Player 1 is feeding from the service box and player 2 starts on the baseline T in the ready position.
Player 1 rolls tennis balls along the ground, in a random pattern, one after the other and player 2 must move to each ball, stop it with their hand before it goes outside the singles tramlines or baseline.
After stopping the ball player 2 should roll it back to player 1 who can then roll the next ball.
It is easy for player 1 to do this with 2 balls alternating.
Player 1 can feed 10 balls in this way before the players switch roles. The drill can be repeated until each player has completed the drill 5 times.
Player 2 should look to move in a low balanced way, using their legs to bend to the ball rather than bending at their waist.
The aim is to get to each ball as quickly as possible and return it to player 1 in the most efficient way.
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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