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Tennis: Rally with 3 zones

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Bill, Newly qualified coach

DESCRIPTION

2 players rally together in cross court direction. 3 zones are set on each player’s side (Red, Yellow, Green). Player has to hit particular shot according to the opponent’s balls placement. If the ball lands in the red zone player hits defensive/neutral shot. If the ball lands in the yellow zone player hits neutral/offensive shot. If the ball lands in the green zone player has to attack it.

Drill specifications:

30-60 seconds and switch

4 players can work on the court at the same time while others can have different duties. Coach can put 2 players next to the net post and let them say “stop” when the ball goes over the net. This is the signal for the player and feedback at the same time of their perception time. If there are more players on the court coach can make them do some fitness drill or put them far behind the hitting players and work on ball perception on their own.

COACHING POINTS

Simple cross court rally has much more to offer than we are seeing during many practices. All intermediate players can keep consistent rally without specific goals so coaches have to adjust the difficulty of the exercise to the level of the players. Looking at the best players in the world it is simple to observe that every cross court shot has a strategical goal. Rafael Nadal and Serena Williams don’t stand on the baseline and hit the same cross court shots over and over again but they rather neutralize deep balls or attack shorter responses. Working on simple tactical decisions can make a big difference in player’s game even without any technical adjustments.

In this drill players work on tactical decisions. Coach should explain to players that early ball recognition is the key to successfully prepare the shot. The best players in the world can assess the incoming ball before it crosses the net so that is why it seems that they are always in good position. Coach should ask players to say the word (red, yellow, green) as fast as possible to see their perception. If players recognize the depth of the ball before it crosses the net it is a top level. If they realize where the ball is going shortly after it crosses the net it is still good. If they say the world right before the ball bounces or even after the bounce this skill has to be addressed more often.

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Rally Pattern:

In a rally with the coach the player must hit the ball in a given pattern.

Moving from one side of the court to the other the player will focus solely on playing 2 forehand cross court shots and 1 forehand inside in.

Forehand Drills

Rally cross-court and surprise down the line:

2 players rally together in cross court direction. Player A picks the right moment to surprise the opponent and hits the drop shot down the line.

Drill specifications:

1 minute and switch

4 players can work on forehands and backhands at the same time so 1 minute periods for switching are appropriate. Waiting players can perform some footwork exercises on the ladder to keep the feet active or they can imitate drop shot to get more comfortable with disguising the shot and changing the grip right before the point of contact.

Forehand Drills

React and finish:

The coach stands and the net. The player and coach rally together in cross-court direction. After few good shots the coach hits the next volley short. The player has to react, move quickly forward and finish the ball offensively in down the line direction.

Forehand Drills

React After The Serve:

The player stands on the baseline and serves the ball against the wall. After serving, the player must recover quickly and hit a forehand stroke against the wall.

Serve and Return

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