6 Skills to dominate Club tennis

The following post is based on a video released by Pete Freeman from Crunch Time Coaching.

It starts with a strong statement: to dominate tennis on club level, you need to do the complete opposite of what the pros are doing. Do not emulate the pros.

First thing : the ultimate rally ball

Play the rally ball high over the net that bounces high on the other side. It works also on doubles. The opponent will be slightly off timing and you will get a lot of short easy balls. Also people do not have good control on high balls and will do more unforced errors.

Second thing : take advantage of weak second serves

Crushing a weak second serve looks easy but is not. Get used to start with a continental grip and chip the ball instead of ripping it. On doubles, hit a low ball with an angle, ideally in the singles court, so the opponent has to run up and hit up. You will get a lot of volleys and overheads to put away. Your ball has to stay low. Once you have done it a couple of times, you can hit a long chipped ball to their feet.

Third thing : master your volley

Learn to hit deep or short angled volleys. Learn to use your shoulder, not your hands. The hands job is to not mess up the work of the shoulders and the hips.

Fourth thing : lob on doubles

Hit a safe lob down the line over your opponent at the net.

Fifth thing : hit controlled overheads

Hit the overheads safely.

Sixth thing : hit dropshots and short balls

The purpose is to move your opponent forward and backwards on doubles.