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balance DRILLS
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Around the World

Rally with the coach in a round robin system. Players hit one shot and then run to the back of the queue. For variation use one racquet. After each shot players must pass the racquet on to the next player.

Coordination / Fun Games

Chip and Charge

Player 1 only has one serve. Player 2 returns and follows it into the net to volley or smash. The server should not be allowed to lob the first shot. Player 2 should aim for either a deep return or cross court. Play out the points and first to seven points is the winner.

Serve and Return

Ground strokes under pressure

-Feeder hits first ball to forehand alley.-The second ball if fed to backhand alley.-The third feed goes deep to the forehand side.

Forehand & Backhand Drill

Hitting on the Run

There are 2 lines of players starting at the middle of the baseline. The coach feeds wide balls alternately to each side. Players hit one shot down the line and then return to the opposite line.

Forehand & Backhand Drill

Lob Game

-The game has two teams of four players each.-Each team consists of two lobbers and two smashers.The smashers must stand in their respective service courts.-Points are scored every time a lob falls between the base line and the service line.The baseliners must hit the ball after one bounce. Points are lost as in normal tennis.-First team to 5 wins.-The baseliners and the smashers swop over for the next game.

Lob

Passing shots

Starting with a feed to either forehand or backhand at random players play their first shot down the line after which the players can play out the point. No lobs allowed.

Forehand & Backhand Drill

Taking the ball early

-Both players have cones approx 2 meters in front of base line (depending on players skill level.-Players gain a point each time they hit between the cone and the base line. -One of the players has to stay on or inside the baseline. -With more advanced players both have to play on or inside the baseline.-First player to 11 points wins the game.-To make the drill easier it can be played on one half of the court and later progressed to full court. -The game can also be started with a second serve.

Rally Drills

Touch and Smash

-Player touches net with racket then coach puts up the lob. The player hits the smash into the back 1/4 of the court.-On the second feed the player lets the ball bounce before the smash.

Smash Drills

Under pressure ground strokes

-Rally until a mistake is made by the baseliner.-Baseliners swap out on mistakes.-Volley player swaps after 2-3 minutes.

Rally Drills

Balance is everything Forehand...

Player stands on balance platforms. Coach feeds balls to the forehand side. Player executes forehand stroke while maintaining balance.

General

Balance touch cones Agility & ...

The player stands on the balance platforms. Cones are set around the player, with the player's goal to touch each cone separately without falling off the platforms.Balance platforms work best with this drills. If coaches don't these though use your creativity to find an alternative (stand on a bean bag for example).The important thing is to use something that is SAFE to stand on and ideally forces the kid to test their balance.

General

Balance control hitting ground...

Coach throws the ball to the side. Player moves, steps on the balance platform one one foot and hits either a forehand or backhand stroke.

General

Balanced backhand throw Backha...

Get the player to stand on balance platforms in a close stance. The coach then throws a medicine ball to the backhand side. The player should then imitate a backhand by throwing the ball back to the coach.

General

Work On Your Balance Attacking...

Coach stands on the player's sideCoach drops 2 balls from each position (in front of the player, on the side, behind the player). Player runs 2 times to each position and executes regular forehand with aim to keep balanced body

General

Walking On Tennis Balls 117 st...

Put smaller (tennis)balls in a circle so that they cannot roll away. Walk on the balls slowly and try to cross a certain distance.<BR><BR>1.Walk whilst dribbling a ball<BR>2.Pass a ball whilst walking on tennis balls<BR>3.Circle a ball around the body whilst walking

General

Balancing on the outside leg V...

Player stands on his/her right leg on the service line. Coach feeds balls to the player's forehand side. Player hops to the ball on one leg and hits a forehand volley back to the coach.

General

Racket Skills Aspire sport vid...

Each child has a racket and tennis ball and, dependent on ability, balances the ball around the edge of the racket, ups, downs, alternates (twist racket between hits).

General

Between the legs Agility & Fit...

The coach rolls the ball in different directions, whilst the player moves with shuffle step and let the ball roll through the legs.

General

Bicep curls Agility & Fitness ...

Player needs 2 dumbells, one for each hand. Weight to be determined by the player.Player performs biceps curls at the same time by folding arm in at the elbow and moving hand toward bicep. Controlled movement

General

Respond to Drop Shot Agility &...

Coach tosses low and short balls really close to the net. Player sprints and responds with counter drop shots.

General

Point the cone Agility & Fitne...

4 cones are set around the player. Coach faces the player and points out one of the cones. Player runs in this direction, touches the cone and recovers back.

General

Quick Feet Ball Warm Up Agilit...

Player stands on the baseline and rolls the ball forward. They then run forward to catch up with the ball, but instead of picking it up, they use quick feed to run around the ball before running forward to catch it up again and do the same.

General

Cat stretch Agility & Fitness ...

On all fours arch back and then dip back to stretch. Repeat 10 times.

General

Racket skills Aspire sport vid...

Each child has a racket and tennis ball and dependent on ability they should try and - Around the clocks (balance ball around the edge of the racket), Ups, downs, Alternates (twist racket between hits)

General

Shoulder rotation in Agility &...

Attach a resistance band to the net post.Hold band with right arm facing away from the net post.Bring right arm to shoulder height, out to the side, bent at the elbow so that the hand is in front off to the right.Keeping the elbow to shoulder steady and level, hinge at the elbow to raise the forearm to above the elbow.Slowly lower and repeat 10 times on each side.The band is working against the player as the rotate their shoulder in.

General

Keeping low one leg squat Agil...

Lunge forwards, then take the weight on just the front foot, staying low before bringing the back foot level with the front foot but still off the floor. Arms out in front for balance. Stay balanced on one foot, before bringing the other foot through to become the new front foot in a lunge.

General

Narrow push up Agility & Fitne...

The player takes push up position with hands in a narrow position (close to each other). The player performs regular push ups.

General

Shadow with intensity Agility ...

Cones are set inside the service boxes. The player starts from the middle, sprints to the right cone and imitates forehand volley. As fast as possible, the player recovers back and moves to the other side.

General

Watch and Chase Agility & Fitn...

Player rolls ball through players legs and they must chase ball and stop it with racquet.

General

Play from back leg Forehand Dr...

The player stands in square stance and the coach stands in front of the player. The coach feeds balls behind the front leg. The player has to put body weight on back leg and hit forehand while maintaning balance.

General

Inch worm Agility & Fitness - ...

Hands to your toes. Slowly walk them forward out into a plank position. Hold for a second. Then walk the feet in using little steps to meet the hands.

General

Cone Warm Up Agility & Fitness...

Cones are set in front of the player who starts on the baseline. The coach rolls the ball from behind the player. Player runs, stops the ball and goes around the cones while controlling the ball with the racquet. In this drill, player works on speed, deceleration and control.

General

Diagonal shuttles Agility & Fi...

Start on one side of the baseline.Cross feet shuttles moving diagonally forward and to the other side.Push off from the outside foot and straight into the next diagonal shuttle.

General

Lower back with weights Agilit...

Player keeps dumbells in front of the body. Player moves dumbells to the ankles while keeping them close to the body. Player uses lower back muscles to come back to the starting position.

General

Froggy push-ups Agility & Fitn...

Player jumps forward (with both legs) and performs a regular push-up. This exercise is a good way to warm up both their lower and upper body before the practice.

General

Side lunges keeping low Agilit...

Lunge out to the side. Slowly lift the straight leg off the floor and bring it to meet the other leg, whilst staying in a low 1 legged squat position. Hold it for a second, lower it to the floor to take the weight and lunge out to the side again.

General

Side-step Warm Up Agility & Fi...

Players stand with cones either side of them, no bigger than 5m apart. Player starts in the middle and quickly sidesteps from left to right where the cones are.

General

Shoulder rotation out Agility ...

Attach a resistance band to the net post.Hold band with right arm facing the net post.Bring right arm to shoulder height, out to the side, bent at the elbow so that the hand is in front off to the right.Keeping the elbow to shoulder steady and level, hinge at the elbow to raise the forearm to above the elbow.Slowly lower and repeat 10 times on each side.The band is working against the shoulder rotation out.

General

Right Rotator Prevention Agili...

Player works with resistance band.Player maintains the same elbow position during the whole exercise and rotates shoulder internally.

General

balance SESSIONS
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The wrong-footing tactic - Play the ball back-behind!

Use the inside-out forehand to get your opponent off balance by playing the ball into the space behind!

Punchy Volleying With Accuracy and Intent

Put some punch in your players' volleys and have them closing down the angle to put pressure on their opposition as they go on the attack!

New Approach to Backhand Rally

Approach the backhand by starting with the fundamentals. Get players movement up to scratch to be in the best position to make an effective stroke.

Win more points with forehand

Develop your player's forehand into a powerful shot with this session, helping them gain the advantage!

Play With Intent

Get your players feeling confident while hitting volleys from different areas on the court...

Learning The Backhand Half Volley

To learn the basics of a backhand half-volley shot at the net and make it an automatic response for players dealing with shots at their legs.

Better Footwork Creates a Stronger Game

In a match, every ground stroke is played off a different variety of footwork movements. A fine technique is built upon the ability to take an effective position on court to play the stroke. Therefore develop your players reaction times and their footwork with a focus on their technique and tactical positioning.

Master open stance with forehand stroke

Don?t let your forehand get predictable. Leave your opponent guessing with an open stance to give you the chance to hit it wherever you like!

Body and racquet under control

Develop balance and early footwork to maintain control of the body and racket head when hitting to all parts of the court.

Improve Footwork in all Areas

Get your players aware of their positioning on the court so they move effectively to make every ball with a strong, composed technique, from lobs to returns of serve.

Forehand introduction to clay-court season

Work on your player’s movement on clay courts with this forehand session, so they can reach the shot and pull off the big groundstroke

Hitting and Moving: Playing on the run

High intensity, backline rallying Session - Designed to get your players moving around the court and playing shots at full stretch!

Controlling the depth of the ball

Mix your player?s game up and work on their depth when hitting different shots - from the backhand volley to the inside-out forehand. Stun their opponents with variety!

Nail the Approach Shot

Work on your player's approach shots and coming to the net with this plan. Get them sprinting to the ball and hitting it out of reach down the line!

Come Alive at the Net!

Encourage your players to play positive tennis by coming into the net. This plan will develop your player’s ability to volley at the net, plucking the ball out of thin air!

Target oriented practice for kids

Improve your player’s accuracy with simple target games, which will leave them with a smile on their face!
balance ANSWERS
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re The Art of Feeding

I received your email on 'The Art of Feeding' and like to read your suggestions of drills. When looking at your suggested drills on this newsletter, I would like to ask for a bit of clarification on the coaching point 'as players move sideways they must take last step towards ball at contact'. I thought that the player must have stopped before making contact with the ball. Do you mean that the player's balance takes him into another step at contact? I'm really interested in your drills and plan to make a purchase in the near future. Best wishes, Nick-submitted by email

Sportplan Team Coach, United Kingdom

How do you beat someone who is clearly inferior but?

How do you beat someone who is clearly inferior but just keeps the ball in play?

Archived User Coach

I am about to do my level 1 coaching course and just?

I am about to do my level 1 coaching course and just recieved an email about the structure of the course and came across techniques of ABC.<br /><br />My guess is that is stands for, Agility, Balance, Co-ordiantion but im not 100% sure, could someone please let me know.<br /><br />D

Archived User Coach

How to teach single and double-handed backhands to U10s?

teaching single and doublehanded backhands to under 10s

Archived User Coach

Tips on serve and volley.

How to stay balanced for first volley

Dilip Coach, India

Warm ups and the ABC

What does the A B C stand for when doing the warm ups Asked using Sportplan Mobile App

Kate mcbain Coach, England

split step

what is this

Deborah Hooks Coach, United States

Use The middle of The court

How to best use The middle of The court?

Costel Coravu Coach, Romania

high ball

hi what is the best drill to improve high ball contact point and footwork.

samala ashok Coach, India

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