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Putting away sitters should be the easiest shot in tennis.
But they’re just as easy to mess up!
Here’s how to handle high bouncing mid-court balls with confidence…
Comments? Questions? Leave them down below. Thanks for watching!
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I struggle so much with the "floater" mid-court ball. I always feel like being short (5'2"), I am always hitting it at shoulder or higher level after it bounces. I struggle to time contact with the ball where it's waist-chest high and ultimately end up hitting it long most of the time. I like the first tip the best – about keeping your arm extended and not pulled in. Thanks!
Great pointers. Very useful. No like button to click!
Great Video. i would click like if there was a like button.
great tip. However, with all such videos, if you could demonstrate in slow motion, it would be much more helpful
thanks
Always first class instruction.
Am I right in thinking Ira begins the stroke just below the ball to get a top spine on the shot?
Thanks for the demo. The tip about the elbow is good.
If you cover the topic again, I'd mention the footwork employed.
I've found that footwork is essential, too.
On short sitters, weight on my front foot tends to drive the ball downward and give me the angle I want.
On deep sitters, weight on my back foot is better.
Good video. My issue is more with the short sitter on the forehand side that stays low. I find it very difficult to hit an agressive approach off of that and I know I am not alone. Could you please do a video on that?
Thanks for the lesson.
Thank you for this concise and informative video. The comment about hitting at three quarter speed and not trying to hit a winner was very helpful for me. Thank you. David
You're very welcome, David!
Good comments..but an important point you neglected is that the visual contact point on the ball itself should be at 12 o'clock..the court is shorter as you approach and the goal should be to swing from slightly below the height of the ball, and then to hit over the ball..the vast majority of misses on the short ball go long
Great lesson. Is there a way you can show the shot in slow motion? Trying to see exactly the arm, hand and racket position in real time is difficult. Will try to work on the shot, thanks!
Thanks for this lesson. I've been bugged by sitters since I play with guys my age (70+) and such shots are plentiful. I'm now off to practice.😊
Thanks for your short videos!! One thing that will turn me off is someone belaboring the point. Short and sweet bites of info are more easily remembered and used!
Very good. Always viewed this shot as more of a put away opportunity with the result being too many balls in the net. Elbow up and away from the body is a great visual along with body turn should help to keep errors down. Keep these short, concise tips coming.
How about short balls in middle that arent so high bouncing? Those give me fits
I wish you could show more from different angle – for exlample foot wrk , shoulder , arm , going forward and hit .
Isza
I really enjoy all of the the secret you share on how and what it takes to improve your tennis game, learning first hand from the pros. BRAVO Zulu#! Great job keep en coming. Federer secrets is auwsome! !
Thank you so much for the feedback, Jackson!
Hi Ian,
Thank you for your great videos. I have problems when moving just inside the baseline and at the same time realizing the ball is coming fast at my feet or close to the body. I can't adjust my position fast enough to hit the ball back properly. I think it is mostly my slow reading of the ball and lack of quick footwork. I wonder if you can made a video to talk about how to handle this type of situations for a recreational player.
Thanks,
Ty
Can you show me the same technique for a one handed backhand
Great video and instruction The "I"s' have it!
Welcome aboard Ira. (It's the Ian and Ira Show!)
Unlike many who watch these videos, I have an old-school continental forehand (and it ain't changing). Will that change how I set up for this shot? I like the focus on using this ball as an attacking shot, as opposed to as an outright winner. Too often I go for too much on these balls miss. My mantra these days is "bigger target" dummy.
PS: Two I's are better than one.
Another excellent instructional video, and it's great that we now have two coaches for the price of one. And the price of this latest video is pretty darned reasonable, if you ask me.
I know of no other tennis instructional website that has two coaches for us, so you guys have another first, and a refreshing one it is.
Right, the whole point of modern tennis strategy–at least among pros–seems to be to control the point till tada! you get, a short ball. So this is a much-needed lesson. I'm not convinced that pros always succeed in putting away the short ball. Sometimes, yes, but often they need to tighten the death grip (as you demonstrate) before they get the put-away.
I think, if you're going to do a follow-up, you could do one on the footwork: if you get a short ball sitter when you're on the baseline, take one or two run steps then one or two side shuffles, then yes: hit off your front foot and mule kick behind with the other one.
Thank you for the kind words, Bob. Greatly appreciated by both of us. Thanks for the input and suggestions as well.
I just spent a few minutes thinking about your comments, Bob. I can actually think of one other site that has two pros on and off, but they don't really publish anything anymore. As for everybody else….you're right, there's only one single teacher. I never really thought about that before. Not sure what it means, but I'm happy to break free of the pack in that regard 😉
Good!
Good video, well done. Please do one on best way to hit the short low bouncing ball?
This is very useful. Ira is a terrific addition I enjoying watching.
And I want to point out that any of us who can execute this shot consistently and who can integrate different footwork patterns with the stroke will not likely have to ask how to hit it faster or with more topspin or at a different angle. All the successful shots we see on TV contain these fundamentals.
A short, simple and pretty useful video. Congrats… I really enjoyed it and found great fundamentals in it. Keep going with the good work… Thank you !!!
You advertise how to deal with short sitters,then you show something else, like dropping a racquet. Really?
Nice video but most pro players put those sitters away with a jumping shot and with force they usually don't set up the shot.
Is there not a way to put those shots away consistently like the pros do it?
Cheers.
You're absolutely right, John. However, please realize that we're not making videos for pro players. We're making videos for amateur players who on average still struggle with the fundamentals. I know it isn't as exciting or sexy, but these are the elements that the vast majority of players need to improve on. So, yes, there is a way to put those sittings away like the pros. We'll probably do some videos about how to hit more aggressively, but most of them will be targeting what amateur players need to work on more than that. Thank you for watching and commenting!
Useful, short and condensed enough. Bravo. Thank you.
Glad you enjoyed it, Istvan.
Excellent instruction
Brief intro, 3quick steps to remember
Great teaching method.
Too much description and too many repetitive remarks in the instruction are annoying. Most of us cannot focus on the goal with those distractions.
Can wait yo practice this on the court and send it on to my partner.
Teach us more tips.
Thanks so much for the feedback, Patricia.
hi, ian:
do you recommend the same principles for the backhand set-up shot?
A few questions regarding Ira's set-up and finish on the sitter. I noticed Ira finishes pretty high. I've been taught to finish this shot with a high-to-low swing path, "racquet finishes in left pocket". Also, he takes the ball off the front foot rather than setting up and loading off the back foot. In both cases, is this just preference, or do you recommend one over the other?
Thanks again for another great video!
I think Ira's footwork loading on the front foot helps keep him sideways during his preparation and moving fluidly through the shot. There are other footwork choices that are situational, for example when moving up and over quickly stepping into the shot with the outside foot and stepping through the shot with the inside foot. I saw Azarenka practicing that footwork pattern from a semi open stance over and over. It is probably a good idea to have a default footwork pattern to go to, but also to be able to be comfortable using other footwork in different situations.
hey guys thanks for all the videos and great instruction. I was noticing it seems like it's almost always windy there. I live on the Oregon coast where is also windy almost all the time. How about a video on playing in the wind…. thank you
Warren
Good job guys! Keep it going, specially on those too-easy-to-miss kind of shots (i.e. volleys from close at the net..,etc.) that we, the amateurs miss so often in a match and make us loose very important points! After I will become a pro (never!), I will learn the -Crushing Short Balls- looked after by Jojo. Just have to remind him to take is gradually, from 4.0 to a pro level, there are many steps to go. Just an opinion from a 68 old tennis player for more than 40 years.
I think the lesson's title – Crushing Short Balls – is a more appropriate "approach' to playing short balls.
Over and over again, I hear that the short ball is a setup shot. But, everyone knows that pro's crush short balls away all the time. I've hit balls as Ira described, only to be lobbed, passed, or to flub the volley. And I've played against plenty of 4.0 players that would routinely treat my short balls as put-aways.
That's what I want to learn to do.
Ya, that's a good comment, Jojo. We're working on changing the preview image so it more accurately reflects the shot Ira demonstrated.
Just curious, why is Ira taking over "front of the camera" duties?
He isn't taking over, just supplementing. Unfortunately you'll still see lots of me 😉
Great demonstration. Keeping your eyes in the ball is really the key to this shot, and a few practice swings should be part of everyone's half court mini tennis warm up period. Keep it up, Ix2.
I found this video very helpful. In particular, the point about keeping the elbow away from the body.
excellent tutorial! these are points i have evolved to when attacking the short ball but never had my philosophy validated, until now. now i am certain i am doing it right – keeping my elbow up, placing it in the corner and approaching the net, not trying kill it. not trying to kill it was a difficult decision but one day i realized "why are you making the error when you are controlling the rally??! the person making the error should be the opponent who is under extreme pressure. quit letting them off the hook." from that point i started playing the shot as a setup shot to be finished at net.
now please do one for the 1hbh! THANKS
Great to hear you enjoyed it, Will. Thanks for watching. We'll add the 1hbh to our list….
I also would like to see a demosntration of this for the one-handed-backhand.
Thank you
We'll add that to our list, Peter. Thanks for watching.
Often, when your shot hurts an opponent it gets you a short ball, but often that ball is also a low (not high) bouncing ball.
What is your advice regarding low balls? If I hit it softly I get passed (unless it is a good drop shot), If I hit harder I either tend to hit the net or by trying to get passed the net I either hit long or hit a short looping ball that bounces near the service line or even a bit behind it. I would really like to learn to hit those inverted forehands to the backhand from low balls bouncing close to the middle of the court.
Excellent question, Juan. We've added that shot to our list of topics for the future as several others asked about it as well.
Exactly what I needed. Off to the courts to try it out right now. Thank you.
Awesome, John, that's what we love to hear. Come back and let us know how it went!
Thanks so much for this. I can't wait to get out and try these tips. This is an absolute fatal shot for me. Even in practice, I could never figure out a technique to get any consistency with it.
You're very welcome, John. Come back and let us know how you do.
That's hitting it off the bounce, and it isn't "crushing" it like you describe in the title. I was hoping to see a put-away shot for a slow high-bouncing (shoulder to head-height) ball, which I don't seem to get the timing right on the swing. The one option I use if it's high enough is to crouch down and do an overhead, which isn't always convenient. I was hoping to learn a swing like they do on tv for a "crushing" shot 🙂 .
Point taken, Paul. We should probably adjust the title since Ira emphasized making a measured, controlled swing in his presentation. We'll add your idea/topic to our list of ones to use in the future. Most players aren't at a level where it's smart to go for a huge swing on these shots…..but it sure is fun to do when it works 🙂
Simple, clear, efficient! Thanks both of you!
You bet, Markos.
I like the presentation style, crisp and to the point. Well done.
Good to hear, Ken. Thanks!
Many thanks for sharing your invaluable experience and knowledge!
You're very welcome, Noushin.
I would like to know how to handle these "sitters" when they are even shorter than in the video. I look at the feeds he was getting as more of an approach shot than a sitter.
Thanks, I tend to run through it or get so excited to put it away that I blow it!
That's a great question, Lisa. There are definitely many different "flavors" of the short ball. We'll add that one to our list of topics to cover in the future.
Could you please post something on returning the low, short, ball. That gives me a lot of trouble.
That's a tricky one, Dace. We'll add it to our list!
Man, this is hilarious. You talk just like Ian. And I love how Ian is smiling in the background 🙂
Thanks for the tips!
Patrick from Switzerland
Haha, he does? As Ira gets a little more experience in front of the camera I know his personality will really start to shine through. Thanks for watching, Patrick.
elbow away from body, poised, approach – good points all. Thanks. Could you please cover the same shot for the backhand side (I use a one-handed backhand). Thanks!
We'll add it to our list, Bruce.
Thanks a bunch for this one, I can't count the number of times I have hit this shot long. I do just as Ira says most of us rec players do and the face of my racquet opens up and it flies long. Can't wait to try this technique as I usually tend to get real tentative on these type shots.