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Tennis: early

early DRILLS
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Early Return

Player 1 only has one serve. Player 2 is returning the ball whilst 1 metre inside the baseline or closer if the serve is short. Player 2 should be aiming for either target A or B.

Serve and Return

Fast Rally - Maximum Contacts

Players rally up and down the middle of the court cooperatively. They must try and hit as many contacts as they can within a timed one minute period, regardless of whether the ball goes out or in the net. This one minute period is repeated 5 times with 1 minute in between each repetition for players to recover and collect balls ready for the next working slot.

Rally Drills

First volley and live!

The coach feeds the ball from the basket to player 1 who is moving forwards to play a 1st volley. As the coach makes contact with the ball player 1 must split step and aim to meet and hit the 1st volley on or inside the service line. They must play this ball deep down the line, whether it is a forehand or backhand volley and once this ball has been made, the point is live. Player 2 moves to whichever side the ball has been hit to and attempts to pass player 1 down the line. The point is played out in this way, first to 11 points before the players switch ends.

Volley Drills

Restricted Space

Two players play out a point and they are not allowed to step outside of the back of the court (resticted area). If players do step into the restricted area they immediately forfeit the point.

Rally Drills

Run and smash

Every player with a ball each. They have to run to the net while bouncing the ball on their racket. when they get to the net they throw up the ball and smash it across the net after which they have to run back. First one back is the winner

Smash Drills

Table tennis rallying

Players stand opposite one another in the service boxes and play the point out. However, this time, the ball must be hit down into the court so that it bounces on the player's own side before it goes over the net (like in table tennis). The ball cannot therefore bounce before the opposing player makes contact with it themselves. Points can be played up to 21 in this way.

Coordination / Fun Games

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

Taking the ball inside the court

Both players rally up and down the middle of the court from a central position. Every so often the coach shouts 'player 1' or 'player 2' and for the next 30 seconds that particular player must not step foot behind the baseline. Every ball they hit must be played with both feet in front of the baseline, however difficult this is.

Rally Drills

The loop and sneak: Cat and mouse!

Players are rallying up and down the centre of the court in the usual way. When either player decides to, they can change the flight path of the ball and hit an aggressive topspin loop to push the opposing player to the back off the court. The point is then live and the players play first to 11 points. The player who has hit the aggressive loop can wait to see what damage their shot has done to their opponent before deciding where to position themselves on the court. If the loop has been played well and deep, the player may look to sneak into the net after it as it is likely the opponent will hit a weak reply. However if the loop has not been hit deep enough it may provide the opponent with a slower midcourt ball so the player must be ready to defend if this is the case.

Lob

Taking the ball early Rally Dr...

<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>-One of the players has to stay on or inside the baseline. <BR>-With more advanced players both have to play on or inside the baseline.<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 a second serve.

General

Taking the ball early: One up,...

Players rally up and down the middle of the court with 1 player at the baseline and one at the net. The aim of the drill is to hit as many balls in 1 minute as possible, counting as they go. The minute period is repeated 5 times with players resting for 1 minute between each repetition to recover and collect balls ready for the next drill. Players should continuously try to beat their own score each time, but this drill can also be made competitive by comparing the scores between other pairs of players.

General

Taking the ball early: One up,...

Players rally up and down the middle of the court with 1 player at the baseline and one at the net. The aim of the drill is to hit as many balls in 1 minute as possible, counting as they go. The minute period is repeated 5 times with players resting for 1 minute between each repetition to recover and collect balls ready for the next drill. Players should continuously try to beat their own score each time, but this drill can also be made competitive by comparing the scores between other pairs of players.

General

Catch & Throw Like A Volley Co...

Working on volleys should be incorporated in the early stages of learning tennisIt is not purely about volleying well but it is about not being scared of the incoming ball as also playing without the bounce and without the backswingKids who are introduced to the net game on mini-court find it easier to come to the net also while playing on bigger court so this transition is smoother if the proper approach is taken with smaller court and softer balls

General

Using the Body Forehand Drills...

The coach and player rally together. Each player has to firstly touch the ball with one body part, and then he/she can hit it over the net with the racquet.

General

Threes - Two up and change Ral...

Player 1 is working in the whole court. They must hit 2 cross-court forehands followed by 2 cross-court backhands. Player 2 is working in the forehand corner and must hit 1 forehand cross followed by 1 forehand line. Player 3 is working in the backhand corner and must hit 1 backhand cross followed by 1 backhand line.

General

Tactical Domination From The A...

Coach feeds balls to the ad side.Player alternates hitting a backhand slice cross-court and an inside out topspin forehand .

General

Restricted Space Rally Drills ...

Two players play out a point and they are not allowed to step outside of the back of the court (resticted area).If players do step into the restricted area they immediately forfeit the point.

General

Sharpening up! Volley Drills -...

Players 1 and 2 are at the net, player 3 is working from the baseline.The point is live as soon as the first ball is fed in from the volleyers with tramlines being out for both ends.However, the volleying players cannot hit a clean winner to win the point, they must force player 3 into making an error to score.Player 3 can do whatever they wish with the ball to win the point, they also win the point if they can make the ball bounce before the volleyers can get to it.

General

3 progressive returns Serve an...

The coach stands on the service line (ad side), and the player starts from the baseline. The coach serves to the T, so that the players hits a forehand return cross-court. After successful hit into the zone, the player moves forward between service line and baseline, and hits another return. After successful hit into the zone, the player moves forward to the service line to execute another return.

General

Fast Rally - Maximum Contacts ...

<div class=&quot;practiceText&quot;>Players rally up and down the middle of the court cooperatively.They must try and hit as many contacts as they can within a timed one minute period, regardless of whether the ball goes out or in the net.This one minute period is repeated 5 times with 1 minute in between each repetition for players to recover and collect balls ready for the next working slot.</div>

General

One Unit Forehand Drills - Ten...

Player imitates forehand stroke, focussing on taking the racquet back with the non-dominant hand.

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

Length Rally Drills - Tennis D...

Can use this rally as a progression of &quot;Height&quot; drillPurpose:Understanding the importance of lengthStart with a coach feeding the balls from the other side of the net. Only shots landing deep of service line count as &quot;in&quot;. Progress to a rally with 2 Players full courtPlay up to 11 points.Feed underhand for 2 points alternately.

General

Table tennis rallying Coordina...

Players stand opposite one another in the service boxes and play the point out. However, this time, the ball must be hit down into the court so that it bounces on the player's own side before it goes over the net (like in table tennis). The ball cannot therefore bounce before the opposing player makes contact with it themselves. Points can be played up to 21 in this way.

General

Serve And Body Ball Movement -...

Player serves the ball, and immediately after serving, the coach tosses a deep ball into player's body. The player's goal is to move back and hit with control.

General

Shake on it! Coordination / Fu...

Players work together in pairs, each pair using the double service box as their area and with rackets not needed.Pairs start by standing facing each other and holding hands with their left hand as if shaking hands.With one ball between 2 players, players 'rally' by patting the ball to each other using their linked arms as the net.Pairs are working co-operatively to see who can get the longest rally.Players must keep their feet moving to get in the right position for each 'shot', dancing around the ball with adjustment steps whilst still staying linked to their partner.The pair with the longest rally after 5 minutes wins. After this pairs swap hands to attempt this with their non playing hand.</div>

General

Forehand plus development Coor...

Coach rallies with player. Player alternates hitting forehand and catching/throwing forehand.

General

Serve And Body Ball Serve and ...

Player serves the ball, and immediately after serving, the coach tosses a deep ball into player's body. The player's goal is to move back and hit with control.

General

Tennis: Warm up - throwing and...

Players perform regular warm up routines based on running and dynamic stretching. The coach prepares activity stations to improve athletic skills related to the session's theme. The video is a suggested warm up which involves the coach feeding the ball to the player from the other side of the net. The player then has to catch the ball and throw it back to the coach. To ensure a full warm up vary where you throw the ball.

General

Different colours different de...

The coach feeds orange, and green balls to the forehand side. The player hits only forehands cross-court. If the ball is green, the player has to aim deep. If the ball is orange, the player has to aim short.

General

Eliminate unnecessary backswin...

Player stands close to the net, but facing toward the back of the court. The player then plays a backhand return without touching the net. The main emphasis of this drill is to shorten your player's backswing.

General

Stop volleys down the line Vol...

Player stands close to the net. Coach feeds random difficult balls. Player responds with only down the line stop volleys.

General

Deep position returns Forehand...

The player stands deep behind the baseline, with the coach on the service line (on the player's side of the court). The coach then feeds the ball to the player so he/she has to hit a defensive forehand back over the net. Once the player is able to hit forehands successfully ask them to return using a backhand stroke.

General

early SESSIONS
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Attacking; Taking the ball ear...

"Should I stay or should I go?" - To help your players answer this question we work on attacking and getting up the court to dictate play!

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.

Adapting to Different Points of Contact

To work on the forehand in different situations that require varying points of contact. To understand the necessity for technical adaptation when dealing with low, medium, and high balls.

Learning to take the ball early and inside the court

Get your players to take the ball at the top of the bounce, making the shot easier for themselves while simultaneously giving their opponent less time!

Mid Court Shot Execution

Develop weapons that will allow for successful performance in the mid court area.

Tactical aspects faced in the match

Develop tactical awareness to understand what shot to play, where to recover to and ultimately to create point winning opportunities.

Points based on Forehand scenarios

Work on different tactical plays with your players on court, based on their forehand stroke, to catch the opposition off guard!

Pressure Rallying - Movement and Concentration session

Improve your players' rallying under pressure and use a ticking clock scenario in this high-intensity movement and concentration session

Winning Without A Bounce

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

The Beginning of the Point

To work on different aspects of the serve and return and to engrain shots that players could call upon at the start of the point.

Controlled Pressure

Learn how to tactically put pressure on the opponent in different situations on the court.

Hitting On The Run

Teach your players how to hit correctly on the run without giving their opponent an advantage!

Feeling Comfortable At The Fro...

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

In Nick Saviano's book, Maximum Tennis, Andre Agassi is said to have a very 'soft' left hand on his backhand, and yet often I hear and read many tips suggesting a very dominant, or active, supporting hand for the two handed backhand. Especially now, with the more semi-open stanced players, what should I suggest when teaching the backhand to developing players?

Archived User Coach

What are usefull tips for a tennis lesson given to?

What are usefull tips for a tennis lesson given to kids 6 or 7 years old, complete beginners and in groups of 12 kids ?

Archived User Coach

Strategy to win senior 70´s tournament singles?

How to win senior 70´s tournament singles? Strategy?

Archived User Coach

What is the best way to share playing vocab at this site...

...where it will list and describe playing terminology such as shave, tackle-back, steal, forehand.

Ejaz Syed Coach, United States of America

perception of the ball

hi! I am a beginner coach, so need help! coaching a men around 45, he has trouble of understanding where the ball will land. he does backswing to early, to late, focusing to much on the ball and having trouble with footwork. any drills to make it easier to understand where the ball will land and how to prepare for it? thank you

Ekaterina Grib Coach, Russia

Animated tennis drills

Can I animate drills on IPad app?

Mattia Stoissa Coach, Australia

Invoice

Hi, My subsciption runs out in September but I have to use my budget in the next few weeks. Is it posible to get an early invoice for one more year of my current access so that I can pay it soon?

Nicola Coach, England

perception of the ball | Sport...

hi! I am a beginner coach, so need help! coaching a men around 45, he has trouble of understanding where the ball will land. he does backswing to early, to late, focusing to much on the ball and having trouble with footwork. any drills to make it easier to understand where the ball will land and how to prepare for it? thank you

Ekaterina Grib Coach, Russia

What are usefull tips for a te...

What are usefull tips for a tennis lesson given to kids 6 or 7 years old, complete beginners and in groups of 12 kids ?

Archived User Coach

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