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Tips for Pop Tennis

 

POP Tips

 

Below are tips that can enable you to raise the level of your POP Tennis game.

  •  Keep your feet moving/bouncing throughout your warm-up and the match. Quick, facile steps are the ticket.

  •  When possible and appropriate, hit your strokes with topspin.

  • Vary the spots to which you hit your serves, so that you elicit weak/off-balance returns from your opponent; hit your serves to the corners of your opponent’s service box, to make her/her stretch; occasionally, hit your serves into your opponent’s body, so as to jam him/her and reduce the angle of their returns; and hit your serves low, with underspin or sidespin to force your opponent to hit up, so that you can make an offensive next shot.

  • Do not stand too close to the net in doubles, when your partner is serving. With today’s ultra-powerful POP Tennis racquets, you need time to see the ball come off your opponent’s racquet when they return serve:

1. So that you can decide whether to hit a forehand or a backhand volley;

2. In order to give yourself enough time to step into the volley to impart maximum power and POP; and

3. So that you are able to hit an impactful overhead, should your opponent lob you.

  • Make sure that the best poacher on your team, is playing the side that allows his or her forehand volley to be in the middle of the court.

  • Especially, in no-bucket POP Tennis, a very effective strategy is to hit a lob after you return serve and your opponent volleys back to you. This is the case, because after hitting their first volley, your opponent’s forward momentum, in all likelihood, will carry them toward the net, so a lob at that point, may well catch them flatfooted.

  • Additionally, a well-timed lob, compels your opponent to recognize that you may lob at any point. As a result, your opponent, in order to guard against being lobbed over, will be forced to play further back from the net than normal. This may well reduce the aggressiveness and effectiveness of your opponent’s volleys.

  • Every once-in-a-while, hit your doubles return-of-serve down-the-line. This may well inhibit your opponents from moving into the center of the court, in order to poach.

  • Bend as much as possible as you hit your groundstrokes and volleys. When volleying, keep your racquet head up and step into your volleys.

  • When playing singles, a good strategy, is to hit a groundstroke wide to your opponent’s strength, and then hit your next shot to your opponent’s weak side of the court. This way, you expose your opponent’s weakness, by forcing them to hit their weaker stroke on the run. Additionally, when your opponent has to hit a running shot with their weaker stroke, this may well present the perfect opportunity for you to run to the net and volley-away their weak return.

KL

Reprinted from www.poptennis.com

 

Seven Basic "Pop Tennis" (Paddle Tennis) Strokes

 

 


Forehand Drive: Eastern Forehand (shake hands) grip, short backswing, low to high swing, feet must be inside the baseline on contact, finish stroke completely, aim 8-10 inches high over the net. Always aim either at the net people(armpit to armpit, hip to hip) or between them, do not go around them. DO NOT HIT INTO THE NET - most people will hit the out ball.

Backhand Volley: Continental (hammer) grip, use non paddle hand as a shelf and place paddle in the shelf in front of your body with paddle squarely in front of your body, toward your backhand side. Look to hit more backhand volleys than forehand volleys. Stand with relaxed legs in semi crouched position to make yourself a smaller target. Wait for the ball to come to your paddle, release non paddle hand on contact and lead with bottom edge slighly beveled forward for better depth. Keep volleys deep and away from opponents forehand drive. After serve, server approaches net with a backhand volley in the ready position.

Deck Lob: Use when the height of ball is at waist or lower level on contact. Open up paddle face and lift ball directly upward ("like an elevator") with a slow hand. Follow ball up with the paddle finishing above your head. Aim for the height of the lights and for depth, aim for the opponents service line. DO NOT LOB LONG - THIS IS A SIN!

Block Lob: Used when ball is too high to contact as a deck lob. Used to block out potential screen shot and to get opponents quickly out of position. Great shot to use as a return of serve play over the net man's head. Place paddle head up, take ball as it rises up toward you and push gently straight up.

Push Overhead: Extremely important shot! Stroke is similar to block lob but you take the ball out of the air and lob it back SLOW and DEEP to the RESET AREA. Wait for ball to drop down to you paddle and push it up slowly. Defensive shot used to regain position at the net. Used when opponents hit lobs to the service line or deeper.

Snap Overhead: Used when opponents lobs fall within service boxes. Similar to tennis overhead but contact point is much lower, elbow remains bent, and you look to hit the ball into the screens. Best place to hit is the attack area (A on attachment) which is the righty's backhand screens. Make sure body is sideways, point non paddle shoulder in the direction where you want the ball to go.

Serve: GET IT IN! Once you are confident with that, then work on moving it around and then work on spins (slice and topspin). Stand sideways, toss must be forward (18 inches out in front), shortened backswing, snap wrist if using preferred continental grip. Following serve move toward the middle third of the court. Serve and first volley must be considered together.

 

Posted by Paddlemavenat 8:11 AM

 

ABOUT ME

 

Paddlemaven

West Hartford, Connecticut, United States

Professional Tennis and Paddle Tennis Instructor with 30 years experience. Currently the Head Racquets Professional at Tumble Brook Country Club, Bloomfield, CT and the Head Paddle Tennis Professional at The Golf Club of Avon.

Reprinted from http://paddletennisnewsandadvice.blogspot.com/2007/12/seven-basic-paddle-tennis-strokes.html

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