If you stand at the baseline of a tennis court and look at the opposite baseline (or any other area across the net), you'll notice that you are looking at the other side of the court through the net, below the net chord.
When you make a decision where to hit your next shot, you often look through the net at that area of the court, then try to hit to that area, and this is why the majority of errors tennis players make are hit into the net, rather than long or wide.
The best way to solve this problem is to thinking about hitting the ball a certain height over the net, rather than to a spot on the court.
One way you can think about hitting over the net is to have your coach drape a blanket, tarp or other material over the net, and then try hit balls without the benefit of being able to see the other side of the court through the net.
Another option is to use a target trainers or use some other tall object, and try to hit over the target without lobbing, while keeping the ball in the court.
You will soon be surprised to see just how high you can hit the ball over the net (while still hitting with pace) and getting the ball in.
Another benefit you will see when you hit the ball higher over the net is that your balls will automatically go deeper.
We have talked about how importance it is to hit the ball deep at the high school level throughout our articles in High School Tennis. Adding height to your shots will take some of the pressure you may feel to hit the ball hard to get it to the opposite baseline.
While some coaches practice with the nets raised one or more inches during the week, then lowering the net to the correct height for matches, this does not allow players to develop the natural strokes (especially on the serve) they will be using in matches. It might be an excellent, temporary learning tool, but it's probably not a good idea to develop and practice a game based on a different net height than what you will be experiencing in match play.
