Sharp Shooter
Juniors and club players are often obsessed with hitting the ball harder. Adding more power is important, but how about learning to hit the ball smarter?
I love watching my sister Chrissie play some of the top juniors at the Evert Academy because she drives them crazy with her precision. She doesn’t have their power, but she wins points by seeing and understanding the geometry of the court.
The sharp forehand angle will teach you a new way to look at the court. It’s great for making your opponents run, pushing them out wide, making them uncomfortable and baiting them to go for a low-percentage shot. And don’t forget that it can also be used as an effective passing shot.
This shot requires an open stance, relaxed hands and a swing that emphasizes spin and precision over length. In this sequence, we’ll demonstrate this shot with heavy topspin.
1. Begin with an open stance. This is critical as it allows your hands to work freely through the hitting zone and lets you get under and over the ball quickly, maximizing spin. This shot requires a strong unit turn. Your shoulders and hands work together with your lower body. Your hands should be out of the way and your outside leg should line up with your open hips. This will allow you to turn into the shot.
2. Keep your backswing compact so you are able to drop the racquet head under the ball. Maintain your knee bend and keep some space between your arms. Your non-hitting arm should still be extended.
3. As the ball approaches, drop your racquet below the level of the ball so you can brush up the back of the ball and give it an arcing shape. You have less court to work with when you’re hitting a sharp angle, so spin is essential. As you begin your forward acceleration, your hips will come through sooner than on your regular forehand. This will help create the proper angle and impart a lot of spin.
4. On contact, you’re hitting a different part of the ball than you would on a drive. Attack the lower outside of the ball and brush up so you finish over on the inside of the ball. Accelerate through the ball as you brush up, so the ball goes up and down quickly. Many players guide their angles and don’t create enough topspin, which gives opponents a putaway shot.
5. To hit a sharp forehand angle, you need to swing across your body, rather than fully out as you would on a drive. You still need to extend out toward the target, but your swing is brushing up the back of the ball and curling it to the sideline. It’s more of a glancing blow than a head-on blast. When the ball leaves the racquet, your shoulder should face your target.
6. The windshield-wiper finish is a natural way to conclude this shot. When you’re applying this much spin with relaxed hands, the best tennis racquets will naturally turn over on your follow through. Once you finish this shot, your body position will allow you to recover to the middle of the court.
These are my six steps on how to hit a tennis ball smarter. How about you? How do you hit the tennis ball? I hope you find this tip useful and interesting.