TennisOne Lessons

Do You Have a Reliable Overhead?

Tom Avery

When your opponent throws up a lob, have you ever had that sinking feeling in your gut, and you're thinking, "I hate these shots, why doesn't he play like a man and hit the ball." Well, the truth of the matter is; a lob is a very good shot to use in certain situations, even the mighty Fed will use it. So, if you cannot overcome your lack of confidence, you're going to continue to dread seeing the lob, it's not a shot that's going away.

First thing, you must realize is how much time do you spend working on your Overhead Smash. If you're like most tennis players, probably very little. In fact, the Overhead Smash is the least practiced shot in the history of tennis. So, the first thing you need to do is make a commitment to practicing the shot on a regular basis. You can do it with a practice partner. Ask him to hit you some lobs for 10 minutes, then you can hit him whatever he'd like to work on. How long you practice is not the key, but try to get in at least 10 minutes and do it on a regular basis. You can also work on your Overhead with a ball machine, a pro, or even a wall. Also, make sure to have your opponents give you some lobs in the warmup before you play.

Here are a few key points you'll want to keep in mind:

• OK, you feel unconfident about the shot, so what is the quickest way to start developing confidence? Act confident, that's right, fake it to get started. When you see a lob going up, from now on, whether in practice or in a match, think, "I love these shots, can't wait to smash it." I know you don't totally feel that way deep inside now, but you will, if you keep 'acting and practicing'.
  
  
• Move the feet. The #1 reason players miss overheads – lack of footwork. Try to move the feet 5-10 steps before hitting the overhead. This will help you start to get the feet in gear every time someone throws up a lob. This a very good habit to get into.
  
  
• Keep the head and chest up at the moment of contact. If the head or chest drop before contact there's a good chance your smash is in the net. So, keep the head and chest up until the ball is gone. Purposely keep your head and chest up longer than is necessary, you'll be in good company.
  
  Roger Federer is a master at keeping his eyes fixed on the contact area longer than he needs to. This insures he will not drop the head and chest too soon. If the head and chest drop too soon, guess what happens? Remember in science class the teacher told you "for every action there is a reaction." Well, in this case, dropping the head and chest too soon (moving the head and chest) is the action and the reaction is that the racquet moves off line and you mishit the ball.
  

Key point to remember, when practicing overheads never concentrate on more than 2 points at a time. More than 2 will get the brain confused. Keep it simple, 2 points at a time, in the sequence they naturally occur during the stroke.

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Tom Avery has over 35 years teaching experience. His instruction, which includes The Consistent Tennis Wins DVD Series, has been aired on the Tennis Channel. He has inspired players from the nationally ranked to those just beginning the game. He is the Designer and Founder of the AVERY Racquet Company. Tom is now teaching in Naples, Florida and accepting students. He can be reached at 239-592-5920. Visit Tom's websites at: http://www.TomAvery.com and http://www.AveryRacquets.com