| Keeping the ball at the back of the court is really your | | | | the net trying to get the ball in this "back box". |
| no 1 weapon at this stage of your tennis career. | | | | You can even try adding in this simple scoring sytem |
| As the former French Open Champ & World No | | | | to help add a bit of fun and pressure. |
| 2 tennis player Michael Chang once said "depth is | | | | You award yourself 5 points if your shot goes over |
| King". | | | | and lands in either of the service boxes. |
| And he should know, as he was only kept of the top | | | | You award yourself 10 points if your shot goes over |
| of the rankings and winning at Wimbledon and at the | | | | and lands in the back box (the rectangle we spoke |
| US Open by tennis immortals Pete Sampras and | | | | about earlier). |
| Andre Agassi. | | | | You score zero if the ball fails to go over the net. |
| He was also really the forerunner for some of the | | | | You also score zero if the ball goes too deep and |
| great players of today players like Rafa Nadal. | | | | drops beyond the baseline as well as if it is too wide |
| Anyway, this is what this tennis tip will do for you in the | | | | and drops in the tramlines or completely out of court. |
| real world of tennis (and that's where it really counts) - | | | | Keep a note of your scores for say 10 shots and see |
| It will keep you in the point for more shots and as we | | | | how long it takes you to regularly hit 100!! |
| all know at this stage, keeping lots of shots in court isn't | | | | As your scores go up, so will your game. |
| always easy. | | | | Tip |
| You will be asking your opponent to hit an extra 1 or 2 | | | | The biggest mistake most players at this level make is |
| shots every point than they may feel uncomfortable | | | | that they hit the ball too low and therfore possibly into |
| with and that will often lead them to make errors. | | | | the net or too short if they do get it over. |
| Remember what it says in the rules of tennis - "the | | | | Your ball when hit from the baseline should be roughly |
| winner of the point is the last person to hit the ball in | | | | twice the height of the net as it goes over. |
| court" - consistent depth will help you to be that | | | | Provided you hit the shot with some topspin, the ball |
| person. | | | | should fall comfortably into the court on the other side |
| To help you achieve this, use the large rectangle | | | | of the net. |
| formed by the service line, baseline and singles | | | | Practising this drill (on both forehand and backhand), |
| sidelines as your target. | | | | either on your own or with a partner will pay great |
| Spend 5 minutes before your next practise/lesson etc | | | | dividends for you in the future as it will teach you |
| and look at it from over the net and keep looking at it | | | | about how to hit the ball as well as where to hit it. |
| as you walk back to he baseline. | | | | Try it today. |
| Then, drop some balls for yourself and hit shots over | | | | |