"Diffusing a Powerful Shot" by Coach Mark Contreras

Many times in competition you will come across someone who is an
aggressive baseliner.  An aggressive baseliner is an individual who
prefers to win points at the basline using a lot of power and pace on
the ball to disarm the opponent.  Players will experience being over
powered on several different areas of their shot such as: lack of
balance, wider court to cover, and loss of control upon striking the
ball.  The question is now, how do we protect ourselves against so
much power?



Some key points to focus on when anticipating a powerful shot is to:

1.) Utilizing the court by running through the baseline to shorten the
angle of the ball.  This will allow you to get to the ball faster in
order to prepare for the shot.

2.) Create a wide base with your legs and stay down low.  This will
prevent you from being off balance and give you more stability and a
stronger center of gravity for your core.

3.) Keep the racket close to the hips.  This will shorten the distance
that the racket has to travel in order to make direct contact with the
ball.  When doing this, keeping the racket in the strike zone as long
as possible will provide control and power back into the shot.

In my experience as a tennis player, I have found that diffusing
powerful shots with these key points has not only helped me return the
shot, but has made my shot more effective with control and stability.

Pro to follow: Roger Federer-Examples of diffusing a powerful shot.