. Be ready to run forward if you need to. You can start to move as soon as the ball comes off your opponent's paddle, and as you progress in the sport, your ability to judge the depth and speed of the ball, to move yourself to the right place on the court to receive it will improve. If you are on your toes behind the baseline, ready to move forward, but also ready to wait for it if the ball comes deep, you will hit better quality third shots.

When your opponents make this mistake...

If your opponents are walking into the court after the serve, hit deep and force them to back up! You can experiment with different shots to see what works best; lobs, drives, spin, target backhands, etc, but keep it deep (inside the baseline) and force your opponent to hit reverse.

2. Receiver standing on/near the baseline

The problem here is essentially the same as when the servers wander into the court after they serve. If the serve comes deep and you are standing on the baseline or too near to the baseline, you have to back up to let it bounce. Your return will not be as strong, it will not be as accurate or controlled if you are backing up when you hit the ball as it would be if you are moving forward.

The fix

It's simple. Back up off the baseline. If you watch the pro players, they are often as much as 6 feet or more off the baseline.

If the serve is hit short, you may need to run, but again, you are better off moving forward. Once again, don't wait for the ball to cross the net before you start to move yourself to it. As soon as the serve leaves the server's paddle, you should be preparing to receive it no matter where it is going. If it will be short, shake a leg and move up the court. The server just gave you a free ticket to the NVZ. Hit it, make sure to keep it in, and be ready for the third.

When your opponents make this mistake...

Hit your serve deep! Hit it as deep as you can while keeping it in bounds. Top spin serves work great here too. Some players try to take deep serves as a half-volley (sometimes called a short hop) where they hit the ball on the rise after the bounce rather than waiting until the apex or after to make contact. A ball with topspin will bounce higher than they might expect and it will also tend to jump into their paddle which can throw off their timing.

3. Hitting the return into the net

It should be pretty obvious why this is a problem, but in case it's not 100% clear, your opponents score a point when you hit the return into the net. Every point they score puts them one step closer to winning. Your goal is to not give points to your opponents (I hope).

The fix

Hit your return deep. Hit it with loft. Keep it up in the air and send it deep into their court.

Benefits include;

Not hitting the ball into the net
Not giving your opponents a point
More time for you to get to the net after your return
A surprising number of mishits and bad third shots from your opponents

When I first started concentrating on consistently hitting deep returns with loft, I could not believe how many rallies ended just by doing that. Part of the reason is because so many players have the first bad habit in this list. But hitting the deep return and getting to the net really sets you up for success and makes things so much more difficult for your opponents. I promise you, if you can get those things down, your game will improve quickly.

When your opponents make this mistake...

You just scored a point. Say "thanks" I guess. Grab your partner, dosey doe, now step back from the line and serve again.

4. Hitting ground strokes when you could volley

Any time you have a choice between hitting a ground stroke or a volley, 95% of the time, the volley is a better option. Here is why.

If you have this choice, odds are the ground stroke option means you would have to back up to hit it. Don't back up if you can help it.
Hitting a volley means you are taking time away from your opponents.
Hitting a ground stroke gives your opponents more time; to recover after their hit, to reposition themselves, to get balanced, to anticipate the shot you are sending their way, to position themselves at the NVZ...

Don't give your opponents time if you have the chance to take it away from them.

There is one caveat to this advice. Make sure you are balanced and able to hit a controlled shot yourself. For example, standing behind the NVZ line, but reaching into the space above the NVZ is good, as long as you are not over-extended, off balance, and your ball you send back is controlled. The same is true in the transition zone as you are moving from the baseline to the NVZ.

The fix

Practice hitting volleys from various places on the court. Volley dinks and volley drop shots take some work, but your efforts will pay dividends. Practice dink volleys at the kitchen line. Learn the difference between a good reach (where you are balanced and have control) and a bad reach (where you are over-extended, not balanced, and lack control). You can practice this by drilling with a partner. Practice volley drop shots by positioning yourself in the transition zone and having a partner hit balls to you that are deep enough for you to hit as volleys. Do your best to take pace off the balls and drop them into the kitchen on the other side of the net.

Becoming proficient at recognizing balls that you can take as volleys rather than ground strokes and executing those shots with consistency will help your game evolve and advance.

When your opponents make this mistake...

If your opponents are choosing to hit ground strokes instead of volleys, they have given you the gift of time. Use that to your advantage. Close on the kitchen line if you were not all the way there, get yourself balanced and in the best place to receive the next ball. The difference in time is just a beat. You can't knit your mom a sweater in that time, but you can get your feet beneath you, you can possibly take a step or two. You want to be stopped before they swing through, but use their gift to your advantage. Sometimes it can be the difference between taking the next ball in the transition zone and getting all the way to the kitchen line. You would be surprised. Capitalize on this opportunity.

5. Failure to get to the NVZ after the return

If you read my blog at all, you may notice this is a recurring theme. These are all articles that specifically address the importance of getting to the net after the return.

In addition to that content, getting to the net on the return is frequently mentioned in other articles. I stress this in every clinic and it is one of the foundational strategies I teach with students in my lessons. This is a key basic strategy and it is a chronic error. Almost every time I play rec games, I have partners who will hit a nice return. I get ready on my side in case our opponents hit to me. When they hit to my partner's court, there is a juicy high ball I can't reach, but if my partner was at the net, they could hit an overhand smash. Instead, they are back near the baseline hitting a ground stroke. Meanwhile, our opponents have crashed the net, and any ball that is high, they will now smash.

I find myself scratching my head and wondering...

This is a bad situation that I see repeated over and over, and it happens with players who have, in some cases, been playing for years. It would be the equivalent of a batter making a decent hit in baseball and forgetting to run to first base.

The fix

Hit your return and run!

If the serve hits near the baseline, you have approximately 15 feet to cover. Hit your return and go. Try to get there before your opponents make contact with the ball. This is something you can practice with a drilling partner. Your partner can work on hitting deep serves, while you work on hitting deep returns and running to the net. When the return goes back to your partner, have your partner catch the ball instead of hitting a third shot. Try to be set at the net before your drill partner catches the ball. If you are having trouble getting there, try hitting the ball deeper and/or with more loft. The more air time the ball has, the more time you have to get your derrière to the kitchen line.

Form this habit until not running after the return feels weird to you. Your partners should be able to rely on you being shoulder to shoulder with them to defend the line.

Caveat: I will grant there are some people who have limited mobility and may not be able to get to the net fast enough to be there before the opponents send the ball back, even if they hit a deep return with loft. If that is the case, then get as far through the transition zone as you can and split step as your opponents send the ball back to you.

When your opponents make this mistake...

If one of your opponents is not at the kitchen line and you are back near the baseline, do your best to send the ball into the feet of the person who is not at the kitchen line. If they are moving, but slowly, a low shot to they backhand is a great choice. If they are running, but they got a late start and they are not at the line yet, hitting a hard drive their way can be effective. The speed of a fast low drive can also make it difficult for their partner to poach. If they are on their heals at the baseline, hitting a soft drop into the kitchen is also a good option because it will be very difficult for them to reach it, but be sure to chase your drop so that if they do get to it, you are there to clean up and finish.

Thanks, as always, for stopping by. I hope you found something here you can use in your games.

Questions? Comments? Feedback? Let me know! If you have topics you would like me to cover, holler at me.

Cheers,

David

No Fun Zone

Search This Blog

Three Pacing Errors