Tactics are the specific maneuvers or activities designed to win individual points or to achieve an edge over your opponent that will enhance your chance to win points.
To get you started, we will begin with 6 Core Tactics when serving that will get you on your way to winning more points. Before we point out the 6 Core Tactics, you must keep in mind the following:
TOOLS
You must have the tools in order to execute the tactics. For example, if the tactic requires you to serve wide to the forehand on the deuce court and you cannot serve wide, you will not be effective with the tactic as you do not have the tools to execute it.
VISUALIZATION
Prior to executing the tactic, you MUST see yourself executing it in your head. This will help you focus on the specific things that you need to do to ensure you execute the individual actions that compose the tactic flawlessly. Furthermore, this will help you “feel” the way the ball feels when you hit it just the way you like to hit the ball.
In order for you to perform any tactic effectively, you must practice it until you completely dominate the maneuver. The process that you should use is as follows:
Step 1: Tools
Acquire the tools (strokes) that will enable you to hit a variety of shots. The variety of shots will give you more options to solve challenges that come up in match play. The only way to achieve this is through the rigors of spending many hours in:
- Stroke Production
- Live Ball Exercises
Step 2: Tactics
As you are able to perform certain shots, you will be able to practice specific tactics that will help you to increase the probabilities of winning points.
THE 6 CORE TACTICS WHEN SERVING
The 6 Core Tactics are divided as follows:
- Deuce Court
- Serve Out Wide
- Serve to the Body
- Serve Down the T
- Advantage Court
- Advantage Court
- Serve Out Wide
- Serve to the Body
- Serve Down the “T”
Assuming you are playing a right-handed opponent, on the deuce court you can:
- Serve out wide to the forehand
- Serve to the Body
- Serve down the center to the backhand(T)
By effectively serving to any of those 3 spots, you will create a set of openings that will enable you to attack your opponent’s movement. By attacking the opponent’s movement, you increase the possibility of them missing the next shot as it is harder to hit a ball on the run rather than hitting a ball that comes directly to them.
DEUCE COURT SERVE OUT WIDE PLAY
Play 1
KeysKeys
Keys
KeysKeys
1 – Server serves out wide to forehand in dark blue area.
2 – Returner hits return somewhere in light blue area.
3 – Server hits ball to target number 4.
NOTES
KeysKeys
If Server hits a weak serve, the returner will have the ability to hit the return anywhere on the court. Hence, for this drill to be real, it is imperative that the server hits serves that the returner has a hard time with.
Depending on the return, you will then have four possibilities and (with the exception of your opponent hitting an outright winner of your serve), under the premise of attacking the opponent’s movement, you should hit away from the opponent (generally speaking cross court which will be a higher percentage shot.) Here are the four possibilities:
- Winner: Opponent hits a very weak return that enables you to hit cross court winner.
- Approach Shot: Come to the net with a cross court approach shot.
- Forced Shot: You hit a forceful shot that is not quite enough to get you to the net but it prompts the opponent to hit a short ball on the subsequent shot which enables you to hit a cross court winner or hit an approach shot to close of the net. You can anticipate this shot by paying attention on how stretched out your opponent is when hitting the ball. If the opponent is on the full run and has to stretch one arm out with the face of the racquet pointing upwards, odds are you are going to get a short ball or a high ball with no pace that you can pick off the air.
- Rally: The opponent hits a good return and you start a rally whereby you are trying to create openings to attack or to force a mistake.