Cross Court Drive

Cross Court Drive

The basic principles of the cross court drive are the same as for the straight drive. Your body position and racquet take back are the same. It is then just the point of impact and follow through that directs the ball across the court. You are aiming to hit the ball onto the side wall at the furthest point away from your opponent. This will then make him turn into the back corners to retrieve the ball. A common fault is when players use their bodies to pull the ball across the court, thus losing control and accuracy. Generally, the longer you can hold your position on the cross court, the better the result.

Cross Court Drive: Forehand Front Court

Pete's Top Tip: "Crucial to the cross court drive from the front is getting to the pitch of the ball early and maintaining a strong and stable position throughout the shot. A common fault is to hit the ball too hard and low on the front wall and so not get the ball through and to the back wall. The overall aim of this shot is to make your opponent turn and reach into the back corners to retrieve the ball. Leaving the ball short of the back wall can turn a potentially attacking situation into a defensive one very quickly."

Cross Court Drive: Forehand Front Court - Keyframe Analysis

1. Approach: My opponent has hit a relatively weak shot to the front, allowing me to approach at speed to take advantage of him being out of position. Therefore, the movement onto the ball is vital. You have to get there quickly, whilst still retaining control of your body. The back swing here is shorter but the shoulders and hips are still round in the classic hitting position.

2. Delivery: Having got to the ball early I then have time to hold the swing and settle on the shot. My opponent, still out of position, is forced to wait until impact before making any decisions on my shot. My legs are bent taking the body down to the height of the ball.

3. Impact: The position where I take this ball may look as if a cross court is an impossible shot to play. It is the racquet head speed and angle of the face on impact which allow me to hit a good cross court.

4. Follow Through: From impact the racquet travels across and should head towards the front wall, releasing plenty of power into the shot. However, on this occasion I do not allow the racquet to fully extend. Although it was a good cross, the lack of follow through means the ball does not reach the back wall, allowing him back in the rally.

Cross Court Drive: Forehand Mid Court

Pete's Top Tip: "As with the cross court drive from the front it is very important to use the front wall fully. Hitting the ball too low and too hard means a poor length and handing over the ascendancy to your opponent. You must hold a strong position when hitting the cross court drive and to do this preparation is the key. The biggest error people make is over hitting the ball from a poor lazy position."

Cross Court Drive: Forehand Mid Court - Keyframe Analysis

1. Approach: In the clip my opponent has hit a loose straight drive. This can actually make the hitting cross court from the middle incredibly hard. This forces you to stay away from the ball on the approach. This sounds contradictory but it is very important that you give yourself enough space to hit though the ball.

2. Delivery: The ball during delivery is still well away from me. My weight is still on the back foot and because of my position my opponent does not know which shot I am about to hit. The approach on this shot is a perfect example of having all the options.

3. Impact: I have transferred all my weight to my front leg and the racquet and arm are fully extended on impact. Even looking at the clip I still do not know what shot I am about to hit. Neither does my opponent. I am aiming quite low on the front wall, confident that the ball will reach the back wall.

4. Follow Through: I have hit the ball lower on the front wall so an extended follow through is needed in order to propel the ball to its desired destination. Although the racquet face comes across my body as well, the predominant feature of the follow through is how close the face of the racquet comes to the front wall.

Cross Court Drive: Forehand Back Court

Pete's Top Tip: "Although you are always looking to attack, the overriding need of the cross court forehand drive from the back is to make sure the ball reaches the back wall. Your opponent should not be able to hit the ball early or have plenty of time to wait for it to come off the back wall. Width is crucial, as your opponent will definitely be in front of you looking to cut the ball off. As with other drives use the height of the front wall but be careful not to over hit."

Cross Court Drive: Forehand Back Court - Keyframe Analysis

1. Approach: From my position on the approach it looks as though a boast will be the only possible shot. My racquet is high, shoulders and hips are turned ready to deliver any shot. The reason I am able to hit cross court from here is due to this solid position.

2. Delivery: Although the ball is behind my front leg, because my racquet face is open I will be able to hit a good cross court. The balance of my weight is not ideal with both legs being stationary. Ideally I should be stepping in to deliver the shot.

3. Impact: From an open face in the preparation stage I flatten the racquet head on impact to produce the cross court. My weight on this occasion is on my back foot which is not where it should be, but to compensate, my body is still.

4. Follow Through: The racquet head comes through the shot incredibly quickly, generating a lot of pace and deception. My opponent has not even started to follow the ball onto the front wall. On a less aggressive cross court the follow through should be extended round and through, helping you return to the T as well as hitting a deep shot.

Cross Court Drive: Backhand Front Court

Pete's Top Tip: "The basic principles of the cross court drive are the same as for the straight drive. Your body position and racquet take back are the same. It is then just the point of impact and follow through that directs the ball across the court. You are aiming to hit the ball onto the side wall at the furthest point away from your opponent which will then make him turn into the back corners to retrieve the ball. A common fault is when players use their body to pull the ball across the court, thus losing control and accuracy. Generally, the longer you can hold your position on the cross court, the better the result."

Cross Court Drive: Backhand Front Court - Keyframe Analysis

1. Approach: In the approach my racquet is up, I have started rotating and I am leading with my left leg. These are all very important. However, what makes this cross court that wee bit special is the distance I allow myself from the ball. I am probably 2 metres away, yet milliseconds away from impact.

2. Delivery: As a result of a perfect approach, delivery has been made very easy. As you can see from the clip it is an archetypal delivery. My eyes are on the ball and I have a fluent transfer of weight into impact.

3. Impact: On impact the ball is still away from my body and slightly in front of the forward foot. Both legs are bent to 90 degrees and my body has sunk into impact. As I am hitting onto his forehand the width of this shot has to be precise.

4. Follow Through: As a result of the exemplary preparation the follow through needed here is minimal. The ball hits the side wall at the back of the service box. My opponent is forced to dig the ball out of the back corner under great pressure.

Cross Court Drive: Backhand Mid Court

Cross Court Drive: Backhand Mid Court - Keyframe Analysis

1. Approach: In the clip I am holding my position on approach whilst my opponent is crowding me. This happens regularly around the middle of the court. You must ensure that you are not rushed into playing the shot. It is the same approach as with other shots: good rotation, start to transfer the weight and stay away from the ball.

2. Delivery: On delivery my racquet is raised, my shoulder is turned and my weight is transferred onto the leading leg.

3. Impact: At impact my racquet and arm are fully extended, my head is still and the impact is as sweet as a nut! The racquet face is still open, allowing me to control the ball better.

4. Follow Through: The follow through comes through and then across my body pulling me with very little effort back onto the T. Although the cross court is good, if I had extended my follow through, the ball would have gone deeper into the corner causing my opponent more problems.

Cross Court Drive: Backhand Back Court

Pete's Top Tip: "Although you are always looking to attack, the overriding need of the cross court forehand drive from the back is to make sure the ball reaches the back wall. Your opponent should not be able hit the ball early or have plenty of time to wait for it to come off the back wall. Width is crucial, as your opponent will definitely be in front of you looking to cut the ball off. As with other drives use the height of the front wall, but be careful not to over hit."

Cross Court Drive: Backhand Back Court - Keyframe Analysis

1. Approach: In this clip my opponent has me under a lot of pressure and I working hard on the approach to get back into a decent position to hit the shot. As this is a difficult shot, my legs are already bent and my racquet is already fully prepared.

2. Delivery: Unfortunately, I have not been able to get back to the pitch of the ball so extra racquet work is needed to send this shot cross court. Already I am in a fully extended lunge into the shot.

3. Impact: On impact I am facing the back wall and the ball is behind me. However, I know my opponent is expecting a weak straight shot so if I can pull this back across his body I can get myself out of a lot of trouble. To do this the racquet face has to remain open.

4. Follow Through: There is no real follow through on this shot. It is purely the angle of face and wrist which has taken the ball across the court. On a cross court drive from the back you would ideally be following through towards the front wall and then across your body.