When I first started playing tennis in my thirties I had the great fortune of having one of Vic Braden’s top instructors as my coach. Even though it was a different era of tennis, so much of what I learned still sticks with me today.

One of the main tips Vic always emphasized was that if you could consistently hit the ball down the middle within three feet of the baseline, you would most likely beat 90% of the people that are beating you now.

I’ve tried to do that most of the time I’ve played tennis and darned if Vic wasn’t right. I started beating people who used to beat me. I’ve even added a little “spin” to the same idea that makes hitting deep even more effective.

Vary your spin

Sometimes I’ll hit underspin. Sometimes I’ll hit flat. Sometimes I’ll hit regular topspin and sometimes I’ll hit heavy topspin. I’ll even lob out of nowhere for no reason at all.  Doing this doesn’t allow the opponent to get into any kind of rythm. They never know what kind of spin you are going to hit at them and it keeps them off balance. Mix this idea with Vic’s depth idea and you will drive your opponents crazy.