Phases of play and court positioning
02/16/2011 | Written by: uspta
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Phases of play and court positioning
Description:
USPTA Professional Mark Bey talks about the five phases of play and the court positioning that goes along with them. He explains that it is critical for players to use the proper technique and determine shot selection based on their court position.
Tip:
This week’s tip covers the five phases of play as USPTA Professional Mark Bey discusses them: the attacking phase, the forcing phase, the rally phase, the counter-attacking phase and the defensive phase. It is very important for your students to understand that their shot selection and technique should be based on their court position.
The attacking phase – oftentimes inside the service box or even close to the net. This phase consists of aggressive overheads, swinging volleys, putaway shots with increased racquet speed and downward trajectories.
The forcing phase – also known as “no-man’s land” – the balls in this phase are taken early and hits driving, forcing shots. Examples can be second-serve returns or short balls that you move in on.
The rally phase – This involves hitting rally shots using spin, pace and trajectory options, while working with shot patterns and directions to try to set up opportunities.
The counter-attacking phase – This phase means your opponent has hit good shots and forced you back. You are compromising, abbreviating your swing to use the opponent’s pace or hitting a lob to stay in the point.
The defensive phase – In this phase you are in trouble, on your heels behind the baseline, using the continental grip to stretch and reach and get the ball up to buy time to recover.
Understanding the court position, using the right size of loops and racquet head speed will help players make better decisions about shot selection and improve their game plan. To learn more visit TennisResources.com. Type in the subject of your interest into the Quick Search and you will find a variety of videos that will enhance your knowledge. You can also choose the Advanced Search, which gives you more options to filter your results.
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