Net Notes: Overcome the fear of No Man's Land

Many tennis players labor under the misconception that the area around the service line is to be avoided like you would a well-marked mine field.

Not so!

The ability to maintain control of a point in doubles is directly related to one's ability to play volleys and overheads from that mislabeled and misunderstood area of the court.It doesn't have to be No Man's Land.

Make sure you pass through that dreaded zone very quickly after you have played a shot and then momentarily stabilize yourself to react with a split step as your opponent is contacting his or her next shot.

This move forward to mid-court, and maybe a bit farther in if time allows, is the meat and potatoes of the best doubles players.

Learn to deal calmly and coolly with the various shots your opponent will present to you as you negotiate that transition zone.

Understand that you can't hit winners from that far back from the net and be a rock-solid wall of consistency when you are playing your way through that zone, either advancing forward following a volley or backpedaling to play an overhead.

Once the opponent fully understands that you won't miss from there, unless they play a high risk shot, you have won the battle and are well on your way to winning the war.

Practice from that area.

Low volleys, high volleys, overheads, even soft, sliced groundstrokes are the needed skills that most players never work on enough to master.

Double points are won at the net and to get to the net you must at some point earn your way through that transition zone people have been told to fear as No Man's Land.

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Howie Burnett is a member of the United States Professional Tennis Association and tennis director at the Island Country Club on Marco Island. Burnett welcomes questions on strokes, tactics or etiquette. To reach him, call the tennis shop at 394-4464 or e-mail him at islandclubtennis@hotmail.com.