Image: tennistipsdaily.com
Aric Keck, a former sales director at Intel Corporation in Atlanta, Georgia, works for Vectra Networks in the position of regional manager. Away from his work at Vectra Networks, Aric Keck enjoys staying active by playing tennis.
As a sport played by individuals or teams of two, tennis allows players to develop highly personalized strategies and approaches to the game. However, tennis playing styles can be broken down into three general categories.
The most aggressive style of tennis is implemented by serve and volley players. As the name implies, serve and volleyers use powerful, well directed serves to place their opponents under immediate pressure. Rather than wait for the opponent to return the serve, these players charge the net after serving and attempt to end the point in just two or three shots. When returning serves, these players often utilize the chip and charge tactic, slicing a low return and quickly moving forward.
A similar ideology is embraced by the aggressive baseliner, though these players only use the serve and volley tactic as a change-of-pace play. More commonly, aggressive baseliners use powerful ground strokes to move opponents from side to side. These players stand directly on the baseline, limiting an opposing player’s reaction time. Once the opportunity presents itself, aggressive baseliners do not hesitate to follow a strong, well placed shot forward to finish the point with a volley at the net.
Finally, defensive minded players are often referred to as counter punchers, or grinders. These players often stand several feet behind the baseline and prefer to retrieve their opponents shot, using speed and consistent ground strokes to outlast other players. Counter punchers rarely attack the net or go for outright winners, preferring to draw errors or strategically redirect their opponent’s shots, using their own power against them.
When breaking playing styles down further, the fourth most popular style of play would be the all-court player. This player implements all of the above-mentioned tactics and strategies and may greatly change their approach on a point-to-point basis.
Aric Keck's Blog 