Overhitting on Weak, Dinky Tennis Serves - Simple Steps to Beat Weak Servers in Singles

[@davidjefferies9214]

"Don't be greedy!" Love it!

[@sebastiandomagala9233]

Well, unfortunately I am greedy. Actually I am greedy in even less favourable situations. But court appears so big from so close to the net, I rarely miss from there. A drop shots every now and then keeps them in no "woman's" land.

[@lanlam879]

Greed is a common failing, unfortunately!

[@tennisteuton]

Great video. I remember one day practicing with the machine before a game: I had about 80% consistency, felt very good about my strokes, then my opponent gave me dink serves, I swung the exact same way... and overhit them. So my technique was not the problem - not recognizing the pace of the incoming ball was. From that point forward, I decided to first master slow balls. I am letting the machine bounce the ball into the serve box, and I will only move on to a faster setting once I have 80% consistency ten days in a row. This practice led to more consistency right away. I think it is easier to add more power if you are consistent than the other way around. Moreover, the better your technique, the more efficient you will leverage your power. Slapping the ball just wastes 90% of your effort.

[@MeikeBabelTennis]

Totally agree!

[@germanslice]

@@MeikeBabelTennis Here' is how I handle the dink serves or cheeky short difficult low balls. I slice them back using my 1hb backhand but using the flat grip, BUT for difficult low balls as well as the normal baseline balls I follow through when doing the slice drive. This follow through I added to my slice drive allows me to flatten out the ball more if I want to be aggressive or use it as a digging tool for dealing with low difficult balls and lift them with a little bit of flat to clear it just over the netcord using soft hands a slow swing works best for me with this grip if am up near the net dealing with a low ball that is more lower than the height of the netcord Because I follow through when I do my slice I been able to flatten out the dirty low short balls and clear them just inches over the net. The key is to move all through the ball

[@patrickweston3293]

"Bisecting" is perfect! I see plenty of videos about technique. I love to see more about sequences of shots. (I have the bad habit of admiring my best strokes. My friend calls it "signing autographs.")

[@PrecisionMovementCoach]

Meike - I've watched quite a few of your videos. Just started taking tennis seriously this year and you've helped me a lot. Really appreciate your teaching and how you put your videos together. Thank you! - Coach E

[@MeikeBabelTennis]

Thank you! Glad you like the videos!

[@AppeltVortex]

Great video, thank you Meike. That backhand slice (at 3:00) looks great!

[@stokvisz]

Picked up tennis after almost 10 years, and your videos really are helping me out! It really helps me enjoy tennis by learning how it's played best.

[@MeikeBabelTennis]

That is such great feedback!

[@janjagos6482]

Perfect video. Different swings, don't be so greedy. I work on this topics last weeks and it is working for me. This ideas are a magic on my level of play

[@MeikeBabelTennis]

That is awesome to hear

[@mainboard1987]

I think you hit the nail right on the head. Your videos are so fundamentally sound. One of the best here. Thank you so much!

[@ninidelatour]

Liebe Meike, vielen, vielen Dank für all diese wunderbaren Videos 🙂I also am among the "greedy ones" - there are so many of us, it seems!! - and it took me a while to understand that tennis is not only about hitting winners, just as you described it. Very nice to acknowledge that this is a common mistake and even better to teach how to deal with it. Thanks

[@gabrielchan3491]

Love your channel!! I’m a 4.5 and everything you cover is perfect for players around my level. Thank you!!

[@MeikeBabelTennis]

Most of my clients are between 3.5-4.5 and I'm just doing a lot of what will help them. So you're right in my target group.

[@bobjulianAT]

You are helping me big time!!!! Thank u for your effort in these videos

[@eldartop1634]

Thanks a lot for sharing your knowledge with us! 🙏🙏🙏

[@MeikeBabelTennis]

My pleasure

[@ME-et7ck]

great coaching !

[@shaunacole1]

Great video. Feels like you're speaking to me directly.... I'm now constantly telling myself not to be greedy 😅

[@anthonyhumphrey8005]

Great advice Meike. When I play someone with a dink serve, I usually either slice or chip my returns.

[@MeikeBabelTennis]

Not a bad thing to do. Makes it hard to get under the ball for them

[@dadsfreetimeclassicgaming1220]

Your best video imo. Great topic. Excellent teaching (obviously). I only follow a few youtube coaches (im a teaching pro) and i like how i feel like im standing in a group on the court with you. I would have liked to see your answer for what to do after the return other than positioning. I find that a dink serve is just a setup to pull the returner into an uncomfortable area for which most lower level players have no plan for. Some people are greedy and some are desperate. Also there is the lob return as a defensive option. Especially in doubles.

[@MeikeBabelTennis]

Good call to continue the thought process. This calls for another video then!

[@nathanmiller6051]

Excellent important lesson! Thanks so much 🙏 awesome! Love it!! 🎾

[@MeikeBabelTennis]

You’re welcome, as always

[@NickNeras]

All to the point Thank you

[@joakimster8431]

SUPER SUPER Video, thank you!! - Played a single match today, my opponents 1. serve broke down, so I faced a lot of week 2. serves that I kept erroring on, won’t do that next time, I’ll be less greedy etc and follow the other advices too! 😊👍💪

[@rlcharliex4924]

you have a great channel im so glad I came across you these tips and instruction are great

[@lawrencesin3595]

Great advice, Coach.

[@MeikeBabelTennis]

Thank yiu

[@JonnyW.]

Great information

[@sergiosimbula]

Love to chip 'n charge. Love old skool ♥️😄

[@MeikeBabelTennis]

Absolutely!

[@robertsison9436]

“Looks old school…” That looks great to me and very effective. Thank you for this!

[@jonizefox]

Useful and smart advices.

[@MeikeBabelTennis]

Thank you

[@danielvidal2717]

Love you Meike, you are an awesome teacher, enjoy your vídeos a lot! Ps: I'll try my best not tô be greedy anymore, on and off the court 😉😄

[@MeikeBabelTennis]

No greediness :-)))

[@hanseat7950]

Vielen Dank, Meike. Sehr nützliche Tipps! Ich muss meine Damengruppe (Punktspiel) immer davon abraten auf Gurkenaufschläge voll draufzuhauen. Sie sind aber so aufgregt und freuen sich über solche Bälle, schaffen es allerdings max. 50 % der Bälle ins Feld zu treffen.

[@MeikeBabelTennis]

Gern geschehen. Ich sehe es so oft wie du es beschreibst!

[@hanseat7950]

@@MeikeBabelTennis Hallo Meike, Ich habe deinen Tipps mit meinen Mädels (so nennen sie sich auch wenn sie Ü40/Ü50 sind!) geübt. Sie waren begeistert, und sie haben tatsächlich geklappt. Vielen Dank!!🤗

[@MeikeBabelTennis]

@@hanseat7950 Na, das ist doch klasse!

[@steveshvartsberg1312]

Thank you. At my 61 I started.

[@propgee]

Team every short ball is a winner in the house!!!! Lol. I actually played a match yesterday where I was dink served quite a lot. The slice was my weapon off both wings. I attacked the net after each hit. Worked to perfection. But naturally if that dink sits up its getting hit by me. Lol no two ways. Most down the center with power. Great video coach

[@MeikeBabelTennis]

Love the good old chip and charge! Not taught enough anymore these days

[@dukkimoon7235]

Holy! Loove that you are wearing a Bape T!

[@steernorth3567]

Thank you. I think playing a few tempting shorter ones, with a different spin, can be a good tactic

[@MeikeBabelTennis]

Yes absolutely, throw in stuff they don’t expect

[@hugoperalta1715]

As all before!!! excelente video.

[@MeikeBabelTennis]

Thanks!!

[@stranger360th]

Good topic. Thanks, Meike. I often have problems with weak second serves at the beginning of a match. Not so much with over hitting but with returning it into the net because I am stick at the baseline or even behind. So for me, I always have to remind myself: Don’t wait for the ball at the base line! Step in, go forward to the ball. It won’t come to you if it is a weak second serve…btw, the same holds true for all weaker balls of the so-called pushers. Don’t get seduced to be inactive because you got easy balls. You always have to move on court! Just different…though it is not easy in practice as it is a psychological trap I have to be aware. (@Meike: ich hoffe, du verstehst was ich meine, und kannst das vielleicht auch mal in einem Video aufgreifen).

[@MeikeBabelTennis]

Ja, macht absolut Sinn. Das ist so ein bisschen sich ausruhen, man hat Ja Zeit. Nee, Pustekuchen, hat man eben nicht

[@franciscomanrique4979]

Gracias

[@MeikeBabelTennis]

Con gusto

[@crsantin]

I have trouble staying away from the lines. They are so tempting for me on a weak serve. One thing that works for me even with a decent server is to hit the ball right at them as deep as I can down the middle. Straight at them aiming for in front of their feet. My opponent is usually recovering from their service motion or watching the ball instead of getting themselves ready. A ball returned right at them and they can't figure out a proper grip or a forehand/backhand.

[@MeikeBabelTennis]

Yes that’s another great way to immediately put pressure on them. I should have included that!

[@LubaLuba1]

Meike do you have warm up video on how pros warm up and why its important to go slow.

[@timefly4221]

Thank you for this video. I always struggle more to return dink serves than hard serves, mentally if not physically. The most effective dink serves I see which you did not show in your video have slice on them so they stay slow, below the net, and pull me into the middle of no-person’s land. These serves don’t give me anything to work with and I am standing in an awkward spot. It’s very hard to cover the cross court area on an aggressive return down the line from this position unless I follow the ball to the net, but then I have more pressure to hit a high quality approach shot and take more risk. I often just return cross court and hope they can’t control the ball down the line, but this gets predictable. Thoughts on this scenario?

[@MeikeBabelTennis]

Cross court is never wrong. Work on hitting the deep if you want to pin them back. If their ball stays low maybe try a drop shot or chip to bring them in

[@enelirebane1294]

Its like you are talking to me:) Thank you, learned so much and will try next time on court!

[@stockton350]

College coaches offer a unique and practical perspective to gameplay that you often don't get from your average club instructor.

[@emmanuelbuenviaje6564]

Don't b greedy...wise words coach M.

[@christhompson9128]

Building points is the key. Don’t go for quick winners.

[@mchangun]

How do u decide when to recover to the baseline and when to follow it up to the net?

[@tennisteuton]

You can probably practice returning a dink serve by self-feeding balls inside the serve box. Probably even better than with a ball machine, because self-feeding simulates the absence of any pace.

[@MeikeBabelTennis]

I like that idea

[@dhruvman]

Meike, most of the time the dink serves keep low & do not bounce as you have shown. Can you show us how you handle those low knee height serves that are close to the service line

[@MeikeBabelTennis]

There’s one or two layer in the video. You gotta brush up way more to lift the ball and still get it down into the court

[@graphguy]

That is my daughter.... she thinks she needs to kill it and win right away on dink serves! "I preach be patient, be selective, hit a good return, set yourself up for the next shot. You don't need to slam back a winner right away." The problem? she has gotten addicted to the adrenaline when she does her down the line return that blows by the server..... sometimes.

[@MeikeBabelTennis]

I feel that’s a very “grasshopper-y” thing to do :). Now that I’m old and wise I don’t do it anymore but I used to as a junior big time as well

[@giorgioc6765]

The biggest problem for me here is, when I get a dink serve or anyway a short ball, who does this is usually a pusher. Therefore, even if I try to keep cool, in the back of my mind I know the rally will go on forever, and I just want to cut it short. It's very difficult to force errors on someone who doesn't take any risk. But yes, "don't be greedy" must be my mantra. I get greedy even when playing doubles, go figure.

[@drorshalev3344]

Thank you :). How does this ezone 98 working for you?

[@timhartwick1986]

In singles, I return the dink serve with a drop shot. Then I switch it up with top spin shots to their baseline to keep them guessing.

[@Rafabi78]

totally agree,totally right i m so greedy! very usefull and instructional video.. I imagine you re telling me "dont be greedy" i a middle of a match XDXDXD

[@MeikeBabelTennis]

Haha, I have some clients who start hearing my voice with the “don’t be greedy”

[@the1tfactor]

Killing me with the «easy, tiger »

[@MeikeBabelTennis]

Something one of my coaches used to say :)

[@the1tfactor]

@@MeikeBabelTennis Well, I thank you for passing it on because it gives me a chuckle every time I think of it!

[@cesarfernandezlopez5063]

Don't be greedy 😈 ,easy tiger 🐯👍🏻🎾❤️

[@yakzivz1104]

Your returns go straight into the fence, mine go 5ft over the fence. LOL

[@MeikeBabelTennis]

I guess we both have some work to do :-)

[@bmanbusee3812]

This, is meeee😂😂😂😂

[@MeikeBabelTennis]

Not just you, trust me :)

[@Bacat4321]

Question: can you volley a dink serve and rush to the net?

[@sunny689]

No. The ball must bounce in tje service box .

[@MeikeBabelTennis]

No, it has to bounce

[@ssenssel]

Let me see if I got the lesson right... I have to hit a winner? 🤔😁

[@MeikeBabelTennis]

Yes, immediately but it only counts if it breaks the sound barrier 😂

[@narendraniata]

I like the term "No woman's land". 😀

[@maxc7198]

10 first second the story of my life ouch

[@lenromano6909]

I love this - my biggest downfall!

[@MeikeBabelTennis]

It’s so easy to do though, to tee off on those balls. Been there done that (hitting them way out:)

[@sunny689]

Sadly the dink serve doesn't bounce up high as you demonstrate in the video.

[@propgee]

Yep

[@tensaijuusan4653]

"no-woman's land" ?