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There are many time that we outthink ourselves.  Often it is in trying a shot that has a lower percentage of landing inside the court than another higher percentage shot that has as much chance of winning the point as the lower percentage shot.  Let’s take 2 scenarios-

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1.      Both of your opponents are at the net and you are at the baseline hitting a groundstroke somewhere near the service mark.  Hitting a ball to the alleys involves going over the higher part of the net and bringing the ball down quickly so that the angle won’t carry the ball wide.  This is extremely difficult to pull off unless your last name is Nadal.  Alternately players try to keep the ball close to the net rather than use topspin to make it dive back into the court.  The vast majority of these shots either hit the net or go wide and if these shots are not well struck they sit up for an easy volley putaway by the opponents.

 

Answer:  Play a drive hard and up the middle, preferably low, but definitely hard up the center.  The opponents can’t get any angle if they reach it, and it is a much higher percentage shot to make.  If they do make a shot from the drive it will often be weak or no stringer than the previous shot letting you knock one up the middle again or if they have not recovered now there is an opening to the outside.  Additionally, since there is a seam between the two players the shot up the middle is often an outright winner.

2.      You are at the net and both of your opponents are at the baseline.  It is soooo tempting to go for a wide angle and I am not opposed to it but it has to be at the right time, when the shot can’t be missed.  I have often seen players miss these shots wide or in the net because they must be struck firmly to be effective.

 

Answer:  Going up the middle keeps them from having an angle by which to pass you and puts the pressure on them to make another shot that doesn’t’ set you up.  If your volleys are crisp it is very difficult for them to hurt you either with a good pass or a good lob.  If a good volley is struck up the middle it will usually give you a chance to move into the next volley and hit a very offensive shot with a good chance of winning the point or forcing an error.