Player stands on balance platforms. Coach feeds balls to the forehand side. Player executes forehand stroke while maintaining balance.
A lot of players struggle with learning an open stance because of the balance factor of the stroke. This new position requires different feet position as also places more importance on upper body turn, in comparison to a popular close stance; therefore, players have to adjust their own body to meet these requirements. Implementing physical obstacles during technical work is a great way to instigate development as they also make players aware of the areas that they should put more focus on during training.
In this drill, Player works on their balance and hitting a forehand in an open stance. Again player doesn't use their legs to generate the power for the forehand. This exercise is similar to the previous one but this time, Player has to also maintain balance while using mostly upper body to perform the stroke. Coach has to remind Player to keep their upper body straight and to not lower the head because it will immediately have a negative impact on the stroke. If this exercise is too difficult and Player is not able to combine hitting with balancing, Coach should make player „shadow” the stroke without a ball to feel more comfortable before moving on to a more difficult scenario.
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