Coaching Tip - July 2019

    Play smart to beat the Baseliner

    In today’s modern tennis game many Tennis players stay near or behind the Baseline.
    They usually have one or two weapons and try to use them to dictate play.

    The Tactics to combat the Baseline game are as follows;
    Hit High, Deep and Heavy

    • Consistently keep the ball deep with plenty of topspin which will penetrate the court.

    This will keep the ball out of your opponents’s favourite hitting zone and force him/her to create their own power
    Get every ball back into play

    • The more balls you get back into play will help to frustrate your opponent so that he/she will try to hit harder and/or closer to the lines in an attempt to pass you.

    This will hopefully result in more unforced errors from your opponent(s)
    Keep your opponent guessing

    • From time to time however when you are chasing every ball down don’t be afraid to hit a short ball when your opponent is out of position

    Stick to your overall game plan

    • Don’t change your tactics apart from hitting an occassional short ball

    Avoid trying to match their power
    Accept that your opponent will hit some winners
    Try to remain mentally focussed so that you continue to make them play the next shot
    Use the time between points to regain focus and mental control so that you can continue to execute your game plan
    Serve at your Opponent

    • Your go to Serve should be a slice serve straight at your opponent

    This prevents him/her from hitting too many winners from their return of serve
    Once again if you are confident with your serve you could keep them guessing by varing the spin to topspin or flat from time to time.
    Don’t however give them any width or short Serves as they will probably be able to winners from these Serves.

    You will need to practice these tactics at training so that it will be easier to implement during your matches or tournaments.

    I hope that by adopting these tactics that you will be able to improve your results against the many baseliners that play tennis and that your ranking will improve as result.

    Enjoy playing tennis, the game of a lifetime.

    Coach Steve
    Email steve@stevejamestennis.com
    Website www.stevejamestennis.com