The Receiver’s Challenge!
The best example for this lesson is to watch baseball. The pitcher must stand in one spot to deliver the baseball. The pitcher has many pitches that spin and curve that confuse the batter. This is the challenge for the batter to contact the ball at only 90-100 miles per hour over a plate. The batter knows the pitch must travel to one side of his body and that it must be a certain height to be a strike. The pitcher can deliver the ball after the catcher sends some kind of signal to indicate the style of batter and his weakness in the strike area. The tennis player has no catcher and must think on his own how best to disarm the effectiveness of the receiver. The major differences are analysis, anticipation, and ability to cover court. The tennis player has 13 ½ feet and must bat on both sides of his body. The receiver must take balls with speeds of 149 miles per hour at 78 feet away. The receiver must be able to reach serves hit to his right or left. The receiver must be able to determine the best position to stand for the possible return. This position is very important for the possible results. The server may be left-handed and present the receiver a tremendous challenge on the add court with a hook serve or side spin. The receiver must position to protect the possible wide play of the ball to prevent the ace. The receiver would stand to his left to protect this serve. This would be the first step in the challenge of adjusting to the style of server. I am sure that batters worry about Randy Johnson the Diamond Backs pitcher who is left handed and throw the ball 100 miles per hour. They have to adjust to the style of pitcher and his tendency to throw a certain way. The many challenges for the receiver are style, speed, spin, accurate placement, and most of all the position to receive. The serves box is 13 ½ feet wide and 21 feet deep the type of serve used by the server will also help determine the position. The flat serve must be hit to the corners and will travel straight without much curve to the baseline. The receiver must position himself half way between the two possible angles to defend such a serve. This would be about a foot to the left of from the singles sideline on the duce court and a foot to the right of the singles sideline on the add court. The baseline will be under your feet as far a depth of position. This position would be common for the flat serve but not for the spin serve. The top players try to mix the delivery of the serves as not to let on a pattern of services. The slice serve position would present a different position. A good slice serves curves to the right and can draw the receiver as much as 10 feet off the court. The position to receive this serve would be to straddle the singles sideline and the intersection of the baseline to have a chance to get the ball back. A twist serve can pull the receive off the center service line 3-5 feet which presents a challenge in starting position. Therefore, depending on the type of serve he faces, the receiver may be forced to modify his starting position to the right or left of the intersection point of the services box. You have to take a position midway between the limits of the serving area capability of the particular serve opposing you. The challenge again is no prior knowledge of the server to judge the server’s capabilities and anticipation of the server’s intentions. The baseball player has a catcher to help, game films, and can get some clues to handle the pitcher. The tennis player has to bat from both sides, cover 13 ½ feet and must return the ball deep. The other major challenge is picking up on the intentions of the serve by reading movements of delivery. To analysis carefully such factors will help with judgment of speed, and path of the ball. The second most important shot in tennis takes time to develop and must consider style and delivery. The most important thing to remember is that if you can’t return it in the court you can’t win. That’s why the baseball players getting 10 million a year are batting 350.