The three types of courts

Today I taught my first lesson on a clay court, so I think it is a good time to understand how the different surfaces affect the game.

Hard Court

The most common court is a hard surface court. Chances are, if  you have played tennis court at a park, local court, or almost anywhere else, you have played on a hard court. Hard courts are characterized by a medium speed between the three types, and has a higher bounce relative to the others. Note that there are two types of hard courts, there are acrylic courts, which are the most common court in the US and are seen in the US Open, and there are Rebound Ace courts which are synthetic and can be seen in the Australian Open.

Clay Court

Clay courts, as seen in the French Open, reduce the speed of the ball and make long rally points very common. Matches can last much longer and be more exhausting on clay easily because of the speed. The bounce is close to hard courts, but is noticeably lower. Clay courts can be found in the US but are much more common in Europe and South America. It is important to note that when running on clay, knowing how to slide into far shots is a skill that must be learned, as the clay makes it much easier to slide on.

Grass Court

Grass courts are the most uncommon court in the US. When playing on grass, points will be very quick because of the increased speed of the ball and decreased bounce. Grass courts are mainly played on in Wimbledon, which is the only grand slam played on grass today. These courts require much more care than hard or clay courts.

The volley

The volley is one of the most important shots in winning a point. Up at the net, a player has a much better chance of commanding the ball, and therefore, winning the point. After the approach shot (which I will discuss later) you should be at the net. What I mean by this, is that your position in the court should be more than halfway up. The easiest way to find out where you should run to, or stand for volleys, is one racquet's length plus two steps back from the net. This means that you should be above the service line, but not right on top of the net.

To start your volley, we start with your ready stance and grip. Your feet should be a little more than shoulder length apart, knees bent, heels off the ground, ready to move. This should sound familiar because your ready position should be the similar to at the baseline. However, the difference at the net, is that the racquet should start in front of you, but in front of your face, that way the racquet is already up in the air, ready to turn to one side. This also helps in case someone hits the ball right at you, as all you have to do is lean out of the way. 

Your grip should be continental. If you do not know how to hold the racquet in continental grip, click here.

After you ready up, we will start with the forehand, simply turn your shoulders slightly to your forehand side, move your racquet to that side, keeping it slightly in front of you, and swiftly jab the ball, do not swing. The footwork for this shot is very simple: step forward with your opposite foot, like the player is doing above. If you are a right handed player, your forehand will hit on your right side, and your left foot will step forward. Left handed is vise-versa.

The backhand volley can be performed as a two handed or a one handed shot. For the two handed shot, simply put your weak hand on top of your dominant, turn to your backhand side, jab, and step with your opposite foot. For a one handed, turn to your backhand side, move your weak hand up to the bridge or throat of the racquet, (just below the strings,) and swing with the racquet moving out of your weak hand, keeping your weak hand up, stepping through with your opposite foot.

Four things to keep in mind when hitting volleys is that, 1) Never make a full swing on the ball, a light punch or jab is plenty. 2) Never hit or go over the net when swinging, this will result in an automatic loss of the point. 3) Never let the racquet fall below your waist, and never point the racquet down. 4) Don't let the racquet get behind you! Be aggressive and take the shot in front, if you are trying to catch up to the ball and hitting it from behind your body it will be much, much more difficult to make a good shot.

You should be one step closer to learning the sport after reading this and trying it out.

Faux doubles practice

This is a great drill for practicing hitting cross court in doubles when you only have two people. I had my lesson today suggest this drill that he had picked up in Florida.

To start, divide the court right down the middle into two sides, deuce side and add side, (deuce is the servers right side, ad is the opposite). You play cross court, one vs. one. One player serves while the other returns, the deuce half of the court for each player is in first, alleys are in as well. One player will serve the entire first game, staying on the deuce side for every serve. Points are won by normal rules, only that the ad side of the court is out, so points must be won hitting cross court. You can play to five, seven, eleven or any other number depending on length of the points and you must win by two. After one player wins, the serve changes hands. After each player has served the deuce side, switch and play on the ad side, meaning deuce court is now out of bounds.
This drill strengthens the importance of hitting cross court in doubles to build your points, as well as hitting angled shots with the alleys. Keep in mind though that when you actually play, you may have a second opponent at the net, ready to poach those easy shots down the middle.