Wednesday, April 25, 2012

Playing in windy conditions ?

Playing with wind on the court is like traveling to a far away place. Those who know the laws, customs and traditions can quickly apply for and eventually enjoy full citizenship. Those who don't will have to settle for a student visa.

Here are a few tricks I've used to leverage the wind :

1) PLAYING WITH THE WIND 

-get your first serve in ( don't try and blast your 1st serve since the wind will compromise your first serve percentage). You don't want to be left with a second serve, on an important point or risk a double fault  ( due to a sudden wind gust)
-hit more topspin (helps keep the ball from sailing out)
-aim cross court (court is longer)
-come to net more often ( wind helps your approach shot & will slow your opponents passing shot , giving you extra time to react.
-if you have a kick ( heavy topspin serve ) use it to serve to your opponents backhand . The wind will amplify the height of the bounce.
-when lobbing a net player, aim your lob high inside the service box . The wind will carry your lob deeper. 

2) PLAYING AGAINST THE WIND
-hit flat to penetrate deeper into the court
-use drop shots ( even a bad drop shot can become difficult to return)
-lob into the wind ( the wind helps prevent your lob from going out , and makes an overhead more challenging for your opponent)
-use a looser strung racket to compensate for ball wind resistance

3) PLAYING WITH A CROSS WIND
-aim into the crosswind so the ball will be blown back into the court

 Hope you like these tips  ! Please sign up for my blog.