The coach serves wide from the deuce side. The player hits forehand down the line return and starts the rally in down the line direction.
It is crucial to start rally drills with serve and return because these 2 strokes are always at the beginning of every point during the match. By starting drills with these strokes, players get more comfortable using returns so the placement and consistency improve immediately.
In this drill, the player works on return and consistency. Starting the rally with return gives many repetitions so players don't need to spend as much time on separate activities focused on returns. Additionally connecting return with the rally makes this drill more similar to the match's conditions, so players develop skills that they will use while competing.
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.