At the higher levels, there's great variety among high school girls. You'll find ultra-consistent grinders, power baseliners, spin masters, and even serve-and-volleyers. But unlike boys, at the average level girls lean more toward consistency than a hit-or-miss power game. We'll focus here on how to throw that consistency off.
Try these tactics against a consistent 3.0 - 3.5 girl:
- Hit low to her two-handed backhand. Probably 90% of high school girls use a two-handed backhand, and low balls are particularly tough for a two-hander. Although you can keep flat shots low, the best way to keep a ball low is with slice, and you might be one of those players for whom slicing is easy. Not many high school girls use slice, so if you have that weapon, most of your opponents won't be used to dealing with it. You can start learning the shot here.
- Try some drop shots. A lot of girls who move extremely well from side to side don't like to run forward for the ball, and the average high school girl almost never uses a drop shot, so you'll again have the advantage of a weapon few opponents have encountered. A good drop shot is hard for a 3.0 - 3.5 player to hit, but even when you hit a mediocre one, you're not likely to pay the price you would at a higher level. Your opponent will probably not be used to putting away short balls, so unless your drop shot is really awful, you're likely to create a good chance to pass or lob her.
- Test her net play. All too often, tennis coaches drill girls endlessly at the baseline and give minimal instruction in net play. Always test your opponent to see whether she's comfortable at the net. Force her forward by hitting a short ball, preferably a low one. You might find passing or lobbing her vastly easier than getting her to miss from her baseline.
- Make the ball jump above her comfort zone. A lot of high school girls are short enough that it's easy to hit a deep, fairly high ball that will bounce well above where they're comfortable hitting it. If you know how to hit topspin, you'll get an even better result. Some opponents will back way up to get these shots and thus avoid hitting above their comfort zone, but when they hit from that far back, you'll have all kinds of time to get to their shot, including, very likely, a good chance to put it away at the net.
