Both my kids are ranked in the 12 and under USTA New England Division so I
get to see a good amount of junior tennis competition. I'm not impressed with what I see : big forehand & backhand , marginal serving skills , no spin other than topspin, weakness in the front court area , no finesse ( brick hands), and poor skills at closing off the point.
It all starts at the junior level. I've seen many matches in 12's where both players cannot hit the ball hard enough to win outright . The only tools being used are shot tolerance ( how many shots it takes to make the opponent miss). loops and drives are used to create angles, and get the opponent out of position. However no one can capitalize on these opportunities, and the match becomes an mental and physical endurance test. The serve is just a "put the ball in play" shot. Overheads are pretty neutral , with no pop
Fast forward a couple of years and our two players are now in the 14's. They hit hard and do a lot of run around forehand. If there is a short ball they will come in and volley, but it is evident that this is not a natural strategy. The angles are created with ease. There is some hesitation but more opportunities to closed off with a swing volley from the mid court. Overheads have a bit more pop. There is rarely a slice, off pace shot or drop shot.
What I'm getting at here is that more tennis is being played from the back court with rarely more than a big forehand. One reason is the racquet technology , which has evolved to a point where , a passing shot can generated with greater pace with a graphite racquet vs a wood one . That puts many of today's would be net players at a deficit right away.
Check out Nastase vs. Ashe -1972 US open final. Notice absolutely every point is won or lost at the net.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lf4wrrpzdYc
I'm not suggesting you serve and volley every point , because that would be an impossibility in today's game.
Another reason for the continued success of the baseline generation , are the size and strength of today's players, and the tremendous topspin and power they generate off both sides. That makes these players more effective from the baseline rather than the net. It is hard to hit an offensive volley effectively, when the ball you're about to hit is spinning at 4000 rpm of topspin.
With so many two shot combo ( big serve & forehand) base liners around I still don't see the end of the all court player. My favorite is Federer and I see many more like him on the way.
My kids have shot up in the rankings ever since I've worked on a more all court approach . I've set the foundation for an all court game , and I know this will help them be more successful.
I suggest you do the same. Work on your net game so you can... creep into the net especially when you hurt your opponent. Then get up to the ball and finish off the point. You'll get lobbed a lot, especially if you are short, so make sure your overhead is in good shape. Throw a surprise serve and volley occasionally. Hit a moon ball looper and if your opponent let's it get up too high, or hits a short reply, creep into the net and finish off the point. Practice your touch shots ( angles and drop vollies). Throw in an occasional drop shot and come in behind it , daring your opponent to pass you on the run. Slice the ball in addition to hitting heavy topspin. Practice your serve to specific targets , so your opponent has no choice but to set you up with a weak return.
It all starts at the junior level. I've seen many matches in 12's where both players cannot hit the ball hard enough to win outright . The only tools being used are shot tolerance ( how many shots it takes to make the opponent miss). loops and drives are used to create angles, and get the opponent out of position. However no one can capitalize on these opportunities, and the match becomes an mental and physical endurance test. The serve is just a "put the ball in play" shot. Overheads are pretty neutral , with no pop
Fast forward a couple of years and our two players are now in the 14's. They hit hard and do a lot of run around forehand. If there is a short ball they will come in and volley, but it is evident that this is not a natural strategy. The angles are created with ease. There is some hesitation but more opportunities to closed off with a swing volley from the mid court. Overheads have a bit more pop. There is rarely a slice, off pace shot or drop shot.
What I'm getting at here is that more tennis is being played from the back court with rarely more than a big forehand. One reason is the racquet technology , which has evolved to a point where , a passing shot can generated with greater pace with a graphite racquet vs a wood one . That puts many of today's would be net players at a deficit right away.
Check out Nastase vs. Ashe -1972 US open final. Notice absolutely every point is won or lost at the net.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lf4wrrpzdYc
I'm not suggesting you serve and volley every point , because that would be an impossibility in today's game.
Another reason for the continued success of the baseline generation , are the size and strength of today's players, and the tremendous topspin and power they generate off both sides. That makes these players more effective from the baseline rather than the net. It is hard to hit an offensive volley effectively, when the ball you're about to hit is spinning at 4000 rpm of topspin.
With so many two shot combo ( big serve & forehand) base liners around I still don't see the end of the all court player. My favorite is Federer and I see many more like him on the way.
My kids have shot up in the rankings ever since I've worked on a more all court approach . I've set the foundation for an all court game , and I know this will help them be more successful.
I suggest you do the same. Work on your net game so you can... creep into the net especially when you hurt your opponent. Then get up to the ball and finish off the point. You'll get lobbed a lot, especially if you are short, so make sure your overhead is in good shape. Throw a surprise serve and volley occasionally. Hit a moon ball looper and if your opponent let's it get up too high, or hits a short reply, creep into the net and finish off the point. Practice your touch shots ( angles and drop vollies). Throw in an occasional drop shot and come in behind it , daring your opponent to pass you on the run. Slice the ball in addition to hitting heavy topspin. Practice your serve to specific targets , so your opponent has no choice but to set you up with a weak return.
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