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Tennis: ability

ability DRILLS
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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

Cross-court rally game with winners

Players get into pairs. Each pair takes on another pair in a cross court competition. Players take it in turns to hit the ball deep into the coned area. Every time a ball is hit short the receiving player can hit a winner down the line to score a point. The players who hit the short ball can try to recover and return the down the line winner. If they manage to return the shot they do not lose a point. Next rally starts again.

Rally Drills

Deep cross court

-The coach feeds down the line, the player runs to hit the ball cross court into the target area.First player to 3 shots (or higher if more advanced players) wins the game.-The drill can then be run similarly from the backhand corner.

Forehand Drills

Fast team work

-Players rally on a full court.-There can be two or more players on each side of the net starting from the baseline.-Using one racket per team the first player hits one shot and passes the racket to the next team player.-Points are won if the opposing side hits the ball outside of singles court or into the net.

Coordination / Fun Games

Forehand Stage 1

Coach feeds the ball from the T. Each player receive 4x balls in the forehand corner which they move out to hit down the line. Players move back to the centre of the court after each shot.

Forehand Drills

Forehand Stage 2

Players start at the centre of the service line. The coach feeds the ball with one bounce towards the forehand corner of the court. Player A runs to hit a forehand down the court, and returns to the starting position. Coach then feeds a 2nd ball mid court one bounce towards the tramline for Player A to hit down the court, and retreats to back of the queue. Player B steps in for the drill to be repeated.

Forehand Drills

Groundstrokes, Inside-out forehands

-Players work on ground strokes and depth, aiming to hit beyond the service line.Possibly put targets down.-After rotations, swap to backhand. - Players no.1 and no.6 can hit inside-out forehands depending on ability.

Rally Drills

Live Ball with Player

In this drill the players start in the tram line. With the coach feeding the first ball from the basket the first player hits a controlled forehand back to the player at the net who in turn plays the ball in to the open court for the player to run onto the ball and hit a winner down the line. Player then runs around the cone and returns back to the queue.

Forehand Drills

Round the World 2

-Pick two teams, one team are the hitters, the other the runners.-The hitters take it in turns to hit the ball over the net, back to the feeder or to a designated area.The coach has to choose the target according to players level of ability. -The team scores a point each time a shot is hit to the agreed target.-The runners take it in turn to run around the outside of the court, back to the team like relay race.-Once all of the running team have done a round they shout stop, and the points of the hitting team freeze.-The teams then swap sides and the new hitting team has to beat their score.

Coordination / Fun Games

The Wall

4 players 2 at the net and 2 at the baseline. Coach feeds the ball in to the baseliners and the point is played out. The volleyers can hit anywhere, however the baseliners cannot hit to the same volleyer twice in a row. After 2 volleys the baseliners are then allowed to lob. The winner is the first team to 11 points, after this the teams swap over.

Doubles Drills

Racket Skills Aspire sport vid...

Each child has a racket and tennis ball and, dependent on ability, balances the ball around the edge of the racket, ups, downs, alternates (twist racket between hits).

General

Change the pace Forehand & Bac...

Coach feeds the ball to one side. Player alternates aggressive and regular down the line shots.Drill specifications:2-6 repetitions per setThe minimum number of repetitions is 2 but it can go up to 6. It all depends of how many players we have on the court. With less players more repetitions are recommended while with more players less reps will be a better option to keep all students hitting. Coach can set up 2 lines of players to work on forehand and backhand down the line shots at the same time.

General

Rally with observation Rally D...

The coach stands at the net and rallies with a player. The coach hits all the balls randomly and can change position. The player has to play all the ball back to the coach even if she changed her court position.Opponent's perception is a skill as any other that players have to practice. Most of the time players focus on the ball so they are pretty good with ball perception but they don't have the same ability according to the opponent. Knowing where the rival is situated on the court can be a great advantage because we can use more effective tactical decisions and win points without taking too much risk.

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

Ground-strokes rolling the bal...

Cones are set on both sides of each player, Player 1 rolls all balls cross court. Player B rolls all balls down the line, with both players rallying together for as long as possible.Ability to control the ball in the easiest activities is important to further develop tennis-specific skills. Cooperation is of utmost importance for young players so this skill should be emphasized in each rally exercise.

General

Floor tennis Aspire sport vide...

In partners, give each child a racket. Then, using the racket, the children push the ball to each other. They can stop the ball using the racket, then push it back to their partner when in position. Put cones out as goals to try to hit the ball through. Score points for stopping the ball going through.

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

Prepare for the consistency Fo...

2 players rally together in cross court direction. Player A hits all the balls aggressively. Player B stays deeply behind the baseline and hits high topspin consistent shots.Drill specifications:5-10 min per sideWith more players on the court coach can use the same approach as in the previous drill. Switching after few shots or after a particular time is a good way to keep players motivated as also to give them a time to improve other skills (e.g physical abilities).

General

Control Is The Key Forehand Dr...

The coach throws an easy ball to the player who hits a forehand shot back to the coach. The Coach then throws the ball back again but this time the player hits a forehand shot to the open space (deuce side) where the cones are situated.

General

Tennis: Backhand down the line...

Player stands in the deuce corner. Coach feeds difficult ball to the ad side. Player hits backhand down the line on the run.

General

Make your run count Forehand D...

Coach and player rally together using backhand cross-court shots. Coach hits random drop shot down the line. Player runs and hits counter drop shot cross-court to win the point.

General

Backhand quick shadows Forehan...

2 cones are set on the ad side.Player runs to the side cone as fast as possible and hits backhand using open stance.Player recovers and runs again to the front cone hitting backhand using close stance.

General

Drop it where you want Volley ...

The player stands at the net. Cones are set in the middle, on the deuce and ad side. The coach feeds balls to forehand side and the player executes stop-volleys, hitting into different target every time.

General

Taste your own shot Smash Dril...

Player stands on the baseline. Coach feeds high topspin ball into one of the corners. Player moves back, hits high topspin ball to the backhand corner and moves forward to the net. Coach hits the ball back and players finishes with a volley or smash.Drill specifications: 1 repetition per setThis drill should be performed dynamically to keep all players in a game as often as possible. To make it real coach can put one player to feed and hit off the other player’s moonball. Players switch as feeder after few minutes to make sure that all participants work on different skills in the same drill.

General

Topspin with cone Backhand Dri...

Cone is set near the player on the backhand side. The player imitates backhand stroke, and the player's goal is to lower the racquet's head and hit the cone while shadowing.

General

Bounce and Hit Rally Drills - ...

Players rally together. Player has to say "bounce" when the ball bounces on their side and say "hit" when they make contact with the ball.

General

Groundstrokes: forehand and ba...

In partners, one person feeds the ball underarm over a net to the forehand side of partner. Partner hits the ball after a bounce back to their partner. Change after 6 goes each. Change to backhands if forehands successful.

General

Tennis: Backhand into wobble t...

In this drill, the player works on hitting with high trajectory over the net. This exercise forces players to swing from low to high to achieve good consistency. Visual target gives immediate feedback to kids about the previous shot. Young players love fun games so coaches have to prepare the lesson with this thought in mind. More interesting targets we put on the court, more motivated the players are to work hard and fight. That's why coaches should always change targets to make a quality lesson with youngsters.

General

Tennis: Cross-court rally game...

Players get into pairs. Each pair takes on another pair in a cross court competition. Players take it in turns to hit the ball deep into the coned area. Every time a ball is hit short the receiving player can hit a winner down the line to score a point. The players who hit the short ball can try to recover and return the down the line winner. If they manage to return the shot they do not lose a point. Next rally starts again.

General

Tennis: Backhand approach on t...

The coach stands in front of the player, and throws a low ball around the service line. The player sprints forward, hits backhand approach on the run and follows to take position at the net.

General

Keep the approach shot low Bac...

The coach feeds medium ball to the ad side, so that the player hits backhand slice approach shot down the line and runs to the net. The coach feeds another ball to the ad side, and the player finishes with backhand volley down the line.

General

Regular Rally with a Drive Ral...

The player stands on the baseline, whilst the coach stands at the net. Both rally together; the player uses only backhand cross court, whilst the coach hits the ball back with a volley.The coach hits randomly a slower and higher ball to allow the player to hit backhand drive in the air.The next step of every skill is to check how the player can react to a situation where given skill can be used. Setting an environment, where the player is forced to react and use drive in the air, is an opportunity to develop tactical awareness.

General

Defensive slice off own side F...

The player stands on the baseline and the coach stands in front of the player on the same side. The coach feeds the ball off own side to the deuce corner. The player sprints and hits defensive slice down the line.

General

Alternate hitting volley and s...

The player stands at the net on the ad side and the coach stands on the baseline on the ad side. Players rally together. The player at the net alternates hitting backhand volley and overhead.

General

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ability SESSIONS
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Touch, feel and bluff!

Ban spin and power shots in this back to basics, close-quarters rallying session to teach your players how to feel the ball and focus on their hand skills!

Hit the Perfect Forehand!

Don't get your player's feet in a muddle! Work on their footwork to hit the perfect forehand

Serving wide to create the one two punch

This is the first part of this two-part attacking serving session - serving from the deuce court

First Shots Change the Game

Get your players into the game straight away, by working on the first shots of the rally, such as the drop shot!

Adapting to Different Points of Contact

To work on the forehand in different situations that require varying points of contact. To understand the necessity for technical adaptation when dealing with low, medium, and high balls.

Match Ready - Backhand Stroke

To work on technical and tactical aspects of backhand stroke from different areas on the court

Mid Court Shot Execution

Develop weapons that will allow for successful performance in the mid court area.

Serving With Confidence

Power up your player's serve and improve their confidence and movement after the serve to help win more points when they have the ball in hand!

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!

Comfortable With Forehand Grip

Allow your players to get control over the forehand while adjusting forehand grip

Get Out Of The Backhand

Improve your player's technical patterns so they play less consecutive backhands

Win more points with forehand

Develop your player's forehand into a powerful shot with this session, helping them gain the advantage!

Working on Groundstrokes

Teach your players how to improve their power and accuracy, and get them hitting groundstrokes like the pros!

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.

No more Boring Basket Drills

Make training interesting by mixing up the practices to get your players thinking how to adapt from one situation to the next.

Advanced Overhead Smash

Top pros make the overhead smash look easy, now your players can too! Build up their technique gradually to make a notoriously difficult shot feel easy.
ability ANSWERS
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How do you beat someone who is clearly inferior but?

How do you beat someone who is clearly inferior but just keeps the ball in play?

Archived User Coach

Drills for one person.

Drills for one person.

Archived User Coach

What is the most effective serve in racquetball?

What is the most effective serve in racquetball?

Archived User Coach

How to run try-outs, getting 50 students down to 32?

There are 50 students, and I need to select 32 of them. How will you plan your try-out? Test for accuracy? Fitness?

Farhad Roshanaie Coach, United States of America

How to train kids with different abilities?

I train a group of six children on a mini tennis court aged 4-5. They have all different abilities. How do I give all of them the needed training without making it too complicated for some or too easy for others?

Mari Milos Coach, Sweden

How to plan 4 progressive lessons?

Hi, I'm on Level 2 Tennis Assistant Coach course, and have a task to plan 4 progressive lessons, explaining the objectives,overall aims and what the players should be able to do before they move onto the next lesson. I did my Level 1 11 years ago, so I'm a bit out of touch. Can any one help please?

Archived User Coach

Short-term ideas for Tennis coaching

was just looking to see if anyone has any short term planning/ ideas for deliveringtennis to KS1 and KS2 children-mixed ability ?

Archived User Coach

How can I create animations?

Steven Portplan Coach, England

Tips on serve and volley.

How to stay balanced for first volley

Dilip Coach, India

Admin Access

Hey,How do I give other people who are on my team, the ability for them to be able to invite others, to view my folders that have our drills?At the moment, all invited need to go through me, and it's very time consuming

Little Boomers Basketball Coach, Australia

high ball

hi what is the best drill to improve high ball contact point and footwork.

samala ashok Coach, India

How do I coach 14 girls (varyi...

How do I coach 14 girls, all of varying levels from beginner to advanced on just two courts?

Archived User Coach

Psychology in tennis HELP! My ...

Psychology in tennis HELP!!! I have a daughter who is an excellent player who only started playing tennis seriously last yr at the age of 13. She is a much better player than all the people she has completed against in matches but always loses due to over hitting and getting upset if the wrong call is made (which happens frequently due to how fast she hits and serves) do we need some sort of psychological help for this. what is the best way to get this... books, councilling ??? any help would be most appreciated thanks

Archived User Coach
ability COMMUNITY DRILLS
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Leg Swings

Approach on the run

The Wall

Cross court games

Tighten-Your-Core-and-Increase-Stability-with-Rebounder-Throw-and-Catch-on-StrongBoard-Balance-Board.jpg

Control Is The Key

The "I" formation practice

Jumps with lateral sprints

Net drop forehand down the line

Backhand down the line on the run

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