Trajectory! Love how you take an idea and simplify it into a single concept, then build it up again in a way that is memorable and repeatable in many situations. Geat job.
Definitely a ball recognition problem. If your coach fed you 50 sitters you’d probably put away 40 of them. But that’s because you know it’s coming. Seeing and reacting to that short ball early in a competitive situation is totally different.
IDK about 40:) For me it's more of playing worse in match play compared to drills and lessons. Not sure if it's just butterflies. That would be a good video.
03:00 "Put away volleys by volleying with a downward trajectory, like the Bryan Bros. Not easy to do. You have to have good footwork and be very close to the net..." We are told *NOT* to close the racquet face, on volleys, even on high floaters. I just played a few 3.5 doubles matches and I think I hit 100 volleys. But I did not volley down on any of them. One reason is that I did not get extremely close to the net to volley down. But I did put away many floaters by volleying and keeping the racquet face open; not volleying down. So I'm thinking this "volley down" tip is very rare at the rec level. Not easy to do.
@@Better_Call_Raul You're right, even then face is open but if I'm taking a high ball over my shoulder, simple physics forces me to hit down. I find at 3.5 (and 4.0 level) a lot of players have trouble with the high volley because they over swing and don't use enough leg. You also have to take a ball slightly more in front and have more weight transfer. It's a more advanced shot than it seems at first glance.
@@willzsportscards I am not convinced that "simple physics forces you to hit down on the high volleys". There are times during doubles when I am relatively close to the net (~4 or 5 feet) and I will hit a high volley (~ 3 feet above my head) and hit it with an arching trajectory. To take an extreme example, a ""lob volley" which will arch over the opposing net players' heads. That is one end of the spectrum but it does illustrate that high volleys can be hit with underspin. I also hit those exact same high volleys with underspin and pace that land deep near the baseline for a winner. Granted, hitting it with that arching trajectory and decent pace necessitates that it land near the baseline; some may argue that not hitting down has less margin for error. OTOH, I have "hit down" on high volleys and have hit many into the net. We have all seen rec players do this a zillion times; a high volley goes straight into the net. Hence why I underspin the high volley and tell myself if I miss I will miss long; will never miss those high volleys into the net.
Good advice, I need to practice mid-court for sure! I would love to see a service return video on how to play the high returns (15ft deflections) to the deep baseline and other assorted return anomalies. Also how to hit drop shots off weaker serves which I have been doing lately. Have a good one Nic
Great video! I will share this video with my high school tennis team. This video is spot on with players struggling with the mid court ball. Thanks again for great advice.
Thanks for combining all the aspects all together. That will be great if You also show some exact drills and exercises to work on to improve that high short balls shots.
I have a question about handling low balls around the half court. You mentioned reducing swing speed and not going for the kill. Can you elaborate on how to find the right balance between maintaining control and still applying enough pressure on the opponent when hitting these shots? Keep up the fantastic work! Cheers! 🏆🎾
From all the lessons I've seen on this, including Nik's, and from experience screwing up hundreds of these and getting in a few, you have to hit with a) high racquet speed, b) yes maybe slower swing speed but I would instead call it shorter back swing, c) extended upward racquet not so much across the body but lets say outward, so if you're a righty finish up and to the right. Some shots in this lesson he hits them this way.
Thanks a lot for covering this subject. It is so painful when you construct a point, get your chance to finish the point (meaning short ball), but instead you mess it up…
You can see this at pro level the players are creatures of habit and for the good ones the habits are usually successful. But tennis is evolving and new adaptations of old tactics will come back. Alcaraz uses the drop shot so effectively and masterfully. Nobody has used it more since Bobby Riggs in the 1940s and 50s ( for any tennis history buffs) but Carlos resurrected the shot and troubles and worries opponent with it on a regular basis. When he pushes a player deep they have to think about it.
I also like slice forehand as approach shot if the ball is low in front of service line. Especially down the line. The pace is dramatically changed to slower even sometimes with bounce to right and opponent which is behind line in his forehand half of court has troubles even to take that ball. And if he takes that ball he needs to shot it harder not only push. And it is great time for his mistake to give me final shot or really his own mistake. Another possibilities for that shot are really soft ball something like dropshot or topsin forehand cross court with good angle. But that topsin I make when opponent is in the centre of court or only slightly on his forehand half of court.
Niko, velika hvala na ovom videu. Thank you for this video. Could you also make one for 3.5-4 level players on how to best deal with weak second serves, and capitalize on those. I often get serves with low pace and medium to low bounce. Is it best to slice/curve them back (I do sometimes), spin them and just get them back and try to construct the point? I would love your take on this.
How to learn the high to low swing path? It feels weird to me, because I am used to swing low to high all the time. Thats the reason why i struggle massive with high Short balls.
Hi Nick, Will the grip change for putting away short balls? i.e. Do you prefer using a eastern grip instead of the usual semi-western forehand grip while putting away short balls on the forehand side? Thanks!
Your forehand grip should not be changing ever if you’re still hitting a forehand. Even swinging volley and half volley forehands remain the same. The grip only changes when you’re slicing, drop shot, volley, or overhead.
Is is possible to have a swingspeed close to 100% when the ball is bellow net height and around the service line by finishing the swing quickly or by closing the racquet face a bit?
I strongly it is so frustrating to create such type of mistake. It affects your next points so much. It is really something 'must have'. Generally if 2 players are closer it is only about a few balls in set. And mistake in this type of points decides on defeat or win.
Too many players just spend hours hitting from the baseline and neglect the front court game then when the opponent uses the front court with difficult shots he gets frustrated. Think how Dustin Brown flummoxed Rafa at Wimbledon by doing this of course with othe wespons. But it was a prototype for beating Rafa. They asked what happened Rafa? He said i didn't know what he was gonna do next.
I'm in heaven when I get into rallies, especially rallies from the baseline. I can destroy them anytime, but I'm enjoying it too much to let it end! Can't we just... rally a little longer? Please 🙏
Which ever side your opponent isn’t. At a higher level you can hit behind them as they try to recover to the middle but that means your opponent must be smart enough to try to recover at all. If not then you end up hitting your “winner” right to them. Best to go to wherever they aren’t and if they manage to get to it then the incoming ball should be weak and ripe for another winner.
You are probably doing this wrong on your forehand bit.ly/nmbr1fhpr
Trajectory! Love how you take an idea and simplify it into a single concept, then build it up again in a way that is memorable and repeatable in many situations. Geat job.
Definitely a ball recognition problem. If your coach fed you 50 sitters you’d probably put away 40 of them. But that’s because you know it’s coming. Seeing and reacting to that short ball early in a competitive situation is totally different.
IDK about 40:) For me it's more of playing worse in match play compared to drills and lessons. Not sure if it's just butterflies. That would be a good video.
@@Michelle-414 42?
03:00 "Put away volleys by volleying with a downward trajectory, like the Bryan Bros. Not easy to do. You have to have good footwork and be very close to the net..."
We are told *NOT* to close the racquet face, on volleys, even on high floaters. I just played a few 3.5 doubles matches and I think I hit 100 volleys. But I did not volley down on any of them. One reason is that I did not get extremely close to the net to volley down. But I did put away many floaters by volleying and keeping the racquet face open; not volleying down. So I'm thinking this "volley down" tip is very rare at the rec level. Not easy to do.
@@Better_Call_Raul You're right, even then face is open but if I'm taking a high ball over my shoulder, simple physics forces me to hit down. I find at 3.5 (and 4.0 level) a lot of players have trouble with the high volley because they over swing and don't use enough leg. You also have to take a ball slightly more in front and have more weight transfer. It's a more advanced shot than it seems at first glance.
@@willzsportscards I am not convinced that "simple physics forces you to hit down on the high volleys". There are times during doubles when I am relatively close to the net (~4 or 5 feet) and I will hit a high volley (~ 3 feet above my head) and hit it with an arching trajectory. To take an extreme example, a ""lob volley" which will arch over the opposing net players' heads. That is one end of the spectrum but it does illustrate that high volleys can be hit with underspin. I also hit those exact same high volleys with underspin and pace that land deep near the baseline for a winner.
Granted, hitting it with that arching trajectory and decent pace necessitates that it land near the baseline; some may argue that not hitting down has less margin for error. OTOH, I have "hit down" on high volleys and have hit many into the net. We have all seen rec players do this a zillion times; a high volley goes straight into the net. Hence why I underspin the high volley and tell myself if I miss I will miss long; will never miss those high volleys into the net.
Good advice, I need to practice mid-court for sure! I would love to see a service return video on how to play the high returns (15ft deflections) to the deep baseline and other assorted return anomalies. Also how to hit drop shots off weaker serves which I have been doing lately. Have a good one Nic
Have been waiting for this video for a long time. Thank you Nick!!!!
Me too!
Thank you Nick!
Great video! I will share this video with my high school tennis team. This video is spot on with players struggling with the mid court ball. Thanks again for great advice.
Great video, Nick! My problem to the tee. Working on it.
The mentality was explained for me. Thanks.
The video I was waiting for...
Watching your videos are my favorite, short of hitting with my coach! Thanks for all of your content!
🙏 thanks for the support
I neeeeeded this video!!! thank you! 👏👏👏👏
🙌
Waited for this video for ages.... Thank you Nick❤ Right now watching it for the third time
🙏🙏🙏
Great advice. I just ordered a ball machine and am really going to work on my game.
You explained all my weaknesses in this video :)
Great video!
Hey Nick, love the video. Are you trying the Wilson shift out?
Thanks for combining all the aspects all together. That will be great if You also show some exact drills and exercises to work on to improve that high short balls shots.
Midcourt overheads is kind of fun! Great video Nick! 😀
Thank you Hans
7:19 - Ball recognition, quickness, and settling before hitting the ball
This was the video I was waiting for
Amazing content as always!
🔥🙏
I have a question about handling low balls around the half court. You mentioned reducing swing speed and not going for the kill. Can you elaborate on how to find the right balance between maintaining control and still applying enough pressure on the opponent when hitting these shots?
Keep up the fantastic work! Cheers! 🏆🎾
From all the lessons I've seen on this, including Nik's, and from experience screwing up hundreds of these and getting in a few, you have to hit with a) high racquet speed, b) yes maybe slower swing speed but I would instead call it shorter back swing, c) extended upward racquet not so much across the body but lets say outward, so if you're a righty finish up and to the right. Some shots in this lesson he hits them this way.
Great lesson , Nic. Just watched your podcast with the tennisnerd… really enjoyed it. Ciao, John
🔥
Thanks a lot for covering this subject. It is so painful when you construct a point, get your chance to finish the point (meaning short ball), but instead you mess it up…
I just started tennis, this really helped a lot! ❤
💯
You can see this at pro level the players are creatures of habit and for the good ones the habits are usually successful. But tennis is evolving and new adaptations of old tactics will come back. Alcaraz uses the drop shot so effectively and masterfully. Nobody has used it more since Bobby Riggs in the 1940s and 50s ( for any tennis history buffs) but Carlos resurrected the shot and troubles and worries opponent with it on a regular basis. When he pushes a player deep they have to think about it.
As always, amazing advice coach Nick
Such a good video. Thank you!
I also like slice forehand as approach shot if the ball is low in front of service line. Especially down the line. The pace is dramatically changed to slower even sometimes with bounce to right and opponent which is behind line in his forehand half of court has troubles even to take that ball. And if he takes that ball he needs to shot it harder not only push. And it is great time for his mistake to give me final shot or really his own mistake. Another possibilities for that shot are really soft ball something like dropshot or topsin forehand cross court with good angle. But that topsin I make when opponent is in the centre of court or only slightly on his forehand half of court.
Niko, velika hvala na ovom videu. Thank you for this video.
Could you also make one for 3.5-4 level players on how to best deal with weak second serves, and capitalize on those. I often get serves with low pace and medium to low bounce.
Is it best to slice/curve them back (I do sometimes), spin them and just get them back and try to construct the point?
I would love your take on this.
💯
Thanks for this
Amazing as always! What’s your advice on returning an underarm serve on ad side for a rightie? Slice backhand short cross court?
How to learn the high to low swing path? It feels weird to me, because I am used to swing low to high all the time. Thats the reason why i struggle massive with high Short balls.
Hi Nick, Will the grip change for putting away short balls? i.e. Do you prefer using a eastern grip instead of the usual semi-western forehand grip while putting away short balls on the forehand side? Thanks!
Your forehand grip should not be changing ever if you’re still hitting a forehand. Even swinging volley and half volley forehands remain the same. The grip only changes when you’re slicing, drop shot, volley, or overhead.
Hi many thanks for this video and tips, is there a special grip you would suggest for shoulders level balls forhand on this area of the terrain?
same grip just different swing path, more across than high to low
What are some good cooperative two player drills for short sitter balls?
Exactly my question too..... Would love to see two player drills to practice with a partner.
What is the name of this racquet model? Looks cool.
1:26 - Djokovic
Does grip type change where I should hit the high floater balls? I hear that semi western and western are easier to hit high balls but I hit eastern.
Is is possible to have a swingspeed close to 100% when the ball is bellow net height and around the service line by finishing the swing quickly or by closing the racquet face a bit?
Intuitive Tennis fan driving by at 6:11
How many grams is your racket?
I strongly it is so frustrating to create such type of mistake. It affects your next points so much. It is really something 'must have'. Generally if 2 players are closer it is only about a few balls in set. And mistake in this type of points decides on defeat or win.
1:28 as a nole fan i always worry when he goes for one, the worst overhead out of the big 4
Hey, Nick. I know he's not featured in this vid, but was curious what decision your student Safin made re: college
He’s coming back soon
🫴 th-cam.com/video/x8ZunKHjZJA/w-d-xo.html
Did you change shirts part way through this video? SWAG PROMOTION :)
Too many players just spend hours hitting from the baseline and neglect the front court game then when the opponent uses the front court with difficult shots he gets frustrated. Think how Dustin Brown flummoxed Rafa at Wimbledon by doing this of course with othe wespons. But it was a prototype for beating Rafa. They asked what happened Rafa? He said i didn't know what he was gonna do next.
I'm in heaven when I get into rallies, especially rallies from the baseline.
I can destroy them anytime, but I'm enjoying it too much to let it end! Can't we just... rally a little longer? Please 🙏
Where we should aim? CC or DTL?
Which ever side your opponent isn’t. At a higher level you can hit behind them as they try to recover to the middle but that means your opponent must be smart enough to try to recover at all. If not then you end up hitting your “winner” right to them. Best to go to wherever they aren’t and if they manage to get to it then the incoming ball should be weak and ripe for another winner.
like