Hit for Haiti

Friday night is date night for Karen and I.  Kameron is spending the night with his friend Jordon. I had gotten home first from the club and started to string 1 of the 4 racquets for the night.  I turned on the TV and went to the Tennis Channel #411 and there it was – The Hit for Hati in Indian Wells.

Karen got home from the tax office and instead of going out to eat, we ate peanut butter & jelly so we could watch this special event.

*~*

Steffi Graff and Lindsey Davenport vs Martina Navratilova and Justine Henin – a collection of 50 Grand Slam Titles.  They were wired for sound and Martina dominate the running commentary as the match was played out before a sold out crowd of 60,000 fans in an event put on by Larry “E” from Oracle.  It was motivated by Roger Federer’s event at the Australian Open in January.

There goal $1,000,000 for the Red Cross relief fund.

Round 1 – Ladies Doubles

The tennis was awesome.  Justin, who just a couple of hours earlier had fallen to defeat in the 1st round of Indian Wells was out there and loving being on the court with all these special players. Martina who is just 2 years removed from winning a US Open MXD title with Bob Bryan.  Lindsey, who after 2 children is coming back to play World Team Tennis and Steffi Graff who has two children with Andre and plays little.

Great points - huge Steffi forehand, killer Lindsey backhand, angled Martina volleys and Justin’s amazing quickness and backhand.  They laughed, tried not to be the first one to serve, talked about their children and were admittedly concerned about – not looking bad on the court.

Steffi said no tennis for her children – baseball. Martina said, “Why not, tennis is a great sport?”  Steffi said the kids have not shown any particular interest in tennis at this point.  What a waste of a talent pool! Steffi & Andre – got to be some great tennis genes in there.

Round 2 – Men’s Doubles

Rafa Nadal and Andre Agassi vs Pete Sampras and Roger Federer.  Not as many Grand Slam Titles but some pretty awesome players and points.  The tennis was a little more serious.  Andre was a crack up with a running commentary of ‘Trash-Talking’ to Roger and Pete.

Andre would predict how fast he would serve and be within 1 mph of the speed he predicted.  He joked about receiving Pete’s serve at a break point and joked that he had been there before.  He challenged Roger, smacked a few winners pass both Roger and Pete and hit a couple of aces. The tennis was high quality and high energy.

Pete was quiet as usual until he finally told Andre he was going to add some humor – he imitated Andre’s walk and how he tucks his shirt – everyone laughed. Then – OOPS – Andre imitated Pete by pulling his pockets on his warm up pants inside out and saying he had no money to tip.  THINGS GOT QUIET – there was an uneasy tension in the stadium and on the court.

Pete was visibly upset with the humor – everyone in the commentary booth sensed it as well.  There were a few more barbs tossed back and forth.  Pete told Andre he made it “personal”.  At one point Pete served at Andre who was standing on the baseline while Rafa was receiving.  Andre did not take well to that.  Rafa and Andre broke Pete and on the change over, Justin “G” went down to the players on the side line and tried to “lighten up the mood” on the court.

The mood on the court the remainder of the match was – not as much fun. Roger did a great job – as the neutral Swiss – in trying to bridge the gap and bring the fun back.  Finally Andre attempted to lighten things up a little but not with much success.

Roger and Pete won the match to 8 games.  Nadal spoke little as did Pete.  After the match, Pete and Andre gave each other a hug.  Pete said, “I love you Andre,” but you never got the sense that things would be well between the two.  Andre had written in his book about Pete being a bad tipper and Pete had not liked the comment then and had addressed it with the press and supposedly with Andre.

*~*

We were reminded about the true intent of the event and things got back on track as a $1,000,000 check was presented to Haitian Relief.  Tony Bennett sang “Smile”, a song influenced by the great Charlie Chaplin.  They showed scenes from Haiti and the coming of smiles as the Red Cross offered food and aid to the victims.

Karen and I never made it out on our date night – but she loved the tennis and seeing the best players having fun and for a great cause.  I got my 4 racquets strung and hoped for dry courts on Saturday morning.

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Tennis Ball and Grape Balloons.

Playing in Serbia on the red clay, Americans John Isner and Sam Querry showed heart and where American tennis still has a great crop of young players coming along.

In their first ever Davis Cup appearance, John and Sam lost their first matches as USA players.  That had to be nervous time – can you imagine playing for your country in front of thousands of cheering fans applauding every error you make and every shot the opponent makes?

Day 2 is the Bryan Brothers vs Serbia – oops, only Bob Brian (Mike had gotten food poisoning) and John Isner playing the top doubles player in the world for Serbia, Zimonjic and singles specialist Tipsarevic.  The Americans manage to pull out an incredible win.  At set point in the tie breaker, Isner is passed on set point at the net – Zimonjic had raised his hand and called Bob Brian’s serve “out.”  The umpire declared a let for distraction and the Americans somehow manage to win that point and the tie breaker and the match later on.

Day 3 Isner and #2 in the world, Djokovic – in Serbia, thousands of exuberant fans and on red clay.  John plays well in the first set but gets broken late in the first set to go down 0-1. 2nd set, John comes back to win, 3rd set, Djokovic wins and in a tie breaker, John wins the 4th set.  Djokovic is penalize a point in the tie breaker for hitting a ball into the stands.  This is his second violation and John gets a free point to go up 3-1 in the breaker.  John holds serve after a tight tie breaker to force a 5th set.

5th set Isner – now in his 10th hour of Davis Cup competition in the last 3 days and all in matches that count is broken early in the set.  The crowd goes wild.  John stays competitive throughout the set and goes on to SAVE 5 MATCH POINTS, before netting a forehand from the ad court on return of serve.

Awesome play from John Isner who played 4 years at Georgia, won the NCAA Singles Championships before going out out on the tour.  Way to go John…  He had lost to Sam Querry last week in Memphis in the finals and then teamed with Sam to win the doubles – he and Sam are a double threat in singles and doubles.

John showed so much composure and guts in this match against the crowd and the #2 ranked and 3rd best clay court player in the world behind Federer and Nadal.  John and Sam love to play tennis and will be a part of Davis Cup for many years to come as well as the ATP Tour.  This should be a super summer for both of these tall (6 ft 9″ and 6 ft 6″) American players.

We may have lost this week but we certainly have seen we have a couple of winners in John Isner, Sam Querry – not to mention the best doubles team in the world – the 30 yr old Bryan Brothers who will soon become the team with all the worlds doubles records by the time they think of retiring.

Thanks Americans, we are proud of you,
Ken DeHart

Photo Credits: Camino Z

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Tennis Ball Machine

Ball machines are great for practicing your doubles shots – if positioned correctly.

5 things NOT to do when using a ball machine:

1. Do not place the ball machine on the baseline in the center of the court
2. Do not have the ball machine oscillate from deuce court to ad court
3. Do not use the ball machine to practice only your ground strokes
4. Do not stand still after each of your shots
5. Do not return random shots of the in-coming ball

5 things TO consider doing when using a ball machine:

1. Place the ball machine in the deuce court near the singles side line
2. Have the ball machine direct the shots to your deuce court alley
3. If you wish to have the ball machine oscillate, have it direct the ball to your deuce court alley and then toward the center service mark in the deuce court as though you were pulled wide to return a shot and the next ball was directed up the middle to your center of the court.
4. After each shot recover to a new position on the court to keep your feet in motion simulating real match play
5. Direct each ball you receive back toward an intended target. Aim for a direction and depth as you send the ball back over the net.

There are many options to consider in planning your practice to improve the quality and effectiveness of you practice time with the ball machine.

5 things to consider when PLANNING your practice:

1. Getting advice from someone on how to adjust the ball machine and how to vary deliveries of the ball
2. The length of time you want to practice – half an hour or an hour based upon your goals, shots you wish to work on and conditioning level
3. Having a friend join in with you to practice volleys off your ground strokes or lobbing off your volleys when at the net.  They can even practice poaching on every other shot that comes out of the ball machine and you can practice switching after the poach.
4. It also helps when it comes time to pick up the balls when the machine is empty so you can spend more time hitting.  That may include taking turns putting balls in the machine while either of you are hitting then rotating turns. Consider serving all the balls that did not make it over the net when you do have to pause to pick up the balls to work on your serve as part of your practice.
5. Write down drills you create or ask your tennis professional to suggest some drills that would be good for your doubles game.

10 options to make your PRACTICE PRACTICAL:

1. Select real doubles targets:  deep cross court to square #2, short underspin or heavy short angle shots to square #1, down the line toward the net players alley or lobbing high and deep to square #3 over the opposing net players head.
2. Even though the ball machine is set to send the ball to you as a ground stroke, practice moving forward after your initial shot to play a half-volley and then moving in further to play a volley or two.
3. As you play shots moving in toward the net, select targets for direction and depth that you would actually use if your opponent were on the baseline where the ball machine is located and your were attempting to capture the net.
4. When you get to the net, recover back quickly and retreat back toward the baseline as though you were put on total defense by your opponent.  Pause to make a shot from your position and then retreat further back until you choose to advance forward again.
5. Vary the speed of your shots.  Use the 3 speeds mentioned in other articles: level 1 is slower and has lots of spin, level 2 is a rally speed and level 3 is as hard as you can hit – without missing.
6. Vary the spin of your shots.  Use varying degrees of topspin and underspin to improve your weapons in match play.
7. Vary the frequency of the shots delivered by the ball machine.  Allow little time between shots or too much time like an opponent who plays softly and slowly with their returns.
8. Vary the spin of the shots delivered by the ball machine to help you learn how to receive different shots that may be difficult for you in your matches.
9. Limit the number of shots you make without pausing.  Hitting 3oo balls in a row just because that is how many the ball machine holds is not effective not efficient practice.  After about 40 or 50 balls, use the remote and turn off the machine and reset some feature of the ball you are receiving – change the direction of the in-coming ball, speed, spin or depth of the ball.
10. Change your targets often.  Practice enough returns to specific targets until you are confident with that target then move on to a new target that demonstrates your ability to control the direction, depth, spin and speed of your returning shot.

Ask your tennis professional to use a ball machine in your next lesson to see how it can be used effectively in your practice session.  Ball machines are great ways to allow you repetition in learning how to hit a shot.  They also assist in developing confidence in your strokes so you can play them in match play without having to think about “how” to hit.  This will allow you to focus more on the strategy of “where” to direct your shots and enjoy playing the game – TENNIS.

by Ken DeHart
USA High Performance Coach
PTR & USPTA Master Professional

Photo Credits: arsandy.wordpress.com

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Tennis Doubles

Great teams like the Bryan brothers talk between points, keep each other pumped up and focused on what they are planning to do to play the next point. They also have to know what their job description is as a teammate to help their partner play effectively.

Do you know your job description?

Here are 7 simple descriptions for each of the 4 positions on the court in a match:

Server:

1. Talk to your partner and tell them where you intend to serve – to the opponent’s forehand, backhand or body.
2. Decide where you will stand to serve to create an advantage for your team – near the center service line, near the alley or neutral between the two.
3. Decide if you plan to – serve and stay back, serve and volley or serve and attack the first short ball.
4. Know what your partner at the net intends to do – stay, fake or poach.
5. Get your first serve in play 80% of the time with a specific – direction, spin or speed.
6. When you miss your first serve – you create a “must” situation for your second serve, your partner goes into more of a defensive mode and your opponent plans more aggressive returns.
7. Get ready for another ball to be returned as the point is seldom over with the first shot.

Server’s Partner:

1. Know where your partner intends to serve and – will they stay back, serve and volley or attack the first short ball.
2. Decide and communicate what you plan to do on the return of serve – stay, fake or poach.
3. Your job – D.A.D. – distract the returner (legally) by getting your feet in motion, attack the return or once the ball passes you – move back to play defense.
4. If you poach – aim for 1 of the 3 valleys with your volley – the 3 Service line “T’s” on the court and not at the player where they might defend themselves and accidentally get the ball back in play.
5. Avoid the 2 mountains – the two players aim to the outside of either player or up the middle in the 3 valleys.
6. If you do not poach, move back on a diagonal when the ball passes you to face the opposing net player or the net rushing team and play defense.
7. Get ready for another ball to be returned to you as the point is seldom over with the first shot.

Receiver:

1. Tell your partner which part of the court you plan to direct your return – 1 of the 4 squares on the opposite court is a good start.
2. Decide if you will – chip, drive, loop or lob the return.
3. Use the D.A.D principle – distract with your positioning, attack the return or defend by getting the ball back in play.
4. Position yourself to be able to move forward into your return of serve.
5. Decide if you will – return and go in, return and stay back or fake a move in after the return
6. Use your return to set up your partner at the net so they can finish the point.
7. Get ready for another ball to be returned as the point is seldom over with the first shot.

Receiver’s Partner:

1. Know where your partner plans to return the serve – one of the 4 squares.
2. Know if your partner plans to – chip, drive, loop or lob the return.
3. Call the service line for your partner so they can focus on the return.
4. Once the serve is determined to be good – look at the opposing net player and prepare to defend your position in the event they poach or your returner hits to them with the return.
5. If the return is past the net player move over and up to defend your net position against the ball to be hit by the server.
6. Prepare to D.A.D – distract the server who is now returning your partners shot, attack the return by the server or defend your net position if they attempt to hit at you.
7. Move back on a diagonal to defend if the ball goes back to your partner by facing the opposing net player or both opponents if they both come into the net.

These are a few key concepts that can help you and your partner become a more effective team by knowing what your Job Description is for each of the 4 positions on the court.  You can do your job well and help your partner do theirs.

Communication is vital, movement is critical and execution necessary for success as a doubles team.

Check out my website at www.kendeharttennis.com for UDF’s or Unusual Doubles Formations that can greatly enhance your teams positioning and ability to change momentum in a match.

Ken DeHart

Director of Tennis-SJSRC
USA High Performance Coach
PTR & USPTA Master Professional
2 Time PTR International Pro of the Year

Photo Credits: yingtak

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Rafael Nadal

This (UDF) Unusual Doubles Receiving Formation puts the receiver and partner on the same side of the court.  The receiver (let’s say – deuce court) is in regular receiving position.  The receiver’s partner is positioned directly behind him so that both players are lined up in the deuce court.

Options:

1. If the serve is out wide to the deuce court, the front receiver will move to their right to return the serve. The partner behind them will move over and up toward the ad court to defend that part of the court. This helps put both players in motion.
2. If the serve is up the “T”, the front receiver will move to their left to return the serve and continue to move to the ad court following the return.  The partner behind them will move up to defend the now vacated deuce court.  This will put both players in motion.

Reasons for the receiving team to use this “I” Formation-Both Back:

1. The receiving team can create confusion for the serving team
2. The receiving team can put themselves in motion if they have become too stagnate with their receiving play.
3. The receiving team wants to intimidate the serving team and get inside their head regarding options instead of focusing on the ball.
4. To protect a weak playing net player against a strong serve and volley team or a team that attacks the net player on the first ball.
5. Helps the receiving team change momentum in a match, set or game.

How to play teams that play the “I” Receiving Formation-Both Back:

1. Make a decision as to where you want to serve and don’t change your mind.  Call time and make a plan with your net player.
2. Decide who you want to move to the ad court by serving wide to force that player to play deuce or up the “T” to force the back player to play the deuce court.
3. Serve at the receiver’s body to make the decision to move left or right by the receiving team more difficult to determine.
4. Following the serve, return shots deep down the middle.
5. Practice against this formation in practice match to recognize the options of the receiving team. Play it so you can feel how it is to be in that position.

What not to do:

1. Avoid getting sucked into their style of play. Call time out and make a game plan with your net player – have a plan.
2. Avoid trying to serve too hard and have to hit a lot of second serves or double fault.
3. Avoid returning too short on their return of serves so they might dominate play with their ground strokes.
4. Adjust your serving formation if they are bothering your service games.

Photo Credits: mirsasha

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"I" Formation

**This UDF works well at club level play, USTA league play, junior and high school matches as well as college matches..

This (UDF) Unusual Doubles Formation puts the server in the center of the court to serve like a singles player.  Their partner is standing directly behind them.  The serving team decides if the server will serve and move left or right following the serve.

Don’t be afraid – pick a target and go for it.

Reasons for the serving team to use this formation:

1. The serving team removes the net player from harms way against receivers that decide to “take out” the net player.
2. The net player on the serving team is a timid net player and would in reality prefer not to be at the net.
3. The serving team wants to intimidate the receiving team and get inside their head to make decisions instead of focusing on the ball.
4. This position puts the serving team in motion with the serve and can be very distracting to the receiving team.  Because they are in motion it is easy to move forward into the ball.
5. Helps the serving team if they have become too passive and are not moving enough to create high energy on points.
6. The server has a weak serve and the receiving team is being too aggressive with returns, pinning the serve deep with the return and moving to the net where they can nail the net player.
7. It allows the serving team to play their “strong side shot” just like the regular “I” formation can do.  The server moves to take the side they prefer to play following the serve.

How to play teams that play the “I” Formation Both Back on serves:

1. Make a decision as to where you want to return and don’t change your mind – deep down the middle is a good choice.
2. Lob or loop the return and move into ¾ court and control the point from there.  Move both players back to take the pressure off the return of server and take away the net player target.
3. On weak second serves, drop shop in the middle and move in to control the net against a serve team that must come up to get the short return with you and your partner at net.
4. Practice against this formation often as it is the most commonly used.  Play it so you can feel how it is to be in that position.  You may well discover some holes that you can hit to as a receiving team.
5. Returning short or short angles is a good option while deep hard returns may not be as effective.

What not to do against this formation:

1. Don’t return with out a plan.
2. Avoid trying to hit too hard and make unforced errors.
3. Avoid playing back to the stronger ground stroke player.
4. Do not look at the “I” Formation Both Back players and forget to focus on the ball.

Photo credits: Revanta

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Reasons for the serving team to use this formation:

1. The serving team is both good volleyers.
2. The serving team has good overheads and likes to intimidate the other team.
3. The serving team likes pace or speed and wants the games to be fast with lots of quick action.
4. The serving team has poor ground strokes and does not want to get into long baseline exchanges.

Reasons for the receiving team to use this formation:

1. The receiving team has good chip returns and wants to get into the net before the other team.
2. The receiving team’s returns very strong and puts the serving team on defense – this neutralized the serving team’s advantage.
3. The receiving team does not have consistent ground strokes and has a low level of tolerance for long rallies.
4. The receiving team thinks that is how all good teams play.

How to play teams that play one up one back:

1. Get to your first serve in, it is more difficult to approach off of.
2. Direct your shots between them. Make them decide who will play the ball down the middle. Trying to hit angles is difficult because they close in and leave you little room to angle your shots.
3. If you get pinned back in a one up one back position – Lob the player closest to the net. If the lob is deep and bounces, come in and control the net against them.
4. Take the pace off your shots when they capture the net. Use softer shots with more spins so they cannot use your pace to kill your partner or hit aggressive shots between you.
5. Lob the serving team right away and force them to switch and run down the lob. You move in and now control the net.

What not to do:

1. Avoid getting sucked into their style of play if is not your style.
2. Take the pace off the ball to slow it down and give you more time to spin the next ball or lob them.
3. Never play one up one back formation against this team – they will pick off your partner in most cases.
4. Don’t try to hit hard passing shots, the balls will stay too high and give them speed to volley against.
5. Don’t miss first serves – you can’t get to the net on weak second serves and they love to attack weak 2nd serves.

Photo Credits: 1

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Aim for Your Target!

This is the last post in our series for tips to win doubles tennis.

Secret #3 “Tennis Targets” Where to hit & when to go there!

Serving as Simple as A-B-C:

• When serving, tell your partner where you plan to serve – both serves.  For example A-B, B-C or C-C (A=alley, B=Body and C=center) Many players tell where the first serve is planned but if they miss the net player has no idea where the second serve will go.
• This communication before the point also helps keep the server focused and have a game plan.
• The server’s partner can plan to fake at the net or poach if they know in advance the directional intent of the serve.  Without this prior knowledge, they are the last person on the court to see where the serve is landing and which makes it difficult to react quickly to help the server win the point.

Receiving as Easy as 1-2-3-4:

• When you are receiving, there are 4 targets or squares on the opposite side of the court. (The deuce court is square #1, the area behind the deuce service court is square #2, the area behind the ad service court is square #3 and the ad court is square #4).  Tell your partner which of the 4 squares you plan to return serve to, knowing if you get it trouble always lob to square #2 or #3 as an escape route.
• This prior communication allow the receiver’s partner to plan to defend if the receiver is going to lob or move forward if the receiver is going to chip a shorter return low cross court

Volley in the Valleys:

• When you volley at the net, aim between the two mountains (the two players on the other side).
• The most common mistake in doubles is to volley at the player’s feet – that will cause them to hit accidental lobs over your head as a reflex in defending their bodies.  Aim at their feet but off to either side of them – in the valleys.

These 3 basic secrets can give you team a “game plan”, communication skills and targets before, during and after a match to keep focus and analyze how and why they are winning and losing.

Photo Credits: 1

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Learn to do the tennis dance.

This is the second post of three consecutive posts on the secrets to winning doubles in tennis.

Secret #2 “Tennis Dance” Where to move & when to move there!

Dance of the server’s partner:

• Find the middle of the service box, half way between the net and the service line, the center service line and the singles side line. When the server serves, move forward toward the direction of served the ball to be in the best position to poach the return of serve.
• Be ready to poach by going forward at a diagonal toward the net and center service lie or to defend your alley on a wide serve.
• If the ball is returned past you, slide back diagonally toward the service line and the center service line while facing the opponent at the net diagonally across from you.
• If the return by your partner passes the opponent at the net, move back toward the net in the direction of the returned ball and be prepared to distract or poach again.
• Repeat this part of the dance until you can poach to win the point or the opponents lose the point.

Dance of the receiver’s partner:

• The receiver stands near the service line and near the center service line to intercept any poach volleys up the middle by the opposing poaching net player and to call the service line for their partner.
• If the serve is in and is returned past the opposing net player – cross court, move up and forward toward the middle of the service box to put pressure on the server’s return of your partners shot.
• If the server returns back cross court to your partner, slide back on defense toward the service line and center service line depending upon the speed and direction of the return by the server.
• Repeat the dance until you can poach or one team wins the point.

Dance of the Receiver:

• The receiver should select a position to return serve that allow them to take advantage of their best return shot as well as selecting a position that forces the serve to serve where they do not want serve rather than allowing the server to dictate the play.
• Start well back behind the baseline in a sprinters stance with one foot forward, when the ball is tossed, begin to move forward, split step or do adjusting steps as the ball is about to be contacted.  This will allow you to move toward the direction of the serve to make a stronger return.
• The receiver can also change their starting position as the server’s toss goes up to get better position to make the return or influence the server’s choice of serves.

Dance of the Circle:

• Once the ball is put in play, keep the feet in motion as if you were moving around a cone on the ground.  The small circular motion enables the player to have a feel for “being in motion” and to change directions quickly.

Photo Credits: 1

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This (UDF) Unusual Doubles Receiving Formation puts the receiver and partner on the same side of the court.  One player is in the deuce court near the deuce court alley and the other player is in the deuce court near the center service line.

Options:

1. If the serve is out wide to the deuce court, the player near the alley plays the return and the player near the center service line moves to the ad court.  The receiving order has now been set for the first set.
2. If the serve is up the “T”, the receiver in the deuce court near the center service line will play the return then move to the left for that point.  From that point on that player will become the deuce court receiver for the remainder of the first set.

Reasons for the receiving team to use this formation:

1. The receiving team can create confusion for the serving team
2. The receiving team wants to intimidate the serving team and get inside their head regarding options instead of focusing on the ball.
3. Helps the receiving team change momentum in a match, set or game.

How to play teams that play the Australian Receiving Formation-Both Back for the 1^st point of the match or set:

1. Make a decision as to where you want to serve and don’t change your mind.  Call time and make a plan with your net player.
2. Decide who you want to move to the ad court by serving wide to force that player to play deuce or up the “T” to force the back player to play the deuce court.
3. Serve to the body of the deuce court to make it a little more difficult for the receiving team to play the return.
4. Serve using the “I” formation to limit their options of space to return the serve and add to their confusion.
5. Practice against this formation in practice match to recognize the options of the receiving team. Play it so you can feel how it is to be in that position.

What not to do:

1. Avoid getting sucked into their style of play. Call time out and make a game plan with your net player – have a plan.
2. Avoid trying to serve too hard and have to hit a lot of second serves or double fault.
3. Adjust your serving formation if they are bothering your service games to try and create confusion on their side.

Photo Credit: 1

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