Beginner to Something Else

 When you start out there is a lot to learn.  Let's talk about service returns for a moment.  Where should you hit the service return?

Well, over the net is a real good start - not always easy to do.  The step after that is to know where to hit it.  If you look up this question as I did on YouTube a couple of years ago, the answer you will find is "up the middle."

Two years later I still embrace this suggestion.  Return up the middle, slightly cross court if you can and as deep as you can without going out --  better shallow than too deep.  And it's still a good idea to clear the net by a bunch.  The opposition has to let it bounce and you should take full advantage of that.  The higher you hit it, the more time you will have to run up to the kitchen line -- you were going to do that, of course!?

Let's talk third shots - you've served, the ball has come back and now you get to hit it again.  Where o' where?  How about the middle?  Yes, it's a fine location for third shots too.

I could ramble on and on here, but hitting the ball up the middle is a great place to hit it.  Like a good joke, it never gets old.

I guess I wouldn't extend it as a blanket suggestion for dinks, but for all the other shots, you will not see a raised eyebrow if you choose the middle of the court.

This post is a bit short, so I'll expound about what happens when you decide to hit for a sideline.  If you do that, you will need to control two things with your shot.  You have to hit it in, which means its velocity has to be high enough to clear the net and low enough not to go out.  The sidelines are running at an angle to your shot and too much heat and you are the loser.  PB, as in life, if curves cross there is an event.

Now hitting to the corners gives you a bit more length for your shot, but it also provides your opponents with more angle to play with when they return it and the point may change in texture rather quickly.  Thus, prepare for up the line shots, cross courts and if they are reading this, shots up the middle -- still effective when a ball has come to a corner.

If your opponents are at the net, then the direction of your shot is less important than how low you shot is.  You want the opps to be hitting from below the net.  Worry less about direction and more about how much droop the ball has.  I was playing on court four today and watching a bit of what was happening on court three, the most effective shots I noticed on both courts were the softest as they had to be returned from below the net.

Final word...  Your opponents from the Downs are all reading this and they will be hitting the ball up the middle to you.  The next really important thing you want to understand is middle coverage.  There are a number of posts about that.  Someone on your side has to have responsibility for the middle at all times.  When you are moving up the kitchen line, it's usually a good idea to run up the middle stripe or angle towards it.  And if you were returning a serve, your partner should be stepping towards the middle of the court too.  

Control the middle and control the kitchen!  It's such an easy game!