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Tennis: be ready

be ready DRILLS
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Approach from the Alley

The coach stands in front of the player and throws the ball to the deuce alley. The player sprints, hits forehand approach from the alley and follows to the net.

Forehand Drills

Be ready for anything!

Players are working in pairs with player 1 feeding from just behind the service box and player 2 starting from the baseline area. Player 1 can roll, drop, or throw balls in any order or direction to player 2 and player 2 must react accordingly and return the ball to player 1 in the same way it has been fed. They must reach each and every ball before it goes outside the single tramlines, baseline or in front of the service box. Player 1 can throw the ball straight at player 2 too so they must be ready for anything!

Movement

Corner to corner

Player stands at the net, and the coach feeds a high ball. The player hits overhead back to the coach to the deuce side. The player hits the lob back who then finishes with overhead to the ad side.

Smash Drills

Drawing the opponent in: Point play

Players feed the ball in from hand and rally up and down the middle of the court. At any time, player 1 can choose to hit a shot that will bring player 2 forward to the net. This shot must be hit inside the service box and can be a short slice or dropshot. The point is then live from the next ball. Players play first to 7 before switching roles.

Rally Drills

No backhand pattern

Player serves wide from the deuce side. Coach throws a ball to the deuce side. Player hits forehand down the line and recovers. Coach throws another ball to the ad side. Player runs around and hits forehand inside in.

Serve and Return

Non-stop points out the hand

Players play the point out from the hand with each end of the court taking it in turns to feed the first ball in. If the player wins the point they stay on to play the next one with a maximum of 3 points in a row being played before switching with their partner. As soon as the point is complete the next ball can be fed in without having to wait for the opposing players to be ready. The drill should be non-stop, and the players are playing as a team with their points counting together. Players can play first to 11 points in this way.

Coordination / Fun Games

Smarter than the opponent

Coach feeds the angle shot. Player runs diagonally forward and hits drop shot down the line. Drill specifications: 1 repetition per set One player is working with the coach so other players should perform speed exercises to improve their movement to the ball. On clay court coach should demand sliding to the ball; on harder surface full sprint without stopping is required to answer the angle shot.

Forehand Drills

The loop and sneak: Cat and mouse!

Players are rallying up and down the centre of the court in the usual way. When either player decides to, they can change the flight path of the ball and hit an aggressive topspin loop to push the opposing player to the back off the court. The point is then live and the players play first to 11 points. The player who has hit the aggressive loop can wait to see what damage their shot has done to their opponent before deciding where to position themselves on the court. If the loop has been played well and deep, the player may look to sneak into the net after it as it is likely the opponent will hit a weak reply. However if the loop has not been hit deep enough it may provide the opponent with a slower midcourt ball so the player must be ready to defend if this is the case.

Lob

Two things at once?

Players rally co-operatively down the middle of the court, standing between the service and baselines. However, they both must feed a ball in at the same time, so effectively there are 2 balls in play at once. Players try to get the longest rally they can within a certain set time period.

Coordination / Fun Games

Using the middle to defend under pressure (it's the biggest part of the court after all!)

The coach feeds single ball feeds from the basket putting the player under extreme pressure. Starting from the singles tramline the players must try to hit the ball on the run directly back down the middle of the court to the rectangular target. Players can choose whether they slice or hit over the ball depending on how quickly they can get to the ball. Each player hits just one ball at a time so players waiting must be ready immediately for the next feed and after the shot has been played must jog back to the start position at the back of the court in order to keep the drill continuous. Repeat this drill with the coach feeding from the opposite corner.

Passing Shots Drills

Be ready for anything! Movemen...

Players are working in pairs with player 1 feeding from just behind the service box and player 2 starting from the baseline area.Player 1 can roll, drop, or throw balls in any order or direction to player 2 and player 2 must react accordingly and return the ball to player 1 in the same way it has been fed.They must reach each and every ball before it goes outside the single tramlines, baseline or in front of the service box. Player 1 can throw the ball straight at player 2 too so they must be ready for anything!

General

ABS Ready For The Strokes Trai...

Player lays down on the ground on the back.Player keeps legs bent at 90 degrees and keeps them in the air.Player moves legs from side to side without touching the ground and keeping their back flat.<br>

General

Low ball backhand Backhand Dri...

The coach stands in front of the player and feeds low balls to the backhand. The player hits backhand over the net.

General

Forehand to forehand team tram...

Players get into pairs. Each pair plays against another pair rallying inside the tram line. The two players rotate in each team, taking it in turns to hit the ball using only their forehand. Every time the ball stays inside the tram lines they score a point The first pair to score 10 is the winner.

General

Drawing the opponent in: Point...

Players feed the ball in from hand and rally up and down the middle of the court.At any time, player 1 can choose to hit a shot that will bring player 2 forward to the net. This shot must be hit inside the service box and can be a short slice or dropshot.The point is then live from the next ball. Players play first to 7 before switching roles.

General

Ball roll Movement - Tennis Dr...

Player 1 is feeding from the service box and player 2 starts on the baseline T in the ready position.Player 1 rolls tennis balls along the ground, in a random pattern, one after the other and player 2 must move to each ball, stop it with their hand before it goes outside the singles tramlines or baseline.After stopping the ball player 2 should roll it back to player 1 who can then roll the next ball.

General

Forehand and Backhand Junior T...

Intention: Develop basic forehand and backhand technique.The group is divided into two- &quot;Hitters&quot; and &quot;Fielders&quot;.Hitters execute the drill, whilst fielders collect balls. Change roles after each player has 5 turns. Coach feeds simultaneously to the player at the front of each queue. Each player hits five balls (outside shot) and moves off the court and returns to the back of the opposite queue (players will alternate between forehand and backhand on each turn).NB: Coach must continue to reinforce key teaching points.

General

Jump & Catch Movement - Tennis...

Hula-hoops are set on the left and right side in front of the player. Coach stands in front of the playerPlayer jumps into the left hoop, catches the ball in left hand and lands only on one legPlayer throws the ball back to coach and performs the same activity to the right side

General

Anticipation and tactical awar...

The court is marked out with cones into areas (e.g. red, amber and green). Players try to anticipate which area the ball is going to land in so that they can respond with the most appropriate tactical return. A buddie coach stands behind the player and tells them which shot they should play (ie. approach the net, lob etc.) depending on the area that they are hitting from i.e. where they are standing/ running on court as they hit the ball. Players will need to watch the body shape of the coach and the ball contact carefully to anticipate what type of shot is being hit and therefore where it is likely to land.

General

Developing Coordination- Progr...

Intention: Develop sending and receiving skills through the use of progressive coordination exercises.Following progression 3 Players stand facing each other on the inside and outside tramlines respectively (in a ready, athletic, gorilla position)Players have four balls, each player starts with two balls, and throw the balls underarm between each other.The balls must bounce once before the partner catches the ball.Each player must throw one ball with their right hand and transfer the other ball from their left hand to right hand to then receive the other ball from their partner with their left.As players master a rhythm, they attempt to increase the tempo.

General

Fast Rally - Maximum Contacts ...

<div class=&quot;practiceText&quot;>Players rally up and down the middle of the court cooperatively.They must try and hit as many contacts as they can within a timed one minute period, regardless of whether the ball goes out or in the net.This one minute period is repeated 5 times with 1 minute in between each repetition for players to recover and collect balls ready for the next working slot.</div>

General

Feed Variation Forehand & Back...

Player starts on the baseline with the coach just in front of them, ready to feed the ball to them. The feed should be done in a 4 ball pattern: 1 short forehand, 1 short backhand, 1 deep forehand and 1 deep backhand. The player comes forward to the feed and plays the shot before returning to the baseline ready for the next feed.

General

Developing Coordination- Progr...

Intention: Develop sending and receiving skills through the use of progressive coordination exercises. Following progression 2 Players stand facing each other on the inside and outside tramlines respectively (in a ready, athletic, gorilla position) Players have three balls, one player starts with 2 and the other with one, and throw the balls underarm between each other. The balls must bounce once before the partner catches the ball. Each player must throw the ball with their right hand and catch the other ball with their left. Once the ball has been caught it must be passed between the hands in preparation for the throw and free up the left hand for the catch. As players master a rhythm, they attempt to increase the tempo.

General

Backhand winner down the line ...

The coach stands in front of the player and feeds in an easy ball to the player who starts off in the forehand doubles alley. When the ball is ready to be hit the player should play the first shot back to the coach and the second shot should be played as a winner down the line.

General

Non-stop alternate shots Coord...

Players are playing the point out from the hand but are taking it in turns to hit alternate shots with their partner.Pairs take it in turns to feed the first ball in but as soon as the point has finished the next ball can be fed in immediately. Players can play first to 11 points before switching partners and after 3 rotations the individual players' totals are added up.

General

Toss From Behind Backhand Dril...

The coach stands behind the player. The player takes ready position. The Coach tosses the ball to the backhand side. The player reacts, moves forward and hits backhand.

General

No backhand pattern Serve and ...

Player serves wide from the deuce side. Coach throws a ball to the deuce side. Player hits forehand down the line and recovers. Coach throws another ball to the ad side. Player runs around and hits forehand inside in.

General

Learn to use upper body Foreha...

Player takes ready position. Coach throws ball to the forehand side. Player doesn't move legs and hits forehand. Player has to use only upper body to hit the ball.

General

The loop and sneak: Cat and mo...

Players are rallying up and down the centre of the court in the usual way.When either player decides to, they can change the flight path of the ball and hit an aggressive topspin loop to push the opposing player to the back off the court.The point is then live and the players play first to 11 points.The player who has hit the aggressive loop can wait to see what damage their shot has done to their opponent before deciding where to position themselves on the court.If the loop has been played well and deep, the player may look to sneak into the net after it as it is likely the opponent will hit a weak reply.However if the loop has not been hit deep enough it may provide the opponent with a slower midcourt ball so the player must be ready to defend if this is the case.

General

Waves! Rally Drills - Tennis D...

Players are playing doubles points from the hand in pairs.The pair who wins the point moves to the service line which is their starting position for the next point. Should they win the point from this starting position, players score 1 point and get to stay where there are. Should they lose the point from starting on the service line, they must move back to the baseline.

General

Five Alive Coordination / Fun ...

Separate the whole group into teams of around 5-6. Each team nominates a player to feed first. When ready the feeder throws the ball to each player consecutively until the team has caught 5 balls. The team getting to 5 first shouts Five Alive and win the first point. A new feeder is selected by each team, and the next round begins.

General

1 Minute Rally and Swap. Rally...

Players work in groups of 3. Players 1 and 2 rally for 1 minute after which player 2 steps aside and allows player 3 to tale their place. Players 1 and 3 rally for 1 minute, during which time player 2 walks to the other side of the net, ready to take over from player 1 after the 1 minute is up. Player 2 and 3 now rally for 1 minute.

General

Big Power, Big Target Volley D...

Player serves wide from the deuce side.Coach throws a short and high ball to the deuce side.Player moves forward and hits an offensive forehand drive volley to the center of the court.

General

Tennis: Backhand Down The Line...

The player starts on the baseline and is fed 3 balls all to the advantage side. The balls should be fed deep, medium and then short. The player hits all of the balls backhand down the line and moves forward ready for the next ball.

General

Feed by hand to forehand side ...

Coach feeds the ball from the T to the forehand side of the player. The player runs to the ball to play the shot and retrieves back towards the middle of the base line before the coach feeds the next ball wide. After 3 or 4 shots the next player.

General

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be ready SESSIONS
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Forehand Ready For The Match |...

Understand how movement, body and racket technique have to work together to achieve good quality shot
be ready ANSWERS
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Child with finals nerves?

Last weekend my 10 years old daughter participated in a tennis tournament.Although she reached the final and the game was set at 14%3A30 pm, when we got to the court she started complaining about her belly. She said that had a bellyache and she could not play. The doctor didn’t find anything wrong, but he told me that he could not let her play.When we went back she was fine.How do you cope with this situation. I did not say anything to her. I told her that I would like to discuss it with her when she will be ready.Thank you for listening. submitted by email

Sportplan Team Coach, United Kingdom

Strategy to win senior 70´s tournament singles?

How to win senior 70´s tournament singles? Strategy?

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 do i create animated drills

i want to create a new animated drill but dont know how

Morven Park Primary School Coach, England

split step

what is this

Deborah Hooks Coach, United States

Strategy to win senior 70´s t...

How to win senior 70´s tournament singles? Strategy?

Archived User Coach
be ready COMMUNITY DRILLS
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Robin Hood

Changing it up with slice/drop shot- approach

Leander Paes and Martin Damm - 2006 Shanghai Masters

Off forehand vs backhand battle

First To The Baseline

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