TennisOne Lessons

Mastering the Overhead

David W. Smith, Senior Editor TennisOne

Perhaps no other shot in tennis possesses the potential and undeniable authority that a fully hit overhead can exact upon an opponent who faces the wrath of such a put-away. No other shot makes players cringe; turning their backs and running away hoping that they don’t get a welt in the small of their back…or worse!

Yet, for millions of players, the odds of hitting the overhead so that it lands in the court–let alone with any semblance of intimidating power–are only slightly less than hitting the lottery.

The reason for the high percentage of players who simply can’t hit the overhead well or with controlled power can be traced to several technical faults or habits that are often interrelated. These problems can be related to grips, swing path, body position, footwork…or all of the above!

Besides the technical elements critical to hitting overheads successfully, the shot also requires timing, rhythm, and, above all, confidence. Because the technical components can relate to these first two additional elements, timing and rhythm, we can begin to see why so many millions of players around the world fail to develop a preeminent overhead to compliment rest of their game.

Click photo: As with most shots in tennis, early preparation is key to executing a solid overhead. However, there are many elements that are interrelated and must be employed together to create the best overhead you can hit.

The ability to hit effective and intimidating overheads can add a whole new dimension to one’s game. It can put the fear of lobbing into those moonballers everyone hates to play, and the confidence gained can, quite simply, elevate a player’s level of self-assurance to the point that their whole game can see improvement.

Start with the Grip

Like the serve, the grip is the critical foundation of a skilled overhead. The continental grip is the grip that all top players use in nearly every situation the overhead is hit. This is because the continental grip allows for the greatest directional control and diversity for the player. The grip promotes the proper swing path and racquet motion for the player to create the desired amount of speed and spin necessary to control the shot.

Body Alignment 

One of the biggest mistakes seen at the club level is the way players orient themselves to the net when attempting an overhead.

These players tend to face the net or the target with their body as they go up to hit the shot. This position is usually a result of using an eastern forehand grip, typically the grip beginners first use on the serve and overhead, but an inferior grip in so many ways.

Using the more advanced continental grip, the player will want to immediately turn sideways to the overhead and, what I call, “Challenge” the overhead early. Too often, players look up and evaluate the lob, seemingly trying to determine if it is one that they can indeed get to or not. This momentary delay in preparation is usually enough so that a great number of lobs that would otherwise be hit, end up being too deep (in the player’s mind) to go after.

Anytime a lob is hit to you, imagine you are going to get it no matter what. In the cases where the lob is just too good, going back from the start, as if you were going to hit the overhead, gives you a nice chance to run it down if you decide it is too good. in doubles, your partner is usually in a position to cover a well hit lob, even if you initially look like you might get it.

The age-old adage of “Pointing your off hand’s finger” at lob is still sound advice because it encourages the player to turn sideways to the incoming ball. Others have gone so far as to recommend pointing your elbow at the ball, forcing the player to turn more sideways. While this can be very good advice too, (especially for those who don’t seem to turn enough), the reality is, not one pro on tour, that I’m aware of, points the elbow at the lob. Usually the lack of turn is more a grip related problem, as I’ve mentioned, so the pointing trick may not be of much use to a player with an eastern grip (which encourages a player to face the net). In addition, I’ve seen those who point with the elbow or finger open up the shoulder plane so very early anyway that the execution of the point, finger or elbow, is rendered meaningless.

Footwork

Click photo: From behind, we can see Davydenko set up for his overhead; his left foot positioned slightly across his right foot, his arm pointed up at the ball, and his hitting arm up early enough to pause, get set, then release.

Body alignment is first established through footwork. Turning sideways with the feet (left foot in front or across the body, just like a service position) sets up the player to become perpendicular to the net. However, one problem I often see is where a player may set the feet properly as a lob is hit, only to either pull the front foot back or let the back leg swing around before contact.

For overheads that are deeper where the player must back up and even end up hitting over their head or further back, we will see players push off on their back leg, hit the overhead, then land on their front leg. This “scissors kick” move allows for a powerful overhead even while the player is falling backwards during the stroke.

Swing Path

The swing path, while very similar to the serve, also has some differences that players need to recognize and understand.

The first of these differences is simply the intent of the overhead. Unlike the serve (where the player is behind the baseline and must hit the serve into the service box), the overhead is usually hit well inside the baseline and the ball does not have to land inside the service line. Thus, the overhead is generally the only shot that skilled players will actually attempt to hit very, very flat. That said, I generally like players to first learn the overhead using a “slice serve” swing path. This is because the action a player uses to bring the racquet edge up and across the ball initiates the idea of getting the racquet head out ahead of the grip and hand.

Click photo: When faced with an overhead hit well behind him, Max Mirnyi executes the scissors kick– pushing off on his back foot (right) and landing on his front foot (foot).

The most common swing path error is related to both the grip and body alignment: If a player uses a “waiter’s grip (eastern forehand), and faces the net, the player will swing the racquet with the arm, leading down with the hitting elbow first and continue swinging down with the elbow. The racquet head lags well behind and several resulting errors can occur:

  1. Pulling down with the elbow causes the player to have a very small hitting window. Typically, players who swing down with the elbow end up swinging like a person chopping wood with an ax.  They bring the ax forward with the arms and then release the ax’s momentum down low where the wood is sitting on the ground or chopping block. This motion causes the racquet face to remain open a long time with players usually hitting this overhead very long. Some will feel the position of the racquet face and try to hit even earlier, making contact when the racquet face is finally closed. But this is usually done very low and has a tendency to result in balls hit into the bottom of the net.
  1. This motion of pulling the elbow down in front of the player creates the greatest racquet head speed down by the waist or below. This causes many players to hit their shins with the racquet since they can’t slow down the racquet’s speed at this position quickly enough.
  1. Because the racquet doesn’t reach maximum acceleration until well after contact, pulling the elbow down results in players producing overheads that are far slower than their strength would normally allow with all the proper elements in place.

Click photo: Notice the early sideways position and the off arm moving across his body at preparation by Tommy Haas as the lob goes up. Then note how high his elbow is at contact.

The overhead can be hit with spins just like a serve. However, overheads hit from closer to the net are most effective when hit with maximum speed. When a player faces a deeper (nearer the baseline for example), spin can be both an effective as well as a consistent element. Slice, topspin, and kick actions all help curve balls down into the court. They also create significant changes in the arc that the overhead takes, with a slice hooking way out wide, topspin bouncing very high, and a kick spin overhead, resulting in a bounce that is opposite to that of the slice.

The key to a proper swing path is the ability for the player to keep the elbow high after contact. This is a checkpoint for players to see if they are swinging correctly or if they are swinging with the arm. By keeping the elbow up high after contact, the arm is able to create maximum acceleration through the kinetic chain, creating a more “whip-like” motion than simply swinging with the arm can produce.

The reason so many players swing with the arm is because they feel like they can control the overhead better by pulling the elbow down which forces the racquet to lag back through well past contact. Unfortunately, this action creates not only a difficult racquet face as mentioned, but it slows the racquet speed down to that of only the speed of the arm swinging it.

The natural finish is to allow the racquet pull your arm down and across your body. You should not be feeling like you are intentionally trying to muscle the arm through the overhead.

Kinetic Chain

Click photo: Here Fernando Verdasco can be seen employing all the key elements: rhythmic preparation, continental grip, great upper body turn, pushing off on his back left foot and landing on his front, right foot. Notice how his off hand comes across his chest at contact with the racquet passing his forearm at contact and beyond.

The ideal action of most all speed strokes in tennis is related to the idea of the kinetic chain concept of motion. This is important especially for the overhead. The idea of the kinetic chain is to start motions with the large body segments, then, slow those segments down allowing the extremities to accelerate past them. If one only swung at the speed of the initial segments we could never create ideal racquet head speed.

An example of this idea is to imagine you are holding a tennis racquet with the butt cap pushed up against your bellybutton. Now try to simulate a forehand, however, you can only swing the racquet by spinning your body. Your racquet would only be able to rotate at the speed the core of your body could rotate. Instead, we swing many times faster than this by slowing the core body segments down and allowing the arm, forearm, and eventually the hand and racquet to all accelerate past these core body parts. This is essentially how the modern pros generate so much power with their strokes.

The overhead is the ultimate stroke in terms of developing high racquet head speed. This is done when the body slows down and the arm accelerates past it. But, the elbow must also slow down to allow the final segment or link of the kinetic chain to accelerate past. Otherwise, we will only swing the racquet as fast as we can pull our elbow forward and down.

Drills and Practice

One of the best drills to work the overhead is to stand close to the net and toss balls like a serve to your own overhead. Work the drill by keeping the elbow up through contact and keeping your hips sideways. Start with an ‘edge-on’ racquet head, (as if you are going to hit the ball with the leading edge of your racquet), and then, with very little movement of the arm, bring the racquet head over the forearm, pronating, (turning your palm from face in to face out), and hit the ball square.

Click photo: Here, we can see the overhead by Verdasco from a left-handed perspective. Note the movement of the front (right leg) as he moves forward creating the optimal sideways position of the hips and how the left foot stays back through contact. Watch the racquet pronate from almost edge-on, to flat, to fully pronated with the left arm staying up through contact and then the racquet pulling the arm down.

Here's another great drill I like to use with my students. I have them hit overheads close to the net but this time, from a kneeling position. Be careful not to hit the ground as those who use the more flawed methods mentioned are apt to do (eastern grip, pulling the elbow and arm down too early, facing the net, etc. – not real good for the racquet). You should be able to hit a powerful overhead without swinging very hard, even from your knees. (Kneel on a towel to save your knees!) Using the same arm action as mentioned in the first drill, you should be able to execute a solid swing path and a clean overhead.

For those who really need to groove the stroke, stand sideways to a fence, your left shoulder against the fence (right-handers). Start with the same ‘edge-on’ position mentioned, and staying somewhat sideways, swing to square the racquet face to fence. (Use a fence with wind screens to keep from scratching your frame!) If you have a wind screen which is blowing out towards you, you can “pop” the screen with the flat face of your pronating racquet. By doing this drill you will find you can’t swing with the arm or elbow, (as it would hit the fence) and allow you to feel the racquet’s pronation to the ball.

Conclusion

As with any skilled activity, developing the optimal mechanics that allow a person to execute an effective overhead require understanding and then a progressive application of those methods that equate into hitting the shot well. From the grip, the stance, the swing path, and the smaller elements such as keeping the elbow high and not letting the back foot swing around too early, all contribute to the success or failure of the overhead.

However, once these technical elements are understood, practiced, and then mastered, the next component is the rhythm and timing of different overheads. Being too mechanical in any given shot can sabotage the potential success of that shot just as much as using some improper technique. But, if one were to work on the timing of the shot first, without the conscious application of the optimal mechanics, that player would find him or herself developing habits that would be very difficult to correct later on. (Which helps explain why so many millions of players find making any changes in their game a practice in futility!)

Yet, millions of players can make changes in their games if they understand three things: Optimal stroke mechanics, implementation of those optimal stroke mechanics in practice, and finally, consistent implementation of said stroke mechanics in competition.

The rhythm and timing of any stroke that is initially a conscious element will eventually become a reality. However, rhythm and timing of any flawed stroke will, in all likelihood, stagnate the player well below their potential.  

Your comments are welcome. Let us know what you think about Dave Smith's article by emailing us here at TennisOne .

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Your comments are welcome. Let us know what you think about this article by emailing us here at TennisONE.

David W. Smith is the Director of Tennis for the St. George Tennis Academy in St. George Utah. He has been a featured writer in USPTA's magazine ADDvantage in addition to having over 50 published articles in various publications.

David has taught over 3000 players including many top national and world ranked players. He can be reached at acrpres1@email.msn.com.