The New Year is here, happy 2008! I went out with my mates last night and they gave me a drinking lesson so I thought it was time I put up another tennis lesson, this time regarding movement into the net.

The tactic I am about to disclose is not often utilised by amateurs and is rarely taught by most coaches who give tennis lessons to adult club players. It can be used by anyone but can be especially valuable to baseline players who feel uncomfortable at the net.

The ‘ghost’ volley as it is known; means sneaking into the net when your opponent least expects it or when they rotate their shoulder right round to make the shot. I regularly employed this tactic on all surfaces and it proved very effective, especially against players who preferred to slice the ball on their backhand. If you learn to use this tactic effectively it can add another dimension to your singles game and help to quell tiredness by eliminating some of those long, brutal baseline rallies.

When you are competing against a consistent baseliner who enjoys playing with heavy topspin and rarely slices, try moving them out wide so they have to slice. Pay close attention to their swing and learn to anticipate when a slice is coming. Sneak into the net just before your opponent makes their stroke. You are then able to take advantage of the slower pace of shot and make an easy volley across into the open court. If your opponent has excellent court coverage you can even take advantage of the back behind volley.

I recommend working on short angled volleys off of these slower balls, this forces your opponent to move both laterally and forward thus making their next shot extremely difficult.

Another fantastic play is to hit a high looping topspin shot towards their weaker wing and follow that in. Once again remember to wait until the last moment before making your move otherwise you are susceptible to the lob. The whole purpose of coming in late is to catch your opponent off guard. This can lead to unforced errors when they notice your movement out of the corner of their eye and change their shot. It also makes your volley easier because they just don’t expect you to be in at the net.

Once you have used this tactic a few times you can also ‘fake’ the move where you begin to come to the net but then hold back. Again this often leads to unforced errors when your opponent is constantly watching for what you do rather than focussing on their stroke.

Remember to move quickly and with volition should you decide to use these tactics. Work on your overheads also because sometimes the only response to your ‘ghosting’ in is for the other player to throw up a lob. Have you noticed that the top players hardly ever miss an overhead? That is because they practise it a lot.

I’d suggest that the overhead is probably the least practised shot of all but it is vitally important because it sends a message to your opponent that you are solid and don’t miss balls in the air. This makes them nervous for they know that if they send up a poor lob – they will get punished.

Developing a net game WILL for sure improve your results; get out there in the New Year and practise!