July 1995
How to use your weapon
By Tim Gullikson, Instruction Editor, with Alexander McNab
Whether it is a powerful shot or fast feet,
you should use your strength to intimidate
and dominate your opponent
A big shot that will give you first-strike capability is almost a must in today's tennis. The next best thing is to have really fast feet and to use them aggressively. A weapon gives you the winning edge.
If your weapon is working, you are going to dictate the play and there isn't much your opponent can do. You force him or her into a defensive mind-set. He constantly must work to avoid hitting to your strength. If he does hit there, the lesser of two evils is that you'll take control of the point with your big shot. The worst-case scenario, from his viewpoint, is that you'll hit a winner.
How do you identify your big shot? It is:
＊A shot you can hit with damaging pace.
＊A shot you can hit in consistently when you hit the ball hard. Brute power alone is not enough. However, if your shot has the requisite speed but lacks the steadiness, you have the potential of turning it into a weapon. Go to your local pro and take a couple of lessons to make that hard, inconsistent stroke a reliable weapon.
＊A shot that you have confidence in, that you feel comfortable hitting when the pressure is on.
＊A shot that is instinctive because of your ability and confidence in it. If you have to think about what you're doing, the shot isn't a true weapon.
＊A shot that is so fun that, in effect, you relax when you rip into it.
On the following pages, I'll outline the strategic and psychological approaches to using five different weapons, as well as offer a stroking key for each one.
INTIMIDATE WITH YOUR RETURN
To make your return a big shot like Andre Agassi's, you have to be mentally alert. Pick up the ball early by watching it from the moment it leaves the server's tossing hand, and stay on your toes by taking a balancing hop just before he makes contact so you are ready to move in any direction.
A good return is a low one against a serve-and-volleyer and a deep one to a corner against a baseliner. In both cases, your return forces a defensive second shot, allowing you to take control of the point with a passing shot against the volleyer or punishing ground stroke against the baseliner.
By returning well, you force your opponent to go for too much on his first serve. He hits it either too hard or too close to the line and ends up missing. Now you've got a second serve coming. Move in front of the baseline and position yourself to hit a forehand. Getting in his face is a big intimidator. He may double-fault. At worst, you are set up to tee off on the ball.
Set your hand and racquet behind the ball by the time it lands on your side. From there, keep your backswing short. Don't take the racquet and hand behind your body.
OVERWHELM WITH YOUR SERVE
At wimbledon last year, Pete Sampras served a game in which his opponent, Richy Reneberg, never touched the ball. Ace, ace, ace, ace. As a big server, you should step up to the baseline with a super-aggressive attitude. You should believe you are going to hit an ace or an unreturnable ball, then try to do it. That's what Sampras does.
Imagine how hopeless your opponent is feeling: "Even if I get the ball back, my return is going to be weak, and he's going to put away the next shot." If you get more than 50 percent of your lethal first serves, that's at least two easy points a game, a big edge against all but the best receivers.
It isn't that simple, of course. You need variety. Work on a wide slice as well as a heater, not only for change of pace but also for change of direction, so you can open up the court. Work on placement. A 95 m.p.h. serve in the corner is more damaging than a 115 m.p.h. ball in the center of the service court. Also work on a reliable spin second serve. Too many club players bomb the first serve but never progress beyond a poofy little second serve.
Toss the ball in front to make your serve bigger. You get your weight moving into the shot. And you get a better start forward if you are serving and volleying.
APPLY PRESSURE WITH YOUR VOLLEY
A really good volleyer who conveys a sense of urgency about getting to the net all the time can be a suffocating opponent. The relentlessness of Stefan Edberg's attack is as important a component of his weaponry as his volley strokes.
A relentless net attack may seem a tall order for club players, but I believe it is a viable option for you. You need to be able to end the point with firm, consistent volleys and a solid overhead. If you go in to net all the time, you'll learn through trial and error how to cover the angles. As you shore up the technical and tactical sides, you'll win a lot of points simply because of your constant aggression.
When your opponent knows you are coming in behind every serve, when he knows you may attack any second serve or any short ground stroke, he is getting to feel pressure to come up with winning passing shots. And that pressure has a cumulative effect. He may pass you easily at 1-1, 40-0. But it's a lot harder to do at 5-5, deuce. You have the upper hand in the mind-set battle; you are the aggressor, he is the defender.
For a firm volley, squeeze the handle tightly at contact while keeping the racquet head above the wrist. Hit straight through the ball with a slightly open racquet face for maximum pop.
ATTACK WITH YOUR FAST FEET
In the last couple of years, Michael Chang has used his quickness to be a more aggressive player. He attacks the midcourt ball and then moves in to close the point out at the net.
Use your speed in many ways to make it a weapon. First, decide you are going to run down every ball. Chang gets to shots not only because he's fast, but also because he tries for everything. Second, use your quickness to get into perfect position for every stroke. Some fast players have sloppy footwork. They tend to be inconsistent, which means they can be outrallied. Third, become an all-court player.
A fast, steady player who can attack is a more difficult opponent than a fast, steady pusher. You force your opponent to try more with his shots than just get the ball back. You make him pay if he doesn't hit deep or cannot make a passing shot. Fast, steady baseliners often make their opponents overhit, until the opponents wise up and realize the steady baseliner cannot hurt them. By attacking with your speed, you take away their chance to make that adjustment.
Use your speed to step inside the court and take the ball early with a short backswing. Then move to the net behind your attacking midcourt shot.