The Strategy Zone:
Rally Control

Nick Bollettierri with Lance Luciani

In the introductory article to the Strategy Zone (Click Here), we explained how the great players win because they understand not only how to hit the ball, but where to hit the ball, and when. Our program is designed to teach you how to develop the same shots and shot combinations the pros use to win matches.

As the first article explains, winning strategic tennis can be broken down into 3 parts or phases: Control, Hurt, and Finish.

In this article, let's look more closely at Control, which is the first phase or building block in our system. "Control" means taking charge of the point. Control is about stretching out the court. Control is your ability to stretch your opponent and knock them off balance. Your goal is to exert a dominating influence over your opponent, setting the stage to execute the next two phases, Hurt and Finish.

Players can establish Control of the point with the serve, with the return or in the course of a rally. In this article we'll look first at control in the rally and analyze the shots we teach at the Academy to develop rally control. Then in future articles we'll go on to examine how to develop control with the serve and the return.

In the Strategy Zone System, we outline the techniques and the progressive steps and give you dozens of detailed drills you need to develop each aspect of the Control Shots. (Click Here.)

4 Basic Shots

There are 4 basic shots you need to develop to take control during rallies. These are: Flat Drives to the corners, Off Speed Angles, High Deep Loops, and Drop Shots. These shots are the basic building blocks of winning backcourt tennis. As we progress to the second and third stages of Hurt and Control, we'll explain more about how to use them in combinations to win points.

Flat Drive to the Corners

In the first article we talked about how Andre Agassi liked to run his opponents from "Bradenton to Vegas." Andre did this in part by hitting flat drives corner to corner.

Another great example is Maria Sharapova. Watch in the animation how she works the corners, hitting both crosscourt and down the line. Inevitably, these deep drives produce errors, or short balls which Maria can then hit into the open court for winners.

Notice in the animation that the finishing shot does not have to be a spectacular "highlight" winner. In fact the opposite. If the player controls the corners, the final shot is often a relatively easy drive into the open court. That is percentage tennis: winners set up by groundstroke control.

It's one thing to point out what Andre and Maria do and say to other players "control the point with flat drives to the corners." But few players below the highest level of the game possess the basic skills to do so. At the recreational level especially too many players focus on trying to hit the ball hard instead of hitting the ball accurately.

You may think you have a great forehand, or a great backhand. But do you actually have the ability to establish rally control?

At the Academy we do a simple test. Can the player routinely hit the ball deep to the corners in a fed ball drill? How many crosscourt forehands out of 5 or 10 can you hit to the target area? Down the line? Inside out? What about backhands?

Then if the player can hit these shots in fed ball drill, can he or she replicate the same level of control in a live ball rally? The truth is very few players can do this consistently in a basic fed ball drill. And that percentage is much lower in a live ball rally. But it is also true that with the right drills and the right amount of work, players at all levels are capable of developing these shots and therefore the most basic building blocks for rally control.

At the Academy our players work to develop control of the flat drive to the corners every day. If you want to win points, you must do the same. Work until you are highly confident in both fed ball and live ball drills. Only then will you have the basis to progress to the Hurt and Finish stages in our system.

Off Speed Angles

The second shot we stress at the Academy to develop rally control is the off speed spin angle. With this shot you pull the opponent forward and wide, opening the court. You also create the possibility of wrong footing your opponent by hitting behind him as he scrambles to recover.

We think of pro tennis as a power baseline game, but some of the greatest baseliners in the history of the game used angle shots to deadly effect, including two of my most famous former students Monica Seles and Andre Agassi. Why were they so effective? Because they did short angle drills in practice every single day.

An effective off speed angle should bounce inside the service line and then run off the court crossing the doubles alley sideline. These angles can be hit relatively flat, or higher with a more looping arc and more spin, what we call "a little roller."

When the ball is lower, you can hit these angles with a neutral or semi-open stance. When the ball is higher, you should open your stance accordingly. To become a complete player, develop all the varieties of the short angle shot on both the forehand and backhand side. You should also be able to hit the same shots from an inside out position.

In each case you want to visualize the path of the shot and the target area, and accelerate the racket head to generate enough spin to control the shot and bring it down into the court.

Watch in the animation how the player works to hit the ball consistently into the target area. As with the drives to the corner, you need to develop your ability to hit the off speed angle shots first in fed ball drills and then in live rallies.

High Deep Loops

The third rally control shot is the high, deep loop, a shot mastered by Rafael Nadal. Typically hit with heavy topspin, the deep loop drives your opponent back. The goal is to make him play a heavy ball from above his shoulder, usually from a position that is deep in the court.

High looping balls put your opponent on the defensive and often generate short replies that you can then attack. There is also a mental component to the shot, because the deep loop often frustrates the opponent, reducing his will to fight and forcing him into errors.

To be a complete player, you should be able to hit the high deep loop both crosscourt and down the line, and to do so off both your forehand and backhand. From the inside position, you must also be able to loop inside out and inside in. Hit with a high arc, the deep loop should travel 10 feet or more above the opponent's service line. As with the other basic control shots, it is important to visualize the path of the shot and the target area to develop confidence and accuracy.

As with the flat drives, and the short angles, the deep loop is a shot that can be used in combination, but first must be developed to a point of consistency in fed ball and live ball drilling. Again you should test both your forehand and backhand side, and also playing inside out.

Can you consistently hit the deep loop to both corners? How many balls can you hit to the target area out of 5 or out of 10? Start in fed ball drill and then progress to live ball rallies. When you achieve consistency in both, you have mastered another critical building block for winning all court play in the Strategy Zone system.

Drop Shot

The final basic shot in developing your ability to control points is the drop shot. In pro tennis, the top players use the drop shot when opponents are out of position bringing them forward and/or wide. This opens the court for both the pass and the lob. Another important option is to hit the drop shot and come forward, cutting off the opponent's angles and hitting the reply as a volley into the open court.

Below the pro level, a well executed drop shot is probably even more effective. When players stay behind the baseline and take pace off, the drop shot gets them out of their comfort zone and forces them to come forward.

Against a pushing style of baseline player it is one of the best ways to create openings for winners by hitting passing shots or lobs, without risking errors from overhitting against slow moon balls. In addition, it can also force errors at the net from baseliners who are not comfortable in the front half of the court.

Work on your drop shot in fed ball drill first. Your goal should be to hit the shot aggressively with underspin so that it bounces twice or even three times inside the service box. Progress from there to live ball rally.

Mastering the drop shot together with the flat drive, the short angles, and the loops, gives you the basic tools you will need to take control and implement the patterns of winning strategy used by the top players in baseline rallies. Next, we'll explain how to establish control from the first ball of the point using both the serve and the return of serve. After that, we'll start to show you how to put all these building blocks together into winning combinations to Hurt and Finish. Stay Tuned.