Those of you who read column regularly will recognize that I firmly believe that there is no single right way to play this wonderful game of ours. Whether you look at the touring pros, collegiate and high school competitors, or the weekend warriors; there are many variations in how one strikes the ball. Some of these, if successful, should not be abandoned... even if they are significantly unorthodox. Indeed, some time back, I addressed the whole reality of unorthodox strokes in one of my columns: The Orthodoxy of Unorthodoxed Strokes.
 
For nearly 20 years, I have played, taught and coached this great game. I have competed in USTA sponsored tournaments, been a ranked regional player by the USTA, visited at one time or another numerous tennis academies within the U.S. and Europe, and most importantly, I have had the wonderful opportunity to photograph the touring pros at tournaments through my sports imagery business, Photosportacular.
 
Believe me. I have seen most of it, if not all of it. I have lived through wide body racquets, staggered stringing patterns, racquets that reached new lengths (literally) and a host of different synthetic string types.
 
I suspect that a tennis legend like Bill Tilden would hardly recognize the modern game. The reality is that tennis in the 21st century is a different game. Increased money to be made on the professional level, tennis technology, the emphasis upon hard court competition, more tennis schools, a deliberate application of "scientific" principles through video analysis and the greater attention given to our sport in the academic competitions that occur on a collegiate and high school level... each has had an impact on why there is what is often called The Modern Game of Tennis.
 
If you were to read an instructional book from, let's say, the 1950's and compared its content to one written in the last few years; you would discover instantly that the nature of stroke production has changed profoundly.
 
In addition, the average "body type" associated with both male and female competitors on both tours has changed significantly. Generally, it is safe to assume that the modern pro is taller, stronger, and maybe even faster, than pros of the past.
 
Of course many of us, who play this wonderful game, do not meet the body type trends evident in modern professional competition. Still, this is not to suggest that we cannot tailor our games to be as "modern" as is possible. It is to this end that I write this month's column.
 
First, the modern game is characterized by powerful groundstrokes, huge serves and deep court play. It is difficult to be able to play the serve/volley and/or chip/charge game on any other surface than grass. Why? The modern groundstrokes and speed of the game make closing the net difficult. Unless you are very accomplished and very fast, you are likely to find yourself being passed when trying to take the net.
 
Although Roger Federer and others today do possess great speed and outstanding volleys, players of this type are the exception... not the norm. Perhaps the last great serve/volley player who used this approach as a norm is Stefan Edberg. Before him, the great John McEnroe was the leading successful proponent of net play tennis.
 
Hopefully, this form of competition will find a resurrection among pros of the future. But given the power exhibited in the modern game, it may take some time. Jack Kramer was known to have said that serve/volley and chip/charge tennis comes and goes in waves. I hope he is right. Net game tennis is a wonderful thing to see when executed properly.
 
Well, what we must first determine is whether you are a tall, average or somewhat diminutive player with respect to height. Let's start with males. I am 6'2" and I perceive myself as being average when looking at professional and collegiate men's players. If you are less than 5'10", you are in my mind a smaller player. If you are above 6'3", you are a taller player.
 
One would think that the height parameters for women would be significantly lower, and indeed, they are lower. But on the professional level, the differences are not as pronounced as on the collegiate and high school levels. I have stood next to Venus Williams and we really are about the same height.
 
Still, these are the criteria that I would put forth for women. Less than 5'7" is to me small in terms of height. 5'8" to 5'11" would be what I perceive as average height. If you are 6 feet or taller, you qualify as a tall player in my schema.
 
Height is critical in this game. It dictates the power potential of your first serve, and truly, it influences what grips you should adopt on your groundstrokes.
 
In the modern game, powerful first serves are most likely to come from taller players. Why? Well, the additional height enables them to have a more advantageous angle when serving. Literally, their height allows them to have an angle that clears the net while still landing within the service box. If you are a tall player and have not worked on "owning" a powerful first serve, you are wasting your potential.
 
The key to a powerful first serve includes the following:

1. Use a continental or eastern backhand grip. These grips allow you to break the wrist as you make contact with the ball and this bending of the wrist will generate more power.
2. Use a loose arm when serving. Tensing your muscles while serving to generate power is counterproductive. A relaxed arm through the entire service motion will ultimately result in producing more power.
3. Transfer your weight as you make contact with the ball. You want to fall forward into the court when hitting a first serve. Thus, you will need to toss the ball a bit in front of you, or you will not naturally achieve this weight transfer.
4. Making contact with the ball as high as you can is desirable on first serves in that this creates a more desirable angle for the ball when it passes the net. Literally, you have more margin for error.