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Tennis: 'X' movement

I have used many of the tennis drills and as a result my two High...

Linsent, Tennis coach

DESCRIPTION

Purpose:

learn to move in an "X" pattern under pressure of movement.

Coach feeds the ball in the sequence 1,2,3,4 for each player in turn.

Coach feeds high deep balls to points 1,3 and shorter feeds to 2,4.

Exact pattern of 1,2,3,4 maintained throughout.

Player hits feeds 1,3 deep crosscourt. Feeds 2,4 down the line. Feed in sets of 16 balls.

COACHING POINTS

Learning the X movement and covering court
Moving from the baseline to the net effectively and executing the shots
Preparing racquet whilst on the move, early take back on either side
When moving away from the net moving backwards, facing court and coach- not turning their back on the court
Big steps

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OFTEN USED WITH...

Anticipation and reactions:

Player side steps until the coach drops a ball.

The player must catch the ball before the second bounce. Players can also start from a stationary position with heels of the ground or hopping on one leg or criss crossing the legs or with player starting with their back to coach and the coach shouting out when throwing the ball.

Movement

Ball drop speed drill:

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.

Movement

1 High 1 Low - Backhand:

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.

Forehand & Backhand Drill