Playing “Zone” Tennis

Making too many errors? Perhaps you don’t know about the zones!

1. The Down Zone

Also known as the put-a-way zone, the red zone, or the forgiving zone (see diagram). Controlling the down zone is the whole concept of doubles and why players at the professional level fight for control of this zone. If a player can get to the down zone, you have almost a 160-180 degree angle to hit the ball into.

The down zone starts from the net and goes back about 12 feet. When you are within this area, chances are good the ball will be contacted above the net. Go ahead and use a down motion with the stroke, aggressively trying to put the ball away.

One last prerequisite-- Don’t park in the down zone. Hit in the down zone and get out quickly. Parking in the down zone leaves a player vulnerable to a lob. This is why the down zone is also called the red zone; park in the red zone and you will get a ticket!

2. The Straight Zone

The straight zone extends from beyond the down zone to just near the baseline (see diagram). In general, try to hit straight motions from here on volleys and ground strokes. Exceptions to the straight zone are low balls and overheads.

3. The Up Zone

The up zone starts from just inside the baseline and extends behind the baseline (see diagram). Swinging the ground stroke from a low to high motion will automatically give a player the “up” swing required. Not finishing the follow-through on a ground stroke tends to produce a straighter motion that goes into the net.

4. The “Very Up” Zone

Well behind the baseline (see diagram) is the very up zone. Think lob from this region as this is the worst position of the court. Do not go for a big drive from this zone! The big drive attempt from the very up zone is a desperate attempt with little chance of success.

Ideally, hit the ball well up in the air to buy some time to recover back to the court. Additionally, if your lob is short, your partner will have time to retreat and defend. If the opponent puts away an overhead, just turn and say “great shot!”

One last caveat: The overhead defies all the zones. Be aggressive on the overhead from all areas of the court.