Don't Hate The Player....Hate The Game (Heavyhitter)

Rafael Nadal - The King of Clay. Hits with an extreme grip on his forehand for maximum spin.

Heavy hitters are like power hitters only they don't hit theball flat, they hit the ball with lots of spin. They want to wear you down more than hit winners. Check it out. If you hit a ball coming to you with a lot of spin, you have to hit it hard to keep that ball from spinning off your strings.

That is what heavy hitters do. Some people categorize them as counterpunchers but I don't think that's fair. Hitting the ball hard enough to make it heavy is an offensive maneuver even though it doesn't end points outright. This is how they win the points:

• They hit with tons of spin, ALWAYS. To a normal person watching a match, it seems like an unforced error. But to the person on the other side of the net the ball is jumping off the ground and moving in the air. It is hard to keep track of.

• They are consistent. All that spin brings the ball down into the court.

• They take the same joy out of your unforced error that a powerhitter does a winner. They know that your error is a direct result of how hard they are hitting the ball. So it is really easy for them to gain confidence.

• They are big and strong. Athletically speaking, these guys are strong, thoroughbred, horses. Their body type is balanced so they can run AND hit the ball.

• They know how to hit angles. If you can hit a heavy ball, you can hit angles. So if you mistime the heavy ball and accidentally hit it short, expect the next ball to be an angle.

• Psychologically they bother you because they don't try to finish you off. You know that they are going to wear you down. There is always a lot of energy in their swing and a lot of sweat on their body.

• Good matchups against people with one handed backhands.
  

Andy Roddick's tremendous serve overshadows his heavy forehand and his high energy baselining

Heavy Hitters evolve in a number of ways. Rushing to the net is the least effective for them because their ball would bounce so high on the approach (to the net) that it would be easy to return if the opponent can get to the ball. And if they can place it well, they won?t really need a volley. Some things that cause Heavy Hitters to lose points:

• Heavy hitters are not invincible. They get tired. You have to be in absolutely GREAT shape to be a heavy hitter. No compromises. If your shape falters a little, then your shots will be easier to hit or you won't run the same.

• They don?t deal with different spins and paces so well. If you mix the spins and paces, it will be harder to time their strokes. If they have a small head on their racket, they will mishit a lot.

• Usually have issues returning serve. The mechanics of a heavy groundstroke takes time to execute. So most heavy hitters have to stand back to receive serve on both 1st and 2nd.

• They have to stand back on the baseline too for the same reason as the serve.

• Sometimes a heavy ball doesn't land deep enough. If you hit a heavy ball, it seems like the harder you hit it, the shorter it lands. It's important to find a mixture.
  

Amelie Mauresmo hits with an extreme grip on her backhand for a heavy ball

So if you are like a powerhitter in that you like to hit the ball hard, but have tons of patience and LOVE to be out there forever, then you should try being a heavy hitter. The satisfaction of over powering and outlasting your opponents should make you enjoy your game much more.