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Moving Your Game from Outdoors to Indoors
By: Mike/TennisCT
For many of us, we will be transitioning from outdoor to indoor tennis in the northern parts of the U.S. in the coming weeks. If you’re like me, you have gotten used to playing in different kinds of natural elements like sun, wind or humidity for the last several months. Many of those external factors will not be relevant once you transition indoors, and the game inside is very pure and controlled. There are a few things you should keep in mind that will help your tennis game make the transition:
Moving from outdoor tennis to indoor tennis should be easier compared to going from indoor to outdoor. The climate and temperature are stabilized, and the spot you hit the ball is usually where it goes since the elements and conditions won’t be moving it around. There will be no need for you to plan for a cross-wind!
The game will likely seem “faster” – in other words, the ball will come to you quicker than you have probably gotten used to. At first, shorten up your back swing and be sure to focus on your footwork by taking more small steps towards the ball as opposed to long strides. Doing these two things will help your timing.
Typically – but not always – the court surfaces themselves will be faster too. This is especially true if you have been accustomed to playing on clay or har-tru courts during the summertime. This fact alone can alter your strategy quite a bit, and it will take a slight adjustment period. Because of the court surface, usually a slice will tend to stay lower and be more effective than heavy topspin. Likewise, on the serve, a slicing, more penetrating serve will be more effective than it would be outdoors on clay.
Indoor tennis typically favors a more aggressive player. Since the game is faster, points tend to be shorter and favor big shot-makers. It also provides the ability for you to stand farther up in the court, or hugging the baseline, as opposed to standing too far behind the baseline. Since the ball coming at you isn’t likely to move around because of the elements, timing is easier and therefore opens up greater shot selection for you.
The bounce is pure indoors. There are very few bad or tricky bounces on most indoor courts, and therefore there are less adjustments you need to make with your racquet and your feet prior to playing a shot. This puts the onus on your stroke mechanics, and playing indoors is a great chance to work on your game and specifically your strokes in a controlled environment.
As you move indoors, please remember to be safe, properly distanced from one another, and respectful of those around you.