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Bluff Doubles Game

Players are effectively playing a game of touch-doubles, so the ball is fed in and the point played out within the service boxes, with the tramlines being out. Players must use touch and feel as no pace or power can be use to win the point. They can volley and the ball is allowed to bounce as in normal tennis. However, each player only has to look after their own service box quarter. Balls which land in their zone are the only ones they are responsible for retrieving. If they so wish, they can poach and intercept balls in the other players' box, but the player next to them is not going to cover their back and switch sides as in normal doubles.

Doubles Drills

Cone Serving

Players serve at the targets shown, taking two balls at a time and serving 1 first serve, 1 second serve at each target. After a certain amount of time players switch and repeat the same from the other side. The player with the most targets at the end of the practice wins the drill. If groups are large, players can take it in turns to serve one after the other, and/or also from the doubles serving positions.

Serve and Return

First volley and live!

The coach feeds the ball from the basket to player 1 who is moving forwards to play a 1st volley. As the coach makes contact with the ball player 1 must split step and aim to meet and hit the 1st volley on or inside the service line. They must play this ball deep down the line, whether it is a forehand or backhand volley and once this ball has been made, the point is live. Player 2 moves to whichever side the ball has been hit to and attempts to pass player 1 down the line. The point is played out in this way, first to 11 points before the players switch ends.

Volley Drills

Non-stop alternate shots

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.

Coordination / Fun Games

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

Over their head - Lob at the net

Player 1 is working in the full court and player 2 in half court, starting with the backhand corner. The coach (or player 3) feeds a very short ball/ dropshot that player 1 must chase down and push back deep into the corner where player 2 is waiting. Player 2 must then attempt to hit a winning topspin lob aggressively over player 1 who has moved to the net after playing the dropshot. Player 1 can try to chase down the lob if it goes over their head or smash/ volley it away into the backhand corner if the lob is not good enough. Players switch ends before repeating the drill to the other corner.

Lob

Serve / Return Point Play

Player 1 is serving and will play a sequence of 4 points against player 2 as follows: Serving from the deuce court player 1 must serve wide. Player 2 must return the shot to player 1's forehand side. Serving from the deuce court player 1 must serve inside. Player 2 must return the shot to player 1's backhand side. Serving from the advantage court player 1 must serve inside to player 2 who must return the ball to player 1's forehand corner. Serving from the advantage court player 1 must serve wide to player 2 who must return the ball to player 1's backhand side.

Serve and Return

Sharpening up!

Players 1 and 2 are at the net, player 3 is working from the baseline. The point is live as soon as the first ball is fed in from the volleyers with tramlines being out for both ends. However, the volleying players cannot hit a clean winner to win the point, they must force player 3 into making an error to score. Player 3 can do whatever they wish with the ball to win the point, they also win the point if they can make the ball bounce before the volleyers can get to it.

Volley Drills

Using the middle to neutralise

Player 1 is working in a full court and player 2 is 'feeding' from the centre of the court along the baseline. The players rally co-operatively for 3 minutes but with player 2 working the ball around the full-court making player 1 move a reasonable amount without a pattern. Player 1 is aiming for the rectangle at the back of the court marked by targets and player 2 should count how many balls player 1 makes into the rectangle within the 3 minutes. When the time is up the players switch roles. This drill can be repeated 3 times for each player and then the totals added up to see who was the most accurate!

Rally Drills

Zig Zag Volleys After Approach

Players approach on Forehand, switches to backhand for first volley, then changes to forehand volley.

Forehand & Backhand Drill

Hit well and switch Forehand D...

Zones are set in both corners. The coach feeds balls to the ad side, and the player runs around and hits forehand inside out. If the player misses the zone, he has to continue to play in this direction. If the player hits the zone, coach says "switch" and the player then hits the next ball with forehand inside in.

General

Attack + play points inside th...

2 players play points against each other. Player B feeds an easy ball. Player A attacks it and the point begins. Player A has to play the point all the time inside the baseline. Drill specifications:2-3 points and switchPoints are short so players can play few rallies in a row before they switch. Playing inside the baseline requires great footwork skills and many shots played in low position so lunges can be performed by waiting players to improve legs’ strength and become more natural while playing shots in really low position.

General

Deuce mini killer Forehand Dri...

The coach stands at the net on the deuce side and the player starts from the service line. The coach moves the player around with volleys, and the player hits only slices back to the coach.

General

1 Offense 1 Defense Forehand D...

2 players rally together in cross court direction. Player A hits all the balls aggressively. Player B hits all the balls defensively. After the point both players switch roles and play another rally.Drill specifications:5-10 min per sideWith more players on the court coach can use this drill strictly for the learning process or to make it really competitive. For learning purposes, players switch after few points to have a time to work on their shots as also to spend some time on different skills. For competitiveness, coach should put players into teams and play cross court points with clear defensive/offensive goals.

General

Slice and cut it down the line...

Player A executes wide slice serve from the deuce side. Player B hits forehand cross court return. Player A moves diagonally forward and finishes with offensive down the line shot.Drill specifications:1 repetition per setTo make this drill really dynamic players should switch after one point at the serving side. Returning players can switch after few points to guarantee good consistency and more opportunities for the servers to work on the pattern. Waiting players should perform some footwork activities including quick diagonal movement to gain bigger improvements while moving to the ball after the serve.

General

Serve body + volley Serve and ...

Player A executes serve into the body. Player B hits the return. Player A finishes the point with a volley.Drill specifications:1 repetition per setTo make this drill really dynamic players should switch after one point at the serving side. Returning players can switch after few points to guarantee good consistency and more opportunities for the servers to work on the pattern. Waiting players should perform sprints next to the court to improve the speed that is really helpful while running to the net after the serve.

General

Finish in 3 shots Forehand & B...

2 players play points against each other. Player A has to finish the point in 3 shots to win.Drill specifications:2-3 points and switchPoints are short so players can play few rallies in a row before they switch. With more players on the court waiting players should perform physical activities to improve footwork or they can observe other players to learn different tactical approaches.

General

Rally with 3 zones Forehand Dr...

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 switch4 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.

General

Using the middle to neutralise...

Player 1 is working in a full court and player 2 is 'feeding' from the centre of the court along the baseline. The players rally co-operatively for 3 minutes but with player 2 working the ball around the full-court making player 1 move a reasonable amount without a pattern.Player 1 is aiming for the rectangle at the back of the court marked by targets and player 2 should count how many balls player 1 makes into the rectangle within the 3 minutes. When the time is up the players switch roles.This drill can be repeated 3 times for each player and then the totals added up to see who was the most accurate!

General

Rally cross-court and surprise...

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 switch4 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.

General

Over their head - Lob at the n...

Player 1 is working in the full court and player 2 in half court, starting with the backhand corner.The coach (or player 3) feeds a very short ball/ dropshot that player 1 must chase down and push back deep into the corner where player 2 is waiting.Player 2 must then attempt to hit a winning topspin lob aggressively over player 1 who has moved to the net after playing the dropshot.Player 1 can try to chase down the lob if it goes over their head or smash/ volley it away into the backhand corner if the lob is not good enough.Players switch ends before repeating the drill to the other corner.

General

Cone Serving Serve and Return ...

Players serve at the targets shown, taking two balls at a time and serving 1 first serve, 1 second serve at each target.After a certain amount of time players switch and repeat the same from the other side.The player with the most targets at the end of the practice wins the drill.If groups are large, players can take it in turns to serve one after the other, and/or also from the doubles serving positions.</div>

General

Surprising inside out opener F...

2 players use backhands to rally together in cross court direction . Player A picks the right moment to surprise the opponent and hits forehand angle inside out. After putting the opponent outside of the alley player A takes the next ball and finishes with backhand down the line.Drill specifications:1-2 minutes and switch2 players can work on forehands and backhands at the same time so 1-2 minutes periods for switching are appropriate. Waiting players can perform some footwork exercises with the emphasis on running around footwork patterns based on crossover steps to improve the effectiveness of the angle shot while hitting.

General

Tennis: Kick wide + Forehand i...

Player A executes wide kick serve from the ad side. Player B hits backhand return cross court. Player A runs around and hits offensive forehand inside in.Drill specifications:1 repetition per setTo make this drill really dynamic players should switch after one point at the serving side. Returning players can switch after few points to guarantee good consistency and more opportunities for the servers to work on the pattern. Waiting players should perform specific footwork drills focused on the running around the backhand to improve this aspect while hitting after the serve.

General

Arm and back stretch Agility &...

Lie on floor, with one leg at 90° across the body. Arms stretched wide. Bring the outside arm to the inside arm, turning the head at the same time. Repeat 10 times and then switch sides.

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

Continuous 1 vs 1 (3 players) ...

1 vs 1, with a second person at one end who takes over as soon as the point has finished. Therefore 1 person plays continuously, whereas the other 2 switch every point.The player at the 2 person end starts with the ball and the other player starts on the left hand side of court. The ball is played crosscourt to the right corner for the continuous player to run onto. Players then rally until the point is won. Then revese the direction of the run in.Rotate between the 3 players so that each person has a turn at being the continuous player.

General

Bluff Doubles Game Doubles Dri...

Players are effectively playing a game of touch-doubles, so the ball is fed in and the point played out within the service boxes, with the tramlines being out.Players must use touch and feel as no pace or power can be use to win the point. They can volley and the ball is allowed to bounce as in normal tennis.However, each player only has to look after their own service box quarter. Balls which land in their zone are the only ones they are responsible for retrieving. If they so wish, they can poach and intercept balls in the other players' box, but the player next to them is not going to cover their back and switch sides as in normal doubles.

General

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

Zig Zag Volleys After Approach...

Players approach on Forehand, switches to backhand for first volley, then changes to forehand volley.

General

Proper positioning Forehand Dr...

Red cones are set on deuce side; yellow cones are set on the ad side. The coach throws balls to the ad side, and the player runs around and hits forehand inside out (yellow cone) or inside in (red cone). After the shot, the player recovers to the proper cone according to the shot's direction.

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

Hitting on the Rise Forehand D...

<br>Player stays on the baseline. Cones are set behind the player. Coach feeds deep higher balls. Player takes the ball on the rise and hits aggressively. Cones prevents the player from moving back.

General

Underspin doesn't mean underpe...

2 players rally together in cross court direction. Player A hits all the balls offensively. Player B hits consistent slice shots to keep the ball low after the bounce.Drill specifications:5-10 min per sideWith more players on the court coach can use different approaches according to the goals he wants to achieve. If players need repetitions coach can switch both hitting players after particular number of shots (3 each) to make this drill more dynamic. If players lack of physical preparation better solution is to make 2 players work for a 1 minute while others can perform specific fitness drills. At one time 4 players can work on this aspect (2 playing forehands and 2 playing backhands)

General

Random Forehand Forehand & Bac...

Coach feeds balls to the ad sidePlayer executes regular backhand strokesFrom time to time, coach feeds one ball to the deuce sidePlayer adjusts the grip and hits regular forehand

General

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Get Out Of The Backhand

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

Solid game based on fundamental principles

To work on players baseline game focusing predominantly on reactions but also technical, tactical, physical and mental aspects of building and winning a rally.
switch ANSWERS
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Backhand grip

In Nick Saviano's book, Maximum Tennis, Andre Agassi is said to have a very 'soft' left hand on his backhand, and yet often I hear and read many tips suggesting a very dominant, or active, supporting hand for the two handed backhand. Especially now, with the more semi-open stanced players, what should I suggest when teaching the backhand to developing players?

Archived User Coach

I'm coaching middle school tennis for the first time. Where to begin?

Coaching tennis to middle school athletes for the first time. How do I begin?

Rhonda R Lang Coach, United States of America

How do I coach 14 girls (varying abilities) on just 2 courts?

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

Archived User Coach

The monthly charge for Sportplan?

After the free joining fee, how much is the monthly fee for sportplan?RegardsJM

JM Coach, England

Can I transfer my membership from rugby to football?

School rugby season has finished. Can I switch my membership to football for this term (then cricket for the summer)? Asked using Sportplan Mobile App

D Whipp Coach, England

Sport selection query

If I look to purchase one individual sport, can I then swap it for another sport as many times as i want?

Ryan Gould Coach, England

Sports

how do I change to a different sport which I added to my profile?

Crystal Coach, South Africa

switch to field hockey

I would like to pay for the field hockey membership right now and pause the basketball.

Jennifer McGovern Coach, United States

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

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

I'm coaching middle school ten...

Coaching tennis to middle school athletes for the first time. How do I begin?

Rhonda R Lang Coach, United States of America

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