Player serves wide from the deuce side. Coach throws a ball to the deuce side. Player hits deep forehand cross court and recovers. Coach throws another ball to the deuce side. Player hits deep forehand down the line.
Many players have great forehand skills when working on them in an isolated form. Unfortunately the placement and consistency are lost immediately when the forehand is preceded by the serve. Reaction the next shot after the serve is a skill so players have to learn how to use forehand with connection to the delivery.
In this drill player works on basic tactical pattern. Player serves wide from the deuce side and hits forehand cross-court and forehand down the line. This pattern is simple so players should use it when the pressure is on to reduce the chance for errors. The goal of this pattern is to keep the opponent on the run and hit winner down the line of force the rival to hit an easy response that we can put away on the next shot.
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.
Wimbledon has just crowned another champion, and if you watched closely you saw the same thing every year: the best returners quietly won the tournament. Here is how to coach a return that pressures the server rather than just surviving it.
Wimbledon arrives at the end of June and the grass court swing transforms how the game is played. Low bounces, slippery footing, and rewards for forward play demand a different tactical mindset. Here is how to coach it.
Register for FREE and get coaching tips, top drills, session and more every week!
