Doubles: Body Shots in Tennis during Net Play

Aiming for the body can be a legitimate target to force an error and not to necessarily hit your opponent.  It's usually their choice to turn and submit, face it,  or bail out and exit the court. I had a high school coach who was a college player at one time tell me to aim for the hip on the left, meaning actually the right hip which would always cause a difficult forehand volley response. 

Think of Safety and Drawing Errors

I never aimed high as in head shots or high chest. Generally you were trying to draw errors to either win the point outright or set up the next shot. I've told opponents more than once that if you can't handle the net you shouldn't be there. Of course if I were playing social doubles rather than some competitive match I'd generally just take it easy on them and come up with an alternative. 

A Generally Safe Approach

One thing I always counseled students to do is aim for the feet no matter where your opponent is on the court and you'll improve your chances of defending your position and it's a fair and safe way to be aggressive. That assumes you are in a position to reach their feet. If they're close to the net then that situation doesn't exist, but then a lob is easier to employ. This also may be because I've softened in my old age and don't want to hurt anyone.   

Why Go for the Feet 

A simple reason to go for the feet is that you will be driving the ball down and your opponent will be forced to angle the ball upward.  If you close on the net in this circumstance you'll often have a finishing shot available.

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Approach Shots: The Flat Approach

Nowadays you see the few pros that come to the net often hitting topspin approach shots.  Not only is this difficult to time well when moving forward and attempting to drive a shot while keeping it in the court, it is not the ideal for getting the job done.

Most players now aren't adept at using chip/backspin on approach shots since they rarely use backspin with two handed backhands.  A good compromise method for both forehand and backhand approach shots is to hit the ball flat.  This is especially useful when the ball is close to net height, or even above it.

Advantages

With the flat approach you can cleanly target the ball to a corner or fire it directly at the feet of your opponent at the baseline while they are centered on the court.  Unlike a chip approach the ball will reach the target quickly and not skid,  but instead continue forward and result in a rushed shot for your opponent.

Your advantage increases at the net when your opponent trying to pass you is facing a fast moving ball and little time to prepare.   You can use this shortened response time to your advantage by virtually eliminating your opponent's chance to plan an offensive lob or a well placed passing shot.  You force them to look at the ball and do so in such a rush as to have less of an opportunity to use their peripheral view to decide on a direction to pass you.  If by chance they see you coming forward especially if you make a show of the split step you might even distract them from hitting the ball well.  In either case you can beat the passing shot by using a quick response since you've eliminated the time for disguise and deception from your opponent on the pass.

This is why I like the forced and flat approach as a great tool for handling higher balls that are not useful for the chip approach.   It allows you to use a dynamic forward motion through the approach rather than hitting a static shot after stopping to hit it as heavy topspin shots require except for lateral movement.    This allows the same advantage of the carioca step (grapevine) on the chip backhand approach by not excessively slowing the forward motion to the net.  You use a balanced pause with your momentum in check but not stopped as you rotate through the shot and then continue forward.

Since on a high ball lift is not required because you are closer to the net all your focus is on racket face direction rather than an upward lift.  Get the feel of using your palm to push the ball to the target in an inside out motion on the forehand.  Do the same with the back of your hand on a one handed backhand.  With the two handed backhand use the palm of the non-dominant hand as your directional tool.

I found the best means of pointing to the target prior to rotation is to point the lead shoulder directly at the target while at finish your are facing forward and then moving forward.

Try it yourself and you might find the flat approach shot is another great tool for your offensive game.

Volley Tactics

If you are learning to volley, the main thing to keep in mind when using it during play is to hold back on your first volley and save the angles and speed for close in volleys.

Attempting to win the point from the service line when volleying generally loses the point. Work your way forward with a deep volley if possible and one that allows you to easily cover the angle of return from your opponent.

Save the full swinging volleys for high and slow returns commonly known as floaters.