Wimbledon Tennis Lessons - Jo-Wilfried Tsonga - The forehand angle volley!

What makes Wimbledon exciting is the fact that if you are skilled at what you do, at the net you often do not need power.

In the next video Jo-Wilfried Tsonga will show us why he can become one of the very best on the grass courts of Wimbledon because he understands the use of the angle volley which does not require power but rather touch.

- There still a very good chance that out of desperation player A will try to close in to the net too much and a third opportunity is open for player - P the topspin lob.

- From the geometric and court coverage point of you player - A by attacking cross court (especially if he hit a topspin approach) has put himself in a losing position.

Non percentage play - Player - A put himself in a non percentage play because the odds for him to win the point are around 5 to 10 percent at best.

- Player - B manages to get his racket head under the ball, gently under spins and side spins over the net short.

- Because player - B chose to play the deflecting angle shot if the ball has enough pace will bounce away further and further from player A. If it is intended to be a drop angle the ball will just hit the ground and die on the spot leaving no chance for player A to get to it on either situation.

- Jo-Wilfried Tsonga at Wimbledon shows us how it is done at a very high level.

-  Percentage play - By using touch and skills a player can out smart much more powerful players, in this case by narrowing possibilities of your opponent to get to the ball by using the angle and spin instead of power.

In the graphic you can see the ball is intended to be short.

- Why, when and how should we use the drop angle shot?

- Pressure - Keeping your opponent constantly guessing is a form of pressure. With the angle volley you literally can leave your opponent flat footed and frustrated, especially on grass were sometimes the ball just does not bounce at all.

- Tactics - Opponents often have patterns of play with which they are comfortable with and will look like a million dollars and beat the hell out of you, that is if you play those patterns. Therefore it is highly advisable to develop skills to counter such players and throw them of balance with such shots as the drop angle volleys and short angles.

- Technique - Jo-Wilfried Tsonga has a very stable lower and upper body, he bends his legs well to get under the ball even though he tries to keep a strong and straight upper body at contact. He also shows that one of the secrets of a good short or angle volley is the ability to scoop the ball with your racket head and redirect it to the desired point.

IMPORTANT NOTE - Anticipation and surprise are fundamental for the success and proper execution of the angle volley.  This shot well played is good on any surface but it is most effective on grass courts, next on clay and even though you can use it effectively on hard courts you better use it very sparingly there (unless your opponent is a real turtle, than it is ok!).

- Results -  This shot is not for the faint of heart and it must be practiced often, but before you start drop angle volley or angle volleys you should develop a solid volley base where you feel comfortable volleying from any position on the court. (The Basics of How to Hit a Volley)

Enjoy Jo-Wilfried Tsonga at Wimbledon he does an excellent job at the net.

You can see the full sequence of this point at: Wimbledon Tennis Lessons - volley forehand angle!

How to master your tennis forehand volley!

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