Tennis: Can you hit 3 balls

DESCRIPTION

2 players play points together. Zone is set in the deep area in the middle on the player A side. Player A tries to win the point by hitting offensively. Player B wins the point if the opponent misses the ball or if he makes 3 defensive shots into the zone.

Drill specifications:

1-2 points and switch

This drill has a competitive context but players shouldn’t forget about their goals. Players should switch after 1-2 points to keep all players rotating dynamically. Coach can set up a game where 2 teams are playing up to 10 points and they switch defensive/offensive roles after the game is over. While waiting for own turn, coach shouldn’t give any additional drills for players to let them watch others and learn from their decisions.

COACHING POINTS

Playing points is a real test of acquired skills. Under pressure only the best players are able to perform at the same level as they present during the training sessions. Having clear goals in mind is the best way to transfer skills on the competitive ground and develop skills every time we play. Knowing the strategy of the opponent is a typical preparation of all professional players so creating training situations where players know each other goals is a great environment to see how players react and what methods they believe are useful.

In this drill players work on offensive and defensive skills while playing the points. Coach should explain to players different strategies before the start of the drill to see what tactics they are going to believe in. It is important to understand that even we play points and want to win players should strive for the development so achieving own goals is much more important than winning at this stage. Repeating practised skills over and over again is the only way to transfer effectiveness from the practice into the real match conditions.