Offensive skills in tennis are:
1.) Heavy top spin
2.) Hard slice/Touch slice
3.) Flat/Power/Less Spin
4.) Taking the ball earlier/attacking the net
5.) Changing direction of the ball
Notes from the week:
1.) Most players unfortunately choose flat/power/less spin when they feel they need to offensive — however this is the lowest percentage way to be offensive and should be the last alternative.
2.) Many people think the best way to work on your offensive skills is to hit with better players — however the best way to work on your offensive skills is to hit with weaker players so that way you can be offensive. That is one of the many benefits of hitting with weaker players.
3.) There are always positives to every practice situation. What determines how much you get out of practice is how much you work on your game. Whether we have indoor courts or no indoor courts, lots of players on a court or few, your the strongest player or the weakest player — all that matters is staying positive, working hard, and working on your game. Frequently the best players in a junior program, state, section, nation, or college team — stay the best players. How can that be if they aren’t hitting with better players? They work on their game. Who does Novak practice with? We can always have stipulations that make practice challenging and beneficial.
4.) High percentage rules:
- When behind the baseline, miss long
- When inside the baseline, miss in the net or wide
- When moving one direction, hit to the big part of the court
5.) Be a student of the game…write in your notebook. Why not be the best version of yourself?