Overhead：How to Play Tennis --- part VI

1. Pick your spot
One of the most difficult aspects of hitting an overhead is picking a spot in your opponent's court to direct the shot. To ensure that you never miss an overhead due to this location dilemma, you should learn to hit it from anywhere in your court to a specific spot in the other court.

2. Made in the shade
A bright sun can make hitting overheads a brutal undertaking. Here are two ways to make this shot more manageable.

1）Wear sunglasses. Most professional players don't wear them when they play on a sunny day, but sunglasses will allow you to see the ball more clearly. A hat, which is becoming more and more popular among tour players, is another good way to shade your eyes.

2）Use your nondominant hand. Like an outfielder's glove, which can be used to block out the sun and locate a fly ball, a tennis player's free hand makes a terrific shade-provider.

3. Are you up to it?
When hitting overheads, some players drop their head and their eyes. This is a nasty habit. It can start a chain reaction: First the head comes down, then you stop watching the ball, then your shoulders automatically come down, and finally, your overhead ends up in the net. To hit an effective overhead, keep your head and eyes up and strive for full extension as you reach for the ball. Let your racquet head generate the speed. And remember: If you're forced to hit from an awkward position, take some pace off the shot and concentrate on getting the ball deep.

4. When all else fails
Use the skyhook only when you don't have enough time to set up for a traditional overhead. If you've got to hit it, here's how:

1）From the ready position, turn sideways and get your racquet arm fully extended and pointing toward the back fence.

2）Keeping the arm as stiff as a board, swing it in an arc-like motion from the shoulder, making contact in front of the shoulder.

教你打网球（六）：过顶球

1、 选择落点
打好过顶球最困难的一点是：如何在对手的场地内选择一个合适的落点来把球击出。要确保你的过顶球百发百中，你必须要练习从自己场地的任何一点把球击到对方场地内一个特定的点上。

2、 保护你的眼睛
刺眼的太阳会使打过顶球变得很困难。遵循以下两点，它们对你会有帮助的：

1） 戴太阳镜。大多数的职业球手在太阳下比赛的时候都不戴太阳镜，但是太阳镜能够使你把球看得更清楚。而戴太阳帽在巡回赛选手中变得越来越流行，这也是一种很好的保护眼睛的办法。

2） 用你的辅助手（非执拍手或双手球员的辅助执拍手）。（棒球赛中）外场手可以用他的手套，遮住阳光从而看清飞来的球，同样，网球运动员的辅助手也可以起到相同的作用。

3、你是否抬头了？
当打过顶球的时候，许多球手会低下头和眼睛（以躲避阳光）。这是一个非常坏的习惯。它会带来一系列的后果：首先，你低下头，然后你不去看球，接着你自然要垂下肩，最后你击出的过顶球会下网。要打出好的过顶球，你必须要抬起头和眼睛，并击球的时候尽量看得远些。挥动球拍，发力击打来球。记住：如果你被迫用很难受的姿式来击球，你可以从击球点后移几步，然后尽量把球打得深一些。

4、如果其它办法都没用……
只有当你没有足够的时间来打正常的过顶球的时候，你才能够采用"天钩"的姿式。如果你不得不这样做，请遵循以下两点：

1） 从预备姿式转向一侧，把球拍向后伸出，指向你后方的围栏。

2） 臂要伸直，并保持伸直的姿式不变，以肩为轴把球拍划出弧线，在肩部的前方勾击来球。