Power play down the line

This session will develop both your players’ ability to hit, and their understanding of when, to play the down the line shot.

How and when to hit the shot

Down the line shots are especially effective on hard surfaces, and can be hit using groundstrokes or volleys from all areas of the court.

Unlike the cross court shot the stroke is hit straight back past the opposition as close to the court sidelines as possible. The drills will make your players aware of the differences and how both compliment each other when played consecutively by practicing both strokes in a rally.

An important part of being successful with the shot is being able to recover and get back into position after hitting the stroke: either moving to the opposite side of where the ball was hit to the baseline; or on the same side where the ball was hit at the net.

Reaction and quick footwork are also important factors when playing the stroke at the net, so the drills work on developing your players’ on court positional understanding.

Tactics: pass the player and pinch the point

By building the powerful down the line attacking stroke into your players’ skill base and knowledge of when to use it they will be able to take advantage of many more point winning opportunities.

Develop your players’ counter attacking play against opposition who like to get up to the net, such as serve and volley players, by forcing them to play from the back of the court and disrupting their game plan.

The drills will also develop your players’ skill at manipulating rallies so they can take advantage of the flaws in an opposition’s technique, or use drop shots and cross court shots to drive a player out of position to hit a point winning down the line stroke.

Introducing the shot into your players’ serving pattern will play a major role in developing them as more rounded and skilfull tennis players and reap rewards.