Aim Higher!
Do you know how high the original tennis net was? Well, today, although the net is much lower, for many of us it is still too high, and causes us to lose too many points!
Hi, I'm Adrian, lifelong player and coach. Here on Personal Best Tennis we help keen competitive players to play smarter using their existing strokes , and today to set their sights higher to reduce those unforced errors!
We recently visited and played on the very first lawn tennis court in Birmingham, England. It was in 1865 when a local solicitor, and a local merchant decided to set up an outdoor version of the game that Henry VIII enjoyed at Hampton Court. Thus Royal or Court Tennis gave birth to lawn tennis. They kept the net at 5 feet high. Luckily it was lowered to its present height in 1882.
Have you ever played on a court where you found out the net was just an inch or so too high? It is amazing what a difference that can make to the number of shots hit into the net, especially the serves!
Have you ever played on a court where it was an inch or so too low? Wow, if only you could play that well every day! Now some keen competitors check the height of the net before they start a match where there is no umpire in charge!
There is a belief, or misconception, that good players hit the ball hard and low over the net, and that beginners hit the ball much higher and slower. Well in my experience, it is not that simple!
Yes, it is true that the pros do hit hard and low over the net when they need to. When they want to hit the ball short and angled, or keep it low, or when they are hitting a passing shot. But for the majority of the groundstroke rallies they try to keep a good 'shape' to their shots, meaning hitting it 4 or 5 feet above the tape, and letting topspin bring the ball down into the court beyond the dreaded 'donut hole' area. And that's why they make so few net errors!
It is difficult to observe exactly how high over the net the ball travels in televised matches. But if you do get a chance to watch a live match you may well be surprised!
Now, one of the first things I like to notice about my opponent, and it starts in the warm-up, is their preferred strike height. It may be different for their forehand and backhand. At what height do they look the most comfortable making contact? At what height bounce do they hit the ball the easiest, with the most power?
It is a function of the type of grip used. An extreme western grip for the forehand for example, is an ideal grip for a high bouncing ball. At the other end of the scale, a continental grip is ideal for very low bouncing balls, but uncomfortable for those high bounces!
Double-handed backhand players find high balls a lot easier than those using one hand. Watch the outcome of balls hit off different heights, and notice their grips. In my experience players usually have more trouble with higher bouncing balls.
So there are 3 major reasons we should aim higher over the net.
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Fewer net errors.
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Taking shots out of opponent's preferred strike height.
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It is easier to keep the ball deep.
If you hit the ball low over the net, it has to be hit hard to go deep into the back court. There is a greater risk of the ball being under hit and going short, into that dreaded 'donut hole' area that invites our opponent to attack.
How to get height over the net:
Well, we could just open the racket face a little to get extra height, but there is a limit to how hard we can hit it. The best answer is to impart topspin to the ball, by brushing up on contact, causing the ball to revolve forwards. This makes the ball dip down, the reverse principle of an air plane's wing.
Hit with a lot of force the revolving ball dips quickly, then rebounds upwards. It can be hit aggressively like this, yet safely. With the racket head starting below the ball on contact, a swift upwards movement creates the spin. This works on both backhands and forehands.
So, if you want to cut down on unforced errors, and reduce those netted groundstrokes then aim higher, and use topspin to bring hard hit balls down into the court. You will be glad you did, though your opponent might not thank you!