One of the most common issues coaches see with club-level players is taking up a rallying position too far behind the baseline.
Standing well back has quite a few disadvantages:
1. Your opponent’s shot takes longer to get to you, giving her more time to recover.
2. Your shot takes longer to get to your opponent, giving her more time to prepare.
3. The further back you are, the wider you will be pulled by an opponent’s angled shot.
4. The closer you are to the net, the more angle you can achieve with your shot. The further back you are, the less wide you will be able to pull your opponent with your angled shot.
5. It will take you longer to get to incoming short balls – whether that be to retrieve a drop shot or attack a mid-court ball.
6. By the time the ball reaches you, it may have dropped below its ideal contact height. If you don’t lift the ball enough, you risk hitting the net. If you lift it too much, you risk it going long.
There ARE times when standing well behind the baseline is the right choice. But in general club players will be more effective when positioned around the baseline rather than several metres behind it.
Here’s the latest article in our Tennis Unlocked series by Peter Farrell, one of Ireland’s most experienced coaches. The series will build into a library of knowledge, specifically designed for club-level players, that can help make your match play more effective.
