The Overhead

If you are still moving to your left when you hit, don't fight your court position. Go to the backhand side.

Court Position

It's also important not to fight your court position while hitting an overhead. A classic example of this is when a lob pulls a player (righty) towards the ad court alley.

If the player is still moving to his left when he hits, there's very little court to work with. It is very difficult to hit the ball down the line into the opponent's deuce court from this position. In addition, if the opponent is able to field the ball, he has a mile of open court to work with and can potentially hit an easy crosscourt forehand winner.

The best play here is to hit to the ad court where the angles to work with are far greater. You'll also have more time to recover and cover the angles in your own court. If you're playing another righty he'll likely have to play a running backhand which can also be much to your advantage.

For a great many players, the overhead becomes such a production that they're unable to get themselves ready for a reply should there be one. This is inevitable if it's a difficult ball, but one should always expect to play another ball.

This is particularly true in doubles where there are two people fielding the shot. There are players who are exceptional at anticipating and tracking down overheads. Sometimes you may have to hit as many as three or four overheads before the point's decided. Don't get discouraged if the first one wasn't a winner, as that will sap your ability to be ready for the next ball!

As much as the overhead is known for it's "thunderous" quality, it doesn't have to be hit hard to be effective. Please remember this! Unless you're supremely confident in your overhead, your intent to blast the shot can actually be causes you to miss! It's better to hit it well, with placement, trying to do something you're not capable of or simply don't need to do.

When the ball gets behind you, use the scissor kick, pushing off with the back foot.

Specialty Overheads

There are some "specialty" overheads that you will invariably need to use. The first is called the scissor-kick. It gets its name from the scissoring action your legs make while hitting it. When the ball gets behind you, push off the back foot hit the ball while in the air, and land on the opposite foot. This is a very important shot to learn. It's inevitable that lobs will often demand it. Again, if you don't really practice this variation, you can't really expect to make it under pressure.

The skyhook can keep you in the point when you can't hit a true overhead.

The skyhook isn't really an overhead per se, but a shot that keeps you in the point when you can't hit an overhead. This shot is necessary when the ball gets beyond the range of the scissor-kick. For those of you familiar with the hook shot in basketball it's virtually the same movement of the arm. With your arm and racket completely outstretched you move them in a semi-circular motion upward to the dropping ball. It's a last-ditch, defensive shot that usually winds up a lob, but it can be a point saver.

The backhand overhead or backhand smash is one of the prettiest shots in the game when hit well, but getting it to that point requires a lot of practice. Whenever there's time, do your best to move around it and hit a normal overhead, but when the lob is well disguised, or lower and faster, here's what you need to know.

The backhand overhead - one of the prettiest shots that also requires the most practice.

Rotate to your backhand side to the extent that most of your back will be facing the net. You want to load up the shoulder so it will be tucked under your chin. Point your elbow up at the ball, thereby pointing the head of the racket down.

When you extend your arm up to meet the ball your body will counter rotate away from the ball. This is important because without it you risk "muscling" the shot and losing control of it in the process. By adjusting your wrist and forearm you can either angle the ball short and crosscourt or down the line. There's virtually no follow through-stop the racket at the point of contact.

Too many players practice their overheads while standing too far back from the net, and are therefore ill prepared to deal with the shot when they actually have to move to it. Don't make that mistake!

Once you feel pretty confident, practice while starting about halfway between the net and service line and have balls fed all over your court. Here are some specific overhead drills you can try.

Touch the net, hit an overhead and repeat!

Aerobic Overhead

Much like an outfielder fielding a fly ball, practice going back on lobs and simply positioning yourself in a way that you can reach up with the your non-racket arm and catch the ball slightly in front and a little to your hitting side. If you don't get to where you need to be, the most beautiful swing in the world won't do you any good!

Start in ideal volley position (halfway between the net and the service line). A feeder on the other side will say "go!" at which point you run up, touch the net with your racket, and move back to hit an overhead. Immediately thereafter you go back and touch the net and repeat around three to four times. This will be very aerobic!

Volley/Overhead

Starting again in ideal volley position a feeder on the opposite baseline gives you a ball to volley and then randomly lobs and groundstrokes while you hit volleys and overheads. For the sake of continuity you can hit a number of these back to the feeder and then at some point put the ball away. Practice reading the feeder's racket to improve your anticipation.

Mixed volleys randomly with overheads.

Lob/Overhead

Lastly, start in ideal volley position with another player at the opposite baseline. The baseliner starts a ball for you to volley back to him and from that point on he can only lob and you can only hit overheads. Overheads that are too deep or very high can be played off the bounce. If you simply can't hit an overhead, start the point over.

This game can also be very aerobic! When the overhead player wins the point it's worth one. When the baseliner wins it's worth two. Play to ten.

Get out there and practice! Hitting your overhead well is a tremendous confidence builder!

Summary

Don't be one of those players who constantly say, "I'll practice my overhead later." Just get in there and deal with it. To hit it well is a tremendous confidence builder -to hit it poorly can mean you'll wish you'd stayed in bed. And remember, when you're warming up for a match and your opponent declines to take overheads, when he gets to the net, LOB!

Special thanks to my long time student, former top Marin county junior player Tyler Hancock, for his help in demonstrating some of the drills for this article!