Taking the Ball on the Rise

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Andre Agassi was known for taking the ball on the rise and working his opponent around the court. Agassi was one of the most efficient tennis players with his movement and footwork.

Taking the ball on the rise has many benefits. It takes time away from your opponent, allows for sharper angles, and promotes forward movement.

Learning how to hit the ball on the rise is essential to a tennis player’s development. At first it can be difficult and at times frustrating. However, with the proper footwork, knee bend, and several hours of practice it will become habit.

The Drill: Half Court Elevens

Start by positioning yourself at the base line on the deuce or add side of the court with your partner on the opposite side of the net stationed cross court from you. Play out cross court points on half the court including the doubles alley. Focus on taking every ball waist high and moving forward into the court to take the ball on the rise. Play to eleven, win by two, and switch sides and repeat. Half Court Elevens is beneficial when leaning how to hit the ball on the rise because it limits the amount of court you need to cover and provides several benefits and rewards for taking the ball early.

Randy Reynolds
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Photo Credit: Stephanie E. Chau

When and How to Poach

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Poaching in doubles can win you many points and put pressure on your opponent but you need to know when to poach. When playing against a predictable opponent or an opponent who is having difficulty returning serve or handling the first volley, poaching is a great play. For example, if my partner has a good serve that is causing my opponent to return late frequently a good play would be for my partner to serve up the middle and for me to poach. Another popular use of the poach shot is off the server’s first volley. A lot of players will hit their first volley down the middle of cross court when the ball is returned low. Often it is a habit and can be exploited with the poach shot when it occurs. However, the poach shot has to be done on the right ball. For instance, if your partner has a weak serve you might take a step to cover the line instead of looking to poach. Poach on shots that will allow you to be successful.

In order to poach successfully you need to recognize opportunities and do a few things technically sound. First, you want to identify when your team hits a strong ball and patterns in your opponents play. Second, you want to position yourself to be successful when poaching. For example, if my partner has a good serve and is going to hit it up the middle I will close the distance to the net by one or two feet by moving forward while the returner is split stepping. It is hard for an opponent to recognize you changing your depth on the court when done with vertical movement. Once the returner’s racket begins to accelerate forward I will close diagonally toward the net to provide myself with a better opportunity for a high volley and better angles. Very few players can watch the ball, notice you move, and change the direction of their shot once the racket has started to accelerate forward without creating unforced errors. Thirdly, you want to keep it simple with your upper body when poaching. Keep the racket out in front with little to no backswing. When poaching you want solid contact and keeping it simple with your upper body is essential.

There are benefits to the poach shot and it is important to know where to hit your poach shot. The poach shot takes time away from your opponent and can catch players off guard which can lead to easy points. When hitting your poach shot you want to take it either down the middle between both players or crosscourt toward the net player, never down the line. If the ball goes down the line your court will be left wide open and you might as well of just stayed. You may hear teaching pros teach their students to take the ball at their opponent’s feet. This is great if the student can place the ball low, but what often happens is the poach shot is hit at the opponent’s waist and the point continues. I like to teach my students who are club level players to hit their poach shots down the middle or angle away from their opponents because many of them do not have the control to execute the poach low at their opponent’s feet consistently.

I hope this motivates you to start poaching and poaching drills and videos will be coming!

Randy Reynolds
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Tennis Drill: Serve and Return

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What are the two most important strokes in tennis? Serve and return. What strokes do we practice the least? Serve and return. It is amazing how much time we spend on other strokes without ever hitting a serve or return. Serving and returning requires a lot of practice and should be a top priority to focus on whenever you go out to the court to drill.

There is a great drill for serving and returning that you can incorporate into your practice or any program at your tennis facility. One player is serving and the other is returning. The server hits their serve, returner returns crosscourt, server hits the first ball back crosscourt, and the returner traps the ball with his racket and hand. Repeat this over and over again until you have it down.
What if you want to work on serve and volley as well? Not a problem. Use the same drill with a slight modification. The server hits their serve, returner returns crosscourt, server hits the first volley back crosscourt, and the returner traps the ball with his racket and hand. This is a great drill to get comfortable with the first volley and timing the split step.

This is a basic drill that is great for players of all levels!

Randy Reynolds
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The Tweener Drill

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There have been times in tennis where players can only shake their heads in disbelief. We are not talking about the antics of the tennis legend, John McEnroe, or the tennis divas of the sport.  We are talking about the trick shots, the highlight reels, or in this case the tweener.

There are some key elements of the tweener that we can pick up by watching Chris durring the tweener drill. Notice how Chris tracks the ball with his eyes to ensure that the ball lands out in front of his body. Chris then raises his racket head around eye level and lets the ball drop low into his tweener strike zone, around ten inches off the ground. After the drill I spoke with Chris and he said that he recruits a lot of wrist snap to get the ball over the net. He was able to do this drill in the middle of winter! Chris will be posting in more detail how to hit the tweener in the near future and how he learned the stroke.

Randy Reynolds
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10 and Under Tennis

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Over thirty local tennis coaches attended the 10 and Under Tennis Seminar that was held in Reno, NV yesterday.  The seminar was held to inform coaches that the USTA rules for 10 and under tennis tournaments have changed, why they have changed, and more importantly the USTA has invested millions of dollars to research the best way for youngsters to learn the game of tennis and they shared with us how to make the 10 and Under Tennis program a success.

The way coaches in our country have taught tennis to youngsters is going to be demolished and replaced with a system that will allow kids to feel success on the tennis court. All of us coaches have had our four to ten year olds in a line, having them turn, step, and hit a few balls, and then go back to the end of the line and wait. As a coach, I want my students to feel success but the standard tennis equipment makes it tough for youngsters to feel successful. That is all about to change. With the proper equipment youngsters will be able to rally together and have a truly fun experience with tennis. How often can a youngster have a rally with their mom or dad with a normal tennis ball? On average maybe five or six shot rallies because the ball bounces out of their comfort zone more times than not. With different balls with different compressions youngsters will be able to hit the ball in their comfort zone more of the time. Youngsters also get discouraged when the ball is hit too far away from them because five or so of their steps is equal to one or two of mine. That is why the USTA is recommending the court size be different depending on the age and ability of the child. More importantly the USTA has put together a program of drills for tennis coaches that when used properly will give the youngsters the experience they deserve.

I was blown away by the program that was presented and how much value it would present to our local ten and under youngsters. With the right coaches and the new program presented by the USTA there is no reason why any child should not feel the success children experience in other sports like soccer. The program makes a big difference and this will make a positive impact for our country’s youth and future tennis players.

Randy Reynolds
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Who Covers the Middle in Doubles?

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One of the most hopeless feelings in tennis occurs when you don’t know where to be on the court. Everyone has played doubles and watched the ball go down the middle for a clean winner. Neither you nor your partner reacted to cover the ball and no one really knew who’s ball it was. Perhaps someone had suggested that the player with the forehand should have taken the ball but let us demolish that suggestion once and for all.

To determine who covers the middle in doubles we need to know where everyone is stationed on the court and where the ball is being hit. For the purpose of this post let’s say that all four players are up at net and every player is of equal ability on both sides. If I hit the ball down the line at my opponent I will be covering my line and my partner will cover the middle. If I hit the ball cross court at my opponent I will cover the middle and my partner will cover his line. If my opponent directly in front of me receives the ball I will cover my line and my partner will cover the middle. If my partner hits the ball directly down the middle of the court my partner and I will both favor the middle. If the ball comes back to us down the middle, the ball is free game and who ever reacts first should take it. The scenarios can go on and on.

The benefits of using the above formula for covering the middle far exceed the risks of not doing so. By covering the line and the middle the only portion of the court being left open for a winning volley is the sharp cross court angle. The percentage of the court being left open for your opponent to hit into is minimal and the shot is considered low percentage for most players. If the forehand player was always responsible for covering the middle of the court his line would be left open when his opponent directly in front of him receives the ball. A full alley left open far exceeds the percentage of court left open by using the formula above.

The purpose of me sharing this doubles strategy with you is to help give you guidelines for where to be in doubles. There may be circumstances that cause you to alter the formula. For instance, an opponent who always directs low backhand volleys crosscourt, by all means alter the formula to take advantage of your opponent’s tendencies. The formula is a guideline it is not applicable to all teams and situations.

The Drill: Covering the Middle

Start with all four players up at net. One team hits down the line, the other team hits cross court, and both teams stay true to the pattern always. Let’s say I’m on the down the line team and am positioned on the deuce side of the court. I feed the ball down the line, my opponent volleys crosscourt, my partner volleys down the line, my other opponent volleys back to me crosscourt, and we keep this pattern for as long as we can.

While this pattern is taking place both teams are actively moving to cover the middle and the line. Each person is actively moving and splitting whether or not they receive the ball trying to be in the best position possible by covering the greatest percent of the court possible as a team.

Randy Reynolds
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Mastering the First Volley

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Transitioning from the baseline to the net can be difficult and uncomfortable for tennis players. The best thing to do to gain confidence and become comfortable transitioning up to net is to work on your first volley. For many players the first volley ranges from two feet behind the service line, to a little inside the service line depending on the situation. In order to master the first volley you need to learn how to volley anywhere on the court and practice it a lot.

The Drill: Transitioning With Volleys

This is a drill that my tennis director and I came up with for a doubles clinic two summers ago, so whether you’re an instructor or a player you can implement this drill into your practice.

The drill is played out cross court with one person up at net and one person a few feet inside the baseline (no man’s land). The net person starts the feed hitting it deep enough for the other player to play it out of the air. For the less experienced player, try to keep the feeds around chest high, the more experienced player can handle feeds below the waist. The person up at net holds their ground while the person starting in no man’s land keeps closing the net on each volley. The longer the rallies go the better.

There are areas of focus that will help you succeed in this drill. First, make sure to start off slow and work on controlling each volley to one another till you have consistent rallies. Focus on your footwork. Make sure your shoulders and feet are turned for each volley, especially the volleys that are taken behind the service line. This will help you see the ball and hely you open up the racket face on low volleys. The deeper you are in the court, the more you should focus on opening up the racket face and striking through each volley slightly high to low.

Randy Reynolds
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Winning up at Net

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randy reynolds winning up at netEvery tennis player has come up to net on an offensive approach shot and lost the point because of not knowing where to take the volley. Wouldn’t it be nice to know what your volley shot selection is going to be before you make your way up to net? I can remember my dad telling me stories about chess player Bobby Fischer, calculating outcomes several moves in advance. In essence, my dad was trying to get me to think strategically about my tennis game. Now, I am going to ask you to do the same.

I will lay out the strategy I use when I come up to net on a down the line approach. First, I always cover the line because I want to cover the majority of the court and force my opponent to try a lower percentage shot and hit cross court. This allows me to cover the down the line pass and anything hit down the middle. If my opponent passes me crosscourt I clap my racket and take note.

Once I am up at net I want to determine if my opponent’s shot is going to be above or below the net. If it is above you just got yourself a go to volley that will win you a lot of points. After approaching down the line you want to place the above waist high volley cross court in the service box.  Try to take some pace off of the volley in order to control it. This will make your opponent run the furthest distance to cover the ball and chances are they won’t get their racket on it. The reason you don’t punch the volley deep is because your shot will have less angle and travel further providing your opponent with more time to run it down.

If your opponent’s shot is below net level when you go to hit your volley you are going to need to earn the point. There are different shots that you can go for in this situation. What I like to do is either place the volley back deep down the line, trying to wrong foot a fast opponent, or place my volley deep down the middle limiting my opponent’s angles. Other players, who are more gifted than I, may go for a drop volley in this scenario. Pete Sampras made it famous but unless it’s below forty degrees outside it’s not one of my strengths.

It is important to remember that you only need to win the majority of points in a match to take away the W. The majority of us get irritated when we see a passing shot go by for a winner or if we dump an easy volley into the net. The important part is that you’re putting yourself in the position to execute your winning strategy and with practice it will become habit.

Thanks for spending time with me,

Randy Reynolds
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The Tennis Drill: Ground strokes, Down the Line, Cross Court

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What separates the world’s top ten tennis players from the other tennis professionals trying to climb the ranking ladder? When I think of what separates the top tennis players like Federer, Nadal, and Djokoic from the rest of the pack, I think of their ability to hit on the run.

To control your shots while moving it is important to set up properly with balance. When setting up for your shots you want to make sure you have enough distance between you and the ball. You can accomplish this by taking smaller steps before committing to the stroke. I use to hop when hitting my forehand during my junior years (I still do on occasion) and the reason was often because I didn’t allow enough space between myself and the ball. What I concentrate on to ensure my preparation is solid while hitting is keeping my head level and still throughout the stroke.

Shot selection is also a key to success while hitting on the run. When hitting on the run you want to make sure to aim parallel to the side line (usually 3 feet inside the line) or cross court to limit the likely hood of missing wide. These tips should help you succeed with the drill!

The Tennis Drill: Ground strokes, Down the Line, Cross Court

Start by deciding who will be hitting down the line and who will be hitting crosscourt. Take opposite sides of the court and start at the baseline. Anyone can start the feed but each player must always stick to their pattern (hitting down the line or cross court). This will keep both players moving along the baseline to hit the ball.

The goal of the drill is to be comfortable hitting on the run while controlling your shots. Make an effort to hit rally balls and work with your partner so both of you can be successful. I struggle with this drill because it is as much of a mental drill as it is physical drill. After I run down ten to twenty shot rallies repeatedly my legs begin to tire and I begin to hit aggressively which is a mental error. Try not to repeat my mistake because it throws off the goal of the drill which is to work with your partner on setting up well for each ball and hitting effectively on the run.

This is an advanced two person drill that requires teamwork. If you have trouble keeping the ball in play with the down the line, cross court drill, try hitting cross court to one another (side stepping back to the middle each time) instead counting out loud till you reach twenty in a row. After the cross court drill is completed do the same drill, but hit down the line instead, counting out loud till you reach twenty in a row. Happy hitting!

Randy Reynolds
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How to Hit a Kick Serve

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How would you like to learn a second serve that you can depend on and that can win you points? My juniors get wide eyed and grin when I ask them that question. A great second serve is a tennis player’s dream and one of the tools Pete Sampras had at his disposal when he dominated the tennis world.

The kick serve has many benefits and is the go to serve for the majority of top ranked players. The kick serve provides great net clearance, a kick out to the right (for right handed players), can be used to pull your opponent off the court, and can be devastating to your opponent. How many people do you play against that love to hit high backhands? Not that many so make your opponent show you they can handle it.

The Tennis Drill: Kick Serve Training Wheels

The kick serve is a tough serve to learn so it is often a good idea to start out with a drill to learn the mechanics. Start with your racket in the back scratch position and toss the ball over your right ear (not your left ear yet). Next, accelerate your racket up at the ball brushing from 6 to 12 o’clock, as if it the ball was the face of a clock. This will allow you to get under the ball and generate topspin. Try to see how high of a trajectory you can get by brushing up the ball. Twenty to thirty feet is my typical range for this drill and once you feel confident with this you are ready to transition to the kick serve.

The Kick Serve Mechanics:

Toss the ball over your left ear, show your tossing arm’s shoulder blade to your opponent and accelerate your racket head from 7 to 1 o’clock. This will make the ball kick and give you a good foundation for learning a kick serve. Remember its best to start with the training wheels on if you haven’t mastered generating topspin on the serve.

Randy Reynolds
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