Coaching

	SCHULUNG TENNIS 2005-2006
	The midcourt The midcourt is the area from just inside the service line to about three to four feet inside the base line. This area is commonly known as «no man's land». It doesn't mean that you should never play in this area, it just means you don't want to get stuck there. This is the area in which you want to hit your shot and return to the ideal recovery position (IRP) as quickly as possible.
	the ideal recovery position If you decide to go forward your IRP is midway between the service line and the net on the same side of the court as your opponent. If you feel you won't be able to reach this spot after the executing the shot, the IRP would be behind the baseline.
	hitting winners from the midcourt. If you practice in the midcourt a lot and you have enough confidence, you want to hit the slow-to-medium paced midcourt ball for a winner. A floating high ball should be taken out of the air before it bounces to prevent the opponent from recovering. If you hit the approach shot hard and it is not a winner you will most likely be caught out of position when the ball comes back and you will not be able to return the ball properly.
	the crosscourt approach shot The approach shot should be hit with a spin and depth to get you to the IRP and set up for the next shot, though not necessarily with too much pace. A common mistake made by inexperienced midcourt players is to hit the approach shot crosscourt with a lot of pace. The IRP when hitting a crosscourt approach shot is much further away than a down the line approach. If the opponent is in position to play the ball early, you are vulnerable to the down the line passing shot, because you will probably not reach the IRP in time. You are also vulnerable to the crosscourt passing shot because your momentum is carrying you away from that side. This doesn't mean you cannot approach crosscourt, just make sure you are able to reach the IRP by approaching from the position closer to the net.
	hitting the approach shot down the line By hitting the approach shot down the line you are much closer to the IRP, because you are positioning yourself on the same side of the court as the opponent. This means you can hit the approach shot harder from the deeper position on the court and reach recovery position without a problem.