Inside Groundstrokes

An inside groundstroke is when you position yourself in the court so that the flight of the on coming ball does not cross the plane of your body. A ball that crosses in front of you is called an outside shot.

Inside shots give you more natural hip rotation and "leverage the ball easier than outside shots." I would much rather run around a backhand to whip a forehand up the line than play an outside backhand up the line. Changing the direction of a cross court shot is much easier using "inside strokes."

Pros today us inside shots for leverage, controling the center of the court, and disguise (there's no rule saying you have to hit down the line with an inside shot. You can fire right back with no change of direction "inside-out.")

Another benefit of inside shots is that you have to move more to get in position to strike which combates lazy feet and accepting crosscourt predictability for outside shots. This shot should be used on return of serves as well.

All players can benefit from this tennis play!


Your pro in the trenches,

Kevin Pease