Coach, 4 players, and a basket of tennis balls.
Player 1 starts off on the centre of the baseline.
Coach feeds 3 balls across the court from the players left to right, for the player to run on to and play 3 deep forehand returns.
Player 1 joins the queue and player 2 steps on for the drill to be repeated.
Drill continues until all 4 players have had a turn.
Repeat the drill.
Players footwork needs to be quick to get in the correct positions to play the shots.
Meet the ball on the rise or top of the bounce.
Recover to the start position to receive each feed.
Indoor courts give players less time and less room. Help them sharpen their split step, shorten their swing and stay calm, and winter becomes a season of real progress.
A tiebreak is a short sprint where every point is worth the same as a break of serve. The players who win them are rarely the ones who hit hardest. Here is how to coach the patterns, habits and scoreboard thinking that win the big points.
Most club players practise the serve on its own and then have no idea what to do with the ball that comes back. Serve plus one is the pattern that turns a good serve into a won point.