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height DRILLS
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Height Rally Drills - Tennis D...

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

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

Height's decision Forehand Dri...

2 players rally in cross court direction. Players make proper tactical decisions according to the height of the ball they receive. If the ball is really low player hits neutral shot. If the ball is at knee-to-hip level player hits neutral/offensive shot. If the ball is over the hips player tries to be aggressive.Drill specifications:Switch after 1 min or specific number of shots4 players are hitting with each other while others cooperate with partners. Waiting players should focus on perception of the incoming ball so easy exercise where player 1 throws the ball at random height and player B has to say “high”, “medium” or “low” and hit it softly back to the player should be incorporated to accelerate the learning process. Fitness drills are also preferred with the main focus on legs and shoulders (necessary for successful attempts with high and low balls)

General

Length Rally Drills - Tennis D...

Can use this rally as a progression of "Height" 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 "in". Progress to a rally with 2 Players full courtPlay up to 11 points.Feed underhand for 2 points alternately.

General

Drop And Run Movement - Tennis...

The player stands in one corner of the court, with the coach on the opposite side of the baseline. The coach drops the ball from shoulder height and the player must sprint across the baseline and hit the ball, before returning to their starting position.

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

Deuce rally with mixed shots F...

Player stands in the deuce side service box. The coach feeds the ball to the player over the net, differing the height o the ball each time he feeds it. Player should practise alternating the return using a forehand volley and overhead stroke.

General

Tennis: Attacking Midcourt Bal...

This drill should be used to help players deal with easy balls and get them to attack the ball. The coach starts the drill with a mid-court feed, at various heights. The player has to hit the ball to the targets either deep or angled. The coach feeds 6 balls and then the next player starts.

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

1 Offense 1 Defense Forehand D...

2 players rally together in cross court direction. Player A hits all the balls aggressively. Player B hits all the balls defensively. After the point both players switch roles and play another rally.Drill specifications:5-10 min per sideWith more players on the court coach can use this drill strictly for the learning process or to make it really competitive. For learning purposes, players switch after few points to have a time to work on their shots as also to spend some time on different skills. For competitiveness, coach should put players into teams and play cross court points with clear defensive/offensive goals.

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

Tennis: Ripping it! - Sportpla...

The coach feeds each player 5 easy balls anywhere inside the service boxes.The player must 'rip' every single ball, with 100% intensity, swinging freely and keeping the racquet head speed fast through each and every ball.These are 'put away' balls, the last shot of a rally and must be buried into the court to give the opponent no chance of getting to it.

General

Take Care of Speed Backhand Dr...

Coach stands next to the player.Coach drops balls at regular height.Player executes backhand at the fastest speed possible.

General

Tennis: 1 High 1 Low - Forehan...

In this exercise, the coach feeds all the balls to one side. The player's goal is to alternate shots with higher and lower trajectory over the net, firstly hitting a high shot, followed by a low shot, and this is repeated.

General

Throw low rally Coordination /...

Targets are set to give a visual feedback to players. Players rally with each other, with both having to throw the ball below the upper bar.Sending and receiving are basic skills that all tennis players should be able to execute properly. Ability to catch the ball and throw it with a controlled motion helps players to learn tennis strokes in a quicker way. Coach should vary the targets of throwing according to the level of the kids.

General

1 High 1 Low - Backhand Foreha...

In this exercise, the coach feeds all the balls to one side. The player's goal is to alternate shots with higher and lower trajectory over the net, firstly hitting a high shot, followed by a low shot, and this is repeated.

General

Lob on the move Lob - Tennis D...

The coach feeds the ball to the backhand side and rises the racquet up. The player moves to the ball and hits backhand slice lob cross court. Coach's racquet is used as a point of reference for the player.

General

Body Serve From The Deuce Side...

Player serves to the body from the deuce side, aiming through the cones. The coach then feeds a regular ball to the advantage side, and the player finishes with a deep backhand cross-court volley in between the cones on the other side of the court.

General

Make it Deep Volley Drills - S...

Deep zone is set. Player stands at the net. Coach feeds balls to the ad side. Player hits deep backhand volleys in different directions.

General

Returning a smash Lob - Tennis...

Player feeds an easy lob to the coach, who then returns with a smash shot. The player has to return the coach's shot using a defensive lob and then a forehand slice - note the coach should hold his/her racquet obove his/her head after the smash to give the player a target to aim over. Repeat the drill, but the coach should hit the smash so the player has to return it using a backhand defensive shot and then a slice.

General

In or out? Smash Drills - Spor...

Player stands at the net and the coach feeds high balls. The player has to decide if the ball is going in or out. If the ball is going to be in, the player hits an overhead. If the ball is going to be out, the player leaves the ball.

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

Tap up Tennis hoop Aspire spor...

In partners, take it in turns to tap the ball up. Put a hoop in between them and score each time the ball bounces in the hoop.

General

Width Rally Drills - Tennis Dr...

Use this drill after "crosscourt theory"Purpose:Understanding the importance of widthCoach feeds the ball to begin.Central third of court is out. Progress to 2 Players rallying full courtFeed underhand for 2 points alternatelyPlay to 11 points

General

Ball drop speed drill Movement...

Player 1 is feeding and can start halfway between the service line and the net with arms outstretched at shoulder height.Player 2 is working, starting in the ready position on the baseline, but remaining active on the spot.Player 1 must drop either of the 2 balls they have outstretched in their hands. As soon as player 2 sees this they must sprint forwards and try to get to the ball after 1 bounce.They then throw the ball back to player 1 and shuffle their feet moving backwards in a relaxed way to get into the start position for the next feed.

General

Depth by numbers

Players are working in threes with player 1 working in the whole court against players 2 and 3. Players are rallying co-operatively but with players 2 and 3 moving player 1 around the court a little. Player 1 can hit to either side in any order. If player 1 hits a ball that lands long they get 2 points, beyond the service line but before the longline they get 1 point, in the service box they get no points. Should they miss a ball long or wide they get minus 1 point, and in the net minus 2 points. Players 2 and 3 must count out loud, and player 1 is trying to get to 25 points as quickly as possible. The length of time it takes is timed and players can compete within themselves in the 3 or combined against other courts if the group is larger.

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

Rewarding depth

-Lines of cones are placed as seen in the picture above.-To make the drill easier it can be played on one half of the court and later progressed to full court.-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.-First player to 11 points wins the game.-The game can also be started with a second serve.

Rally Drills

Spanish style

Working on net clearance and top spinPlace 4 rackets on top of the net.Players should aim to hit the ball to the last quarter of the court. Pairs take it in turns and rally for the highest score.

Forehand Drills

The Volley Train

- Volley to each others Forehand only.-The first pair to successfully complete the task is the winner.- If it breaks down, go to the back of the queue.This then can be done with backhand volley only.

Coordination / Fun Games

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height SESSIONS
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Training tips for taller tenni...

Teach players to use their natural advantage with this tactics and technique plan - covering everything from how to get more power in your serve to dominating from the baseline

Serve and Return - Accuracy and consistency session

Get your players mastering their first and seconds serves while also working on their ability to return a speedy serve!

Unpredictable Competitor

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

Complex Volleying

Teach how to volley from different heights and get your players winning at the net!

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.

Good Performance Close to the Net

To work on different aspects of volleying and positioning at the net to develop an effective net game.

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.

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

Responding to Drop-shots and Short Angles under pressure

Have your players mastered the dark art of the Drop-Shot and do they know how to spot a disguised Drop-Shot themselves? Find out in this tennis coach plan

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!

Attacking and Defensive Cross Court Shots

By keeping it simple and hitting cross court shots your player will avoid unforced errors and manipulate their opponent into returning the ball so they can hit their favourite point winning shot

Point Play: Restricted and Unrestricted

Perfect session for pre comp' players: A fast rotating, rallying point play session to improve your players shot selection and court positioning
height ANSWERS
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Position of the coach when fee...

hi. My name is Letty . Im a young coach trying to get level1 (ITF). Kindly help me with the position of the coach when trying to get a player u12 to practice passing.is it wrong for the coach to be in the service box or not?

Letty Matenge Coach, United Kingdom

Judging Approach?

Which drills would recommend to work on judging the pace and speed of a ball coming across the net? Which drills would you suggest that would teach a player how to judge the height, speed and pace of a ball coming across the net and move into position to time the return in the proper position.Thanks

Sportplan Team Coach, United Kingdom

Can you suggest drills for the swing volley

Ask a question and have it answered by Coaches from around the world and Sportplan's team of Experts.Can you suggest drills for the swing volley

kevin baker Coach, England

What practice drill could i use to improve attacking play in tennis?

What practice drill could i use to improve attacking play in tennis for youth players?

Archived User Coach

HOW DO YOU DO A SPIN SERVE

HOW DO YOU DO A SPIN SERVE

Archived User Coach

How can I ask a question?

Archived User Coach

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

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