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depth DRILLS
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Rewarding depth Rally Drills -...

<BR>-Lines of cones are placed as seen in the picture above.<BR>-To make the drill easier it can be played on one half of the court and later progressed to full court.<BR>-If the ball lands in the service box a point is deducted.Ball landing between the 2 lines of cones = 1 point.Players gain 3 points for shots hit into the last quarter.<BR>-First player to 11 points wins the game.<BR>-The game can also be started with a second serve.

General

Control the Depth - Backhand B...

Coach feeds balls to one side. Player hits 6 volleys in a particular pattern: 2 deep, 2 average, 2 short.

General

Height for Depth Rally Drills ...

Players rally up and down the middle of the court, attempting to get the longest rally they can hitting beyond the service box.Racquets are placed in the net to force the players to hit with height, which will help them to get the depth they are looking for.Pairs of players can compete against each other's courts to see which pair gets the longest rally within a certain amount of time.

General

Depth of serve Serve and Retur...

TDL = Throw down lines<BR>Place some TDL 2 feet inside the service line<BR> - Player A only has one serve per point. <BR> - If they serve between TDL and the service line and eventually win the point they score two points but if the serve is short they will only score 1 point.

General

Returning with Depth Serve and...

Place Throw down lines (TDL) 1m inside the baseline on the servers sideThe server 2nd serves and the returner is trying to return the ball between the TDL and the baseline. Play out the point after the serve and if the returner hits the depth area and eventually wins the point they get a bonus point.Advanced progression - returner receiving both 1st and 2nd serves inside the baseline or close to the service box.

General

Queen/King of Depth Rally Dril...

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

General

Behind the Baseline and Sideli...

Coach feeds balls to the deuce side.Player alternates hitting deep forehand cross-court and forehand angle cross-court.

General

Tennis: Forehand Inside Out (L...

<b>Drill Set-Up:</b><BR>Players start off on centre.Hits first ball back to coach and returns to volley to play inside out forehand.<BR><b>Topic of Emphasis:</b><BR>Players should split stop just prior to coaches hit and then prepare before ball bounces.Players should focus on proper balance.<BR><b>Variation</b><BR>Players should alternate the direction and depth.Coach can feed first ball with either top spin or slice.

General

Keep the approach shot low Bac...

The coach feeds medium ball to the ad side, so that the player hits backhand slice approach shot down the line and runs to the net. The coach feeds another ball to the ad side, and the player finishes with backhand volley down the line.

General

Avoid deuce deep corner - back...

Cones are set in the deuce deep area. The coach feeds balls to the forehand or backhand and the player hits the ball while avoiding the deep deuce corner.

General

Mid Court Variety Rally Drills...

Coach feeds the ball to the ad side.Player steps inside the baseline and hits backhand down the line.Coach feeds another ball to the ad side.Player runs around the ball and hits forehand drop shot inside in.

General

Crosscourt theory Rally Drills...

Purpose:Teaches players when to keep ball in the same direction and when to change and that players need to recover position towards centre of court. Players rally 4 balls crosscourt from either corner. Then the point is &quot;live&quot;. Play to 11 points

General

Drop The Volley Rally Drills -...

Set up as shown with three cones close to the net, with these cones being the player's target on their second shot. Player and coach stand at the net, and the coach feeds the ball to the forehand side.The Player hits a forehand volley to the coach who then hits it back to the backhand side, where the player must react quickly to backhand drop volley the ball cross-court, aiming to get the ball in between the three cones.

General

Hit and move: Running drives R...

Players are working in threes with player 1 in a full-court and players 2 and 3 in the forehand and backhand corners respectively.Player 1 is hitting running drives, 1 forehand cross followed by 1 backhand cross.Player 2 is hitting a forehand line, and player 3 a backhand line.The pattern is played in this way for up to 3 minutes depending on the level of fitness of player 1.

General

Drop and lob Lob - Tennis Dril...

The coach feeds the ball to the backhand side, and the player hits backhand drop shot down the line and moves forward. The coach comes then to the net and feeds the ball to the backhand side. The player finishes with backhand volley lob cross-court.

General

Push Out Rally Drills - Tennis...

Mark out continuations of the outside tram lines behind the court. Play out normal points but player can claim bonus points if the win the point after 'pushing' their opponent beyond the tram-lines.

General

Height Rally Drills - Tennis D...

Purpose:To learn that shots go higher over the net than imagined Variation &quot;A&quot;Cover the net with towels and ask 2 singles players to play up to 11 points.Feed underhand for 2 points alternately Variation &quot;B&quot;Erect badminton nets to create higher target over netCompete as in &quot;A&quot;.

General

Forehand inside out Forehand D...

Dead Ball Drill<BR>Players start off on the centre and moves around Backhand for first forehand then moves off to play second forehand

General

Shot selection Rally Drills - ...

<br />-Players play in pairs as a team and alternate shots scoring a point each time a shot is hit in the back 1/3 of the court.<br />-If a ball is hit short the players can attack. <br />-Attacking shots should also be hit deep (1/3 back of court) and if they are hit as outright winners the team will score an extra 3 points.<br />-First side to 7 points wins the game.<br />-The game can also be started with service and then carried on as described above.

General

Moving opponent Rally Drills -...

<BR>-Place markers in each corner.<BR>-Players aim for either of the two outside markers attempting to make the opponent move.<BR>-Players must recover quickly after each shot.

General

Building points through deep c...

<BR>The coach feeds the ball to team A, they then have to hit it into the target area cross court. <BR>-Player from team B hits down the line if possible, however if under pressure from the depth or pace of the shot,then player B should play cross court or down the middle.<BR>Team A are hitting mostly cross court.

General

Forehand/Backhand Rally Rally ...

4 players. 2 on each side of the net. Player 1 hits a deep forehand,and a rally starts with each player hitting a deep forehand shot. When it is player 1's turn again they hit a deep backhand shot, and the rally continues. Rally alternates between forehand and backhand shots. Repeat the drill. The drill is continuous. 

General

Plus and Minus Rewards Rally D...

Players play the point out from their hand in a full court as normal.If they win the point with a clear winner or by forcing an error from their opponent they get plus 1 point. However, if they make an unforced error of any kind, they get minus 1 point.Players can play until 1 player reaches plus or minus 7 points.

General

Hitting on the Run Forehand & ...

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.

General

Effective all-court volleys Vo...

Cones (stations) are set on the player's side. The player starts from the first cone and the coach feeds the ball. The player then tries to hit the ball into the deuce zone. If he makes it he is allowed to move to the next station. If he doesn't he tries until he makes a successful shot.

General

Lob Lob - Tennis Drills, Tenni...

Coach, 2 players, basket of balls. Coach feeds the ball to player 1 towards the centre of the baseline. Player 1 plays a forehand lob over player 2, who is stood on the T junction of the service box area, to land inside the court. Player 2 cannot leave the service box area, but can play the ball if they can reach it. Coach continues to feed another ball. Players rotate after 6 feeds.

General

Attack and Intercept

-Player serves to deuce court towards feeder and comes to the net.-The first player on the advantage side shadows the server and comes to net.-Feeder hits a ball to server who returns it cross court.-Feeder hits towards server again but the shadow server intercepts and hits cross-court winner.

Doubles Drills

Consistency and accuracy

-Players hit forehands aiming for the line.-Players maintain high net clearance to achieve consistency.-Three points are deducted from the final score (i.e. the rally count) for each shot that was hit into the net.-After 2 minutes see which pair held the longest rally.-After one or two rounds swap to backhand.

Rally Drills

Groundstrokes, Inside-out forehands

-Players work on ground strokes and depth, aiming to hit beyond the service line.Possibly put targets down.-After rotations, swap to backhand. - Players no.1 and no.6 can hit inside-out forehands depending on ability.

Rally Drills

Long and short down the line

-The Coach feeds (i) long then (ii) short.-Each player has two shots,both must go down the line.-Player is aiming for the targets.

Attacking

Progression of Returning drills

DescriptionPlay out the point after the serve and if the returner hits the depth area and eventually wins the point will receive bonus points. Encourages returner to put pressure on opponent.

Serve and Return

Queen/King of Depth

-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. -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 with a second serve.

Rally Drills

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depth SESSIONS
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Controlling the depth of the b...

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!

Tactical basics for effective ...

Understand tactical plays to create an advantage on the court by playing shots with a good depth to allow the player to approach the net and finish the point.

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.

Feeling Comfortable At The Front Of The Court

To improve skills that are necessary to take advantage of short balls and win points at the net.

Conscious Play at the Net

Have a clear idea of where to hit your volleys. Don't snatch at the volley, control the depth and the speed to be able to gain better court position or win the point.

Unpredictable Competitor

To coach a player with variety and a broader repertoire of shots so they are unpredictable to play against.

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.

No more Boring Basket Drills

Make training interesting by mixing up the practices to get your players thinking how to adapt from one situation to the next.

Work with the Depth

Produce a player that recognises the value of varying the depth to dictate where the opponent plays from on the court. This session is great to learn the game as well as refine the skills to develop your player tactically and technically.

Varying The Depth At The Net

To improve depth perception when coming into the net to hit the ball with precision at various depths on the approach or at the net.

Winning Without A Bounce

To work on technical and tactical nuances related to an effective net game and highlight the importance of control.

Forehand-based Session for Kids: Ball Perception

It?s the stroke everybody enjoys playing the most, and can be the most dangerous stroke to play, so let?s enjoy learning it! See the kids hit forehands with smiles on their faces!

Forgotten Variety - Playing Backspin

To implement backspin as a variety that puts more pressure on the rival and understand tactical opportunities of playing slice in different situations.

Avoid the Danger Zone: Using the Whole Court

Don't play an easy mid-court return - Teach players to go on the offensive by aiming for the far corners and hitting the lines

Depth: hit the ball deep when rallying, attacking and defending

Depth is King! Keep your opponent on the back foot by getting your players to consistently hit their shots with depth!

Recognising where the ball is going to land

Don't react at the last minute. Teach players to read the ball and anticipate where it'll land with this anticipation, depth and shot preparation session
depth ANSWERS
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Best player - bad attitude/det...

I have a learner that is super talented, he gets the game, he handles pace, power and depth well. He is aggressive and tennis just comes naturally when it comes to this kid but he lacks determination. I am really struggling to keep him motivated not to loose focus or to let one mistake make his shoulders hang for the rest of the lesson. Footwork is unfortunately a big problem and when he loses a point it's even worse, this kid is just draining me mentally every session, its a mental thing but i'm having trouble defeating it. If i'm too hard on him, he closes down and might as well stop and if i play too much and don't push him, he plays with no effort and just hit very sloppy shots. I do know that his situation at home is not good and i think it has a lot to do with his bad attitude on the court but i really need some advise, this is my hardest lesson to plan, what is most important about my lesson with a student with a bad attitude, no temper but just unmotivated and i don't want to give up because this kid really has the talent...he really can be the next junior champion in Africa if he really wants to. Would really appreciate some tips from the professionals that dealt with this before.

Archived User Coach

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

teaching single and doublehanded backhands to under 10s

Archived User Coach

I want to improve my tennis toughness & play more aggressively - any tips?

I used to play on clay court for 20 years, now it's been two years that I've been exposed to hard court. About my game%3A I have a very good technique on all my strokes including volley, good kick serve, I am 192 cm. My issue%3A I was not taught to play aggressively, now in my matches I don't take the net; consequently, in spite of executing a high level tennis, I loose to some players that I never should. I've read some tennis mental toughness books, I teach them, but I don't know how can I change my own mental set. When I hit top spin (groundies), I enjoy and feel secure, even though it results in my loss and sorrow. I'm ready for change but how?

Farhad Roshanaie Coach, United States of America

TopSpin Forehand

How should I put more topspin and depth and height on my forehand shots, I want to get it more consistent and practice putting more power on them.

stefo Coach, United States of America

group coaching

I want to design an 8 sessions for 2 beginners players

Asim 0 Coach, Qatar
depth COMMUNITY DRILLS
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Down the line depth/points challenge

Both back TRAIDING SINGLES

Open drills - depth

Open drill depth- 2

Wide serve, attack, volley, smash combination drill

Forehand cross court - with depth

2 on 1

Cross Court Angle/Depth Control

Tennis serve return strategy tips - 2nd serve return mistake

Zones of Court

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