The Overhead: The Shot Nobody Practises and Everybody Misses

The overhead is the shot club players are most embarrassed by and least likely to work on. Those two facts are related.

It is also the shot that determines whether you can come to the net at all. Opponents who discover you miss overheads will lob you for two hours, and they will be right to.

Why they get missed

Almost never the swing. Almost always the feet.

The typical failure: the player watches the lob, backs up flat-footed and facing the net, arrives late and underneath the ball, and has to reach backwards. From there the contact point is behind the head and no amount of technique rescues it.

The footwork that fixes it

1. Turn sideways immediately. As soon as you recognise a lob, turn so your shoulders are perpendicular to the net. Backing up while facing forward is slow and unstable.
2. Use crossover steps for a long retreat, side shuffles for a short one.
3. Get behind the ball. Aim to arrive so the ball would land in front of you, not on your head. Everyone under-travels.
4. Point at the ball with the non-hitting hand. This does three things: it tracks the ball, it keeps the shoulders turned, and it sets the contact point.
5. Racquet up early. In the trophy position before the ball starts dropping, not as it arrives.

The swing

Once you are positioned, it is a serve without a toss.

• Continental grip. Not a forehand grip.
• Trophy position: elbow up, racquet head behind the shoulder.
• Contact well in front and high, arm extending fully.
• Weight transferring from back foot to front through contact.
• Relaxed grip. Squeezing kills racquet head speed.

Placement

Three targets, in order of usefulness at club level.

1. Deep into the open court. Simple, high percentage, wins most points.
2. Short angle, cross-court. Effective when the opponent is deep, and it takes them off the court.
3. Behind them. Against opponents who guess and move early.

Do not aim for the lines. The court is large and your opponent is one person.

The bounce overhead

On a very high lob, especially outdoors, let it bounce. The ball comes off the court more predictably than it descends, and you get time to position properly. This is not cowardice; it is standard practice at every level.

Exception: on a windy day, letting a high lob bounce can produce an even more awkward ball. Judgement required.

Practising it

Ten minutes per session, and the improvement is quick because so few people do any.

• Feed and hit. Partner lobs from the baseline, you smash. Twenty repetitions. Count how many land in.
• Retreat and hit. Start at the net, partner lobs deep, you must retreat properly and hit. This trains the footwork, which is the actual problem.
• Overhead and recover. Hit the overhead, then immediately move forward and volley the next feed. Trains the follow-up, which club players neglect.
• Continuous overheads. Three in a row, retreating further each time. Brutal, effective, and a decent conditioning drill.