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Tennis: direction

direction DRILLS
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Change Direction & Change Pace...

The player stands on the baselineCoach alternates feeding deep and short balls to the deuce sideThe player hits forehand cross-court from the baseline, attacking forehand down the line from the mid court, forehand down the line from the baseline and attacking forehand cross-court from the mid court area

General

Tennis: Backhand Lateral with ...

Live ball Drill<BR>Coach feeds from position 1.<BR>Players start off in forehand doubles alley and execute shots with direction. player has to to hit the first ball back to the coach to then hit the second shot down the line.

General

Forehand Change of Direction R...

Player 1 - is working on change of direction on forehand. 2 forehands cross court, 1 forehand down the line Player 2 - feeding - can work on lateral movement and consistency, 2 cross court forehands and 1 back hand line.

General

Changing Spin and Direction Ba...

Coach feeds balls to the ad side.Player alternates hitting a backhand slice cross-court and a topspin backhand down the line.

General

Tennis: Forehand recovery and ...

Players start off in centre and plays a forehand down the line then recovers back to the centre. To then run towards the short ball and hits this one down the line or cross court.

General

Control Direction Backhand Dri...

The player starts in the advantage corner and rallies with the coach, or with another player. The players alternates between hitting backhand cross-court shots and down the line.

General

Know the Direction Smash Drill...

Coach feeds high balls into random spots. Coach moves to one of the sides. Player hits an overhead into the open court.

General

GroundStrokes N/Movement and D...

Players start off on centre and hit 3 shots: Forehand crosscourt, backhand down the line and forehand crosscourt. (All shots back to coach position 3)

General

Directional approach Forehand ...

The coach feeds shorter ball to the deuce side. The player moves forward, hits forehand approach shot down the line and comes to the net. The coach hits the ball back to the deuce side and then the player finishes with deep forehand volley cross-court.

General

Forehands. Live ball with dire...

<b>Drill Set-Up:</b><BR>Players start ofrf on centre and rallys 2 balls back to coach and plays third shot down the line.<BR><b>Topic of Emphasis:</b><BR>Players try to recover after first shot and try to hit to catch with depth.Coach should not volley below the net.<BR><b>Variation:</b><BR>Second forehand could be inside out and third forehand could go cross court with depth.

General

Tennis: Forehand 4 directions ...

The player starts from the middle. The coach tosses 4 balls into different directions (deuce side, short middle, ad side, deep middle). The player hits all the balls with forehand stroke.

General

2 and 1 Backhand Drills - Spor...

Players rally together. Player A hits 2 backhands cross-court and 1 backhand down the line. Player B responds with all shots to the backhand corner.

General

Backhand slice - change of pac...

Players start the drill by rallying cross-court from the backhand corners.Player 1 can choose to slice a backhand down the line at any time and the point is then live. Player 1 can choose to hit the slice as an approach, or simply as a change of direction/pace in the rally.Players can play first to 7 points before player 2 has a turn at being the slicing player.If a mistake is made before the slice has been hit, it is not counted and the score remains the same.Players can find the slice down the line a difficult shot to play, particularly if they are used to using 2 hands on their backhand. They should be reminded to turn their shoulders well and follow the line of the ball with their feet and body.Players should make sure that they are in a good position to play the down the line shot, and be aware that in doing so they will be changing the pace, spin, direction, and flight path of the ball.Take care on it!

General

Hit deep Forehand Drills - Ten...

Split the players into 2 equal groups, Both hitting forehands. Coach feeds left then right. Players have to move out to the ball and try to hit the ball into the coned are down the line. Play first team to score 10 points.

General

Deep directions + drop shot ch...

Deep zone and angle zone are set by cones. Coach feeds balls to one side. Player performs tactical pattern based on deep down the line shot, deep cross court shot, and drop shot down the line.Drill specifications:1-2 repetitions per set1-2 patterns in a row is a number that each players should hit. With more players coach can set up 2 lines to work on forehand and backhand at the same time but it requires good feeding skills to keep the patterns in a right pace. Waiting players can perform physical drills or they can imitate well-disguised drop shot to get comfortable with the last-second change of grip and drop shot motion.

General

Full acceleration Forehand Dri...

Coach stands next to the player. Coach quickly throws the balls. Player fully accelerates and hits all balls as fast as possible.Max 4-5 repetitions per setThis drill is really demanding from the physical side so number of repetitions should be adjusted to the player fitness preparation. Too many reps will not bring good results because of the tired arm as also can be responsible for player’s injuries of the shoulder. Between the sets with the coach other players can work on specific drills with medicine ball/bands to strengthen the shoulder area.

General

Physical Preparation: The Comp...

General

All down the line shots Foreha...

Player stands on the service line. Coach alternates feeding to the forehand and to the backhand side. Player hits all volleys in down the line direction.

General

Serve and Volley Serve and Ret...

Player 1 serves a 1st Serve and follows it in to hit a volley. If returner is finding it hard then serve a 2nd serve. Serve volley behind the returner i.e. to the same direction that the ball came from to wrong foot the opponent.

General

Tennis: Inside out forehand an...

Players start in the centre and hits the first shot back to the coach with an inside out forehand. The player then moves on to a short ball to hit a winner, either a cross-court forehand or a down the line stroke.

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

Start the rally with return Se...

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.

General

Side to side safe defense retu...

Hitting on the run is a skill that has to be practiced often because players must learn to control the distance between the body and the ball and how to hit the shot while still moving. In this exercise, the player aims for the middle of the court because it is the best defensive tactical return. This is because there is more court to aim for and the middle of the net is lower. Players should also know that hitting on the run forces them to lose time as they stop, change direction and recover. So tell your players to aim high over the net to gain additional recovery time while the ball is in the air.

General

Confidence hitting down the li...

Set up two sets of cones around 1metre inside the service line, either side of the coach who stands in the centre of the court. The coach then feeds balls to the player so he/she has to hit either and backhand or forehand down the line shot. The player must execute all strokes in down the line direction aiming for between the cones.

General

Tennis: All about forehand - S...

Coach feeds balls to the 'ad' side. Player hits 2 forehands inside out and 1 forehand inside in.

General

Forehands (Inside out) (Dead Ball) Forward.

Drill Set-Up:Players line up on the centre and moves out to play first forehand and then runs around backwards and plays forehand.Topic of Emphasis:After the first forehand the player needs to back peddle with the racket turned and should step away from the ball prior to contact.Variation:Players can alternate directions and coach can feed from 1 - 3 positions.

Forehand & Backhand Drill

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

Inside-out Forehand

Coach feeds the ball down the lineThe player starts in the middle and runs round to hit an inside-out cross court forehand to the target areaAlternatively a target can be positioned down the line and every third stroke can be hit to that direction

Forehand Drills

Lateral Forehands (Backwards) (Dead Ball)

Drill Set-Up:Players start off in doubles alley (Forehand corner) and moves along baseline hitting 2 backhands.Topic of Emphasis:Last stop should be towards the ball and elbows should not be too close to body at contact.Variation:Players can hit 3 shots.Players can alternate the direction of the balls.

Forehand Drills

Lateral Forehands (Forwards) (Dead Ball)

Drill Set-Up:Players start off in doubles alley (backhand corner) and moves along baseline hitting 2 forehands.Topic of Empahsis:As players move sideways they must take last step towards ball at contact.Variation:Players can hit 3 shots.Players can alternate the direction of the balls.

Forehand Drills

Serve and Volley

-Player serves diagonally to returner / feeder who hits cross court. -Server moves forward and volleys back to returner / feeder.-Returner / feeder hits a short low ball to the net players feet.-The returner / feeder then plays out the point.-Lobs are only allowed after a minimum of two volleys.

Serve and Return

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

The Wall

4 players 2 at the net and 2 at the baseline. Coach feeds the ball in to the baseliners and the point is played out. The volleyers can hit anywhere, however the baseliners cannot hit to the same volleyer twice in a row. After 2 volleys the baseliners are then allowed to lob. The winner is the first team to 11 points, after this the teams swap over.

Doubles Drills

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direction SESSIONS
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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.

Create a Tactical Advantage with Spin

To constantly change the spin and direction of shots to gain a tactical advantage during a rally.

Play Back Behind, The Art Of Wrong Footing

Mix things up! Get your players hitting the ball in the space that's just opened up behind their opponent!

Unpredictable Competitor

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

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.

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!

Keep Constant Pressure On Your Opponent

To understand how to put pressure on the rival and work on specific patterns behind and inside the baseline.

Move your Opponent

Develop your player's skills to move the opposition around the court with this session, working on key skills such as coming to the net, ready to take the advantage!

Control and Consistency on the Court

In this session we look at building consistency and control into rallies. We look at each skill you might use at different points throughout the rally and work on getting the basic technique of these skills perfect.

Serving wide to create the one two punch: Advantage court

Get your players using the flat and kick serve to develop an aggressive serve and first shot combination

React and Win!

Get your players on their toes and reacting quicker than ever before to win those all important points

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!

Achieving Backhand Stroke Consistency

Help your players achieve backhand stroke consistency in this great session packed with live ball drills!
direction 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 to teach single and double-handed backhands to U10s?

teaching single and doublehanded backhands to under 10s

Archived User Coach

How do you teach position anticipation?

My daughter has the fundamentals and strokes but lacks where to anticipate her position on the court to finish out the point.

Archived User Coach

Speed and agility in tennis

Why we need speed and agility in tennis?What we can do for speed and agility training?Can you gave me general information for speed and agility in tennis?

Can Deniz Coach, Turkey

split step

what is this

Deborah Hooks Coach, United States

footwork

show me some footwork and recovery drills

Don Boyle Coach, United Kingdom

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