The Overhead shot is a difficult technique for so many recreational tennis players. The very fact, that this shot is not practiced by many players, makes it a must to add to your to do list. It would be wise to master this technique to lead a perfect game. When considering pro-level, this shot is recognized as one of the most powerful strokes and it is a shot that cannot be mastered easily, as it requires a precise judgement to stay behind the ball, accuracy of footwork, deciding if the ball is too high or too low to re-position, etc. But once you master it, it becomes quite facile to use it in the game and can get you sure points. Self-learning practice session will be helping you in getting proper footwork and placement of your body, which are the two essential prerequisites for a clean overhead shot. Don’t be frightened, as you are now going to be told, how to practice Overhead shot on your own.
This drill, called the ‘Spikers’, is dutifully a good one to practice Overhead shot on your own. It is going to nourish a lot of things in you,
- First of all to state, is confidence, yes, a confident move will result in a proper overhead hit.
- After confidence, this drill will help you to build up accuracy as you are going to target the spots on the wall to be filled with proper hits and consequently hitting the exact spots.
- Then you’ll practice how the ball should bounce against the wall to give you a suitable height.
- It is also going to increase your racket head speed.
So, for this drill, you need to have a wall, need not to be a very massive wall but it must be suitable enough. Also you might lose some tennis balls but don’t let these minute facts frustrate you and keep you from achieving perfection in practice. In the beginning, you are not supposed to undertake consecutive hits, take one hit then catch the ball or practice a volley and then start over again. Do not go for low heighted shots, try to hit high to get the ball really high over the head, you’ll have to work on it for some time. After getting a good timing you can start the sessions of repeated cycle of spiking the ball into the ground, hitting the wall and getting up high to take the Overhead shot.
Initially, you might not hit quite a number of shots in a row but it is definitely helping you to get the proper timing for a snap over your head. Most of the times, overhead shot is executed in a wrong manner from the shoulder height by a lot of players. This drill, will assist you to achieve a suitably heighted overhead shot, by making it possible for you to use a fully-ranged movement to take the shot. It is going to help you to hit the ball at the peak, without amiss. Make sure you hit the wall such as to give a proper height to the ball, a better practice will lead to a better game.
You can practice the drill over and over again to reach a level where you perform the Overhead shot in an impeccable style. By paying attention to little details of the technique, you will eventually become a pro at this shot.
