The player stands close to the net on the deuce side. The coach feeds diagonal ball to the ad side. The player then sprints across the centre and hits a backhand stop volley cross-court.
Poaching is the primary skill that all net players should possess. Poaching consists of anticipation, courage, speed, and control of the shots. To encourage players to play more volleys from cross-court shots, the coach has to create simple environment where players can practice poaching in an easy way.
In this drill, the player works on poaching skills. The most common situation that happens during doubles at junior level is poaching and hitting the ball down the line. Unfortunately this strategy is not effective because there is an opponent at the net as also we open half of the court unsecured. Much better solution is stop volley cross-court so players have to learn how to control the ball and create right racquet angle to put the ball close to the doubles alley. To make it competitive, the coach can give points for each successful shot in the zone.
Indoor courts give players less time and less room. Help them sharpen their split step, shorten their swing and stay calm, and winter becomes a season of real progress.
A tiebreak is a short sprint where every point is worth the same as a break of serve. The players who win them are rarely the ones who hit hardest. Here is how to coach the patterns, habits and scoreboard thinking that win the big points.
Most club players practise the serve on its own and then have no idea what to do with the ball that comes back. Serve plus one is the pattern that turns a good serve into a won point.
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