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target DRILLS
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Attacking forehands on the move

Coach feeds three balls per player from the basket. Players should aim to hit the targets (as in diagram - can use cones to mark out targets). The aim is to encourage players to progressively attack on the move.

Forehand Drills

Attacking Midcourt Balls

This drill should be used to help players deal with easy balls and get them to attack the ball. The coach starts the drill with a mid-court feed, at various heights. The player has to hit the ball to the targets either deep or angled. The coach feeds 6 balls and then the next player starts.

Attacking

Building points through deep cross court shots

The coach feeds the ball to team A, they then have to hit it into the target area cross court. -Player from team B hits down the line if possible, however if under pressure from the depth or pace of the shot,then player B should play cross court or down the middle.Team A are hitting mostly cross court.

Rally Drills

Cross court inside-out forehands

The coach feeds the first ball in and then players have to keep the rally going, running around the ball to play a cross-court forehand into the coned area. So player 1 hits the ball to player 1 on the other team who then returns to player 2 and so on.

Forehand Drills

Inside-out Forehand

Coach feeds the ball down the lineThe player starts in the middle and runs round to hit an inside-out cross court forehand to the target areaAlternatively a target can be positioned down the line and every third stroke can be hit to that direction

Forehand Drills

Long and short down the line

-The Coach feeds (i) long then (ii) short.-Each player has two shots,both must go down the line.-Player is aiming for the targets.

Attacking

Returning with Angles

The player will serve 2nd serves, with the player at the other end will return, and aim for the target area between the side line and throw down line.

Serve and Return

Volleys

- Player plays two rapid fire volleys from either side, then goes to the back of the queue.- Set up targets i.e. cones.- Split step before volleys hit!.

Volley Drills

Volleys whilst moving as a team

-Players hit 2 half volleys each aiming at the targets, then move to alternate line.-All players in line shadow move behind hitters.-The same can be done with players at the net volleying.

Coordination / Fun Games

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

Target Serve Corner Serve and ...

4 players, cones or spots, basket of tennis balls. 4 cones set up in each corner of the service box. Two players take 2 serves each to the relevant service box aiming to hit the cones. The next 2 players then take 2 serves each. The drill continues until all balls have been used. 1 point scored for every cone hit. 

General

Backhand into wobble target Ba...

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

Circle Volley to a Target Voll...

Teacher feeds the ball, however the student must shout out when they are about to split step (which would be just before the teacher feeds the ball). Ball is hit to centre of court and student makes a low forehand volley to the target before returning to the line. Concentrate on stopping for split step and controlling the volley.

General

Backhand Backhand Drills - Ten...

<BR>Coach feeds live ball to Player who backhand returns<BR><BR>The coach then lays a cross court for the player who hits the ball at a target close to the baseline</BR>

General

Yo - Yo Movement - Tennis Dril...

1) Teacher alternates short drop shot and deep lob feeds from the basket.Also alternates forehand, backhand.<br />2)Player hits the short ball to a down the line target as an approach shot <br />3) Player will then move back for the smash.<br />4) The smash is hit cross court

General

Height Rally Drills - Tennis D...

Purpose:To learn that shots go higher over the net than imagined Variation &quot;A&quot;Cover the net with towels and ask 2 singles players to play up to 11 points.Feed underhand for 2 points alternately Variation &quot;B&quot;Erect badminton nets to create higher target over netCompete as in &quot;A&quot;.

General

Fun Finishing Coordination / F...

Coach sets up a target (basket). Players compete with each other while trying to throw the ball inside the basket.

General

Building points through deep c...

<BR>The coach feeds the ball to team A, they then have to hit it into the target area cross court. <BR>-Player from team B hits down the line if possible, however if under pressure from the depth or pace of the shot,then player B should play cross court or down the middle.<BR>Team A are hitting mostly cross court.

General

Round the World 2 Coordination...

<BR>-Pick two teams, one team are the hitters, the other the runners.<BR>-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. <BR>-The team scores a point each time a shot is hit to the agreed target.<BR>-The runners take it in turn to run around the outside of the court, back to the team like relay race.<BR>-Once all of the running team have done a round they shout stop, and the points of the hitting team freeze.<BR>-The teams then swap sides and the new hitting team has to beat their score.

General

Inside out fh: Threes Rally Dr...

Player 1 is working in the whole court but primarily in the red target zone, hitting ONLY fhs: 1 fh cross, and 1 fh inside out. Player 2 is working in the fh corner and is hitting a forehand back to the centre of the court, middle of the red target zone. Player 3 is working in the bh corner and is hitting a backhand down the line to the outer edge of the red target zone. Player 3 feeds the ball in down the line, player 1 hits a fh cross, player 2 hits a fh down the middle, player 1 runs around the ball and hits an inside out fh back to player 3, and the pattern repeats.

General

Approach and volley Volley Dri...

Players start off on baseline moves into no mans land for approach shot then move up to hit a 1st volley and finish with a 2nd volley.

General

Backhand/Forehand/Volley Volle...

Coach, 4 players, 3 targets, and a basket of tennis balls. <p class=&quot;p1&quot;>Player 1 starts off on the centre of the baseline. <p class=&quot;p1&quot;>Coach feeds ball 1 to the corner of the singles court for player 1 to play a cross court backhand to target 1. <p class=&quot;p1&quot;>Coach feeds ball 2 to the opposite side of the court just in front of service box for player 1 to run on to and play a short cross court forehand at target 2. <p class=&quot;p1&quot;>Coach feeds ball to the centre of the opposite service box for player 1 to run on to and play a backhand volley to target 3. <p class=&quot;p1&quot;>Player 1 joins the queue. <p class=&quot;p1&quot;>Drill repeated with player 2/3/4.

General

Tennis: Backhand return of ser...

Coach serves to the player from the deuce side. Player moves into position to hit a backhand return cross court. Cones should be placed in the corner of the deuce side to give the player a target to aim for.

General

Deep cross court Forehand Dril...

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

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

Tennis: Over and In. 'Budge It...

Intention: Assess forehand technique whilst developing the principles of rallying.Players start on their various courts. Each of which has a designated score that is progressive (eg 5, 7, 9) and at the discretion of the coach.Where space is limited, courts can be divided in half or thirds to create stations.One player ('The Sender') starts each rally with an underarm throw to a target area on their partners side of the court, which is situated half way between their partner (&quot;The receiver&quot;) and the net.The 'receiver', who is positioned roughly two racket lengths behind the target area, with a racket, attempts to hit the ball after one bounce to a target area on their partner's side of the court, which is positioned roughly half way between their partner and the net.The pair must then continue to throw and hit the ball (after one bounce) until they achieve the score for their designated court/station.If the rally breaks down in any way, the pair must start the rally again from zero on the court/ station they are on.If the players successfully achieve the score for their designated court (or station), they progress upwards (one station) and 'Budge' the pair on the higher station down.If either of the pair lands the ball directly on the target area they automatically progress upwards (one station) and 'Budge' the pair on the higher station down.When a pair achieves the designated score on the highest (top) court they are awarded 1 'golden' point.When a pair successfully achieves a 'golden' point, they attempt another one until they are 'budged'.The game ends when a pair reaches a pre-set number of 'golden' points. Alternatively, the pair with the most 'golden' points at the end of a pre allocated period of time is the winner.

General

Inside-out Forehand Forehand D...

<br />-Either the coach or the players themselves throw the ball over the player's shoulder.<br />-The player runs around to hit an inside-out forehand into the target area.

General

Behind the back, no cheating! ...

Players volley co-operatively to each other but with their non racket hand behind their back at all times.For larger groups this drill can be done in groups of four players with one ball moved around between the 2 pairs.

General

Touch The Spot Backhand Drills...

Set up with a cone or something similar just in front of the player. The coach feeds the ball to the backhand side, and the player hits a backhand volley to the coach, and steps on the visual target.

General

Touch at the net Volley Drills...

<BR>-One player is positioned on the service line, the other closer to the net.<BR>-Player 1 lobs every second shot and player 2 hits alternately volleys and smashes.<BR>-This is a warm up drill and players focus on keeping the ball in play.<BR>-The drill can be done with or without rackets.<BR>-Players swop round after approximately 3 minutes.

General

Serve / Volley - Cross court S...

Player 1 serves and follows it in to hit a volley. Player 2 must attempt to hit a return cross court. Player 1 then hits a volley angled cross court to target area.

General

Run Forrest, run! Rally Drills...

The coach feeds a drop-shot from the basket. Players 1 and 2 are at the same end as the coach and are positioned at the net.Player 3 must run forwards to try to get to the drop-shot and play it up to either of the players at the net.The players at the net must lob-volley the ball back over player 3's head. Player must then 3 run back to chase the ball hitting it again to either of the players at the net, who then drop volleys this ball.The point continues in this way until an unforced error is made or player 3 cannot run anymore!

General

Tennis: Deep Forehand And Back...

Players will be fed 2-6 balls each. The balls are hit down the line into the target area as marked by the cones. The feeding can be varied i.e. higher, faster or with more spin.

General

Weak Server Serve and Return -...

Coach serves to the ad side.Player hits an offensive forehand cross-court.Coach hits the ball back in a cross-court direction.Player finishes using backhand down the line.

General

Master of Cross Court Forehand...

Coach feeds random balls and the player must hit all of the these balls cross court in between the target cones.

General

Drop The Volley Rally Drills -...

Set up as shown with three cones close to the net, with these cones being the player's target on their second shot. Player and coach stand at the net, and the coach feeds the ball to the forehand side.The Player hits a forehand volley to the coach who then hits it back to the backhand side, where the player must react quickly to backhand drop volley the ball cross-court, aiming to get the ball in between the three cones.

General

target SESSIONS
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Target oriented practice for k...

Improve your player’s accuracy with simple target games, which will leave them with a smile on their face!

Body and racquet under control

Develop balance and early footwork to maintain control of the body and racket head when hitting to all parts of the court.

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

The wrong-footing tactic - Play the ball back-behind!

Use the inside-out forehand to get your opponent off balance by playing the ball into the space behind!

Pre-Tournament Priority Session

Focus on your players serve and return game to address priorities before heading into competition

Improve Your Groundstrokes

Build your power, hone in your accuracy and develop into the best grinder in the game with flawless groundstrokes.

Keep Constant Pressure On Your Opponent

To understand how to put pressure on the rival and work on specific patterns behind and inside the baseline.

Precision and Accuracy from the Back of the Court

Dominate and dictate play from the baseline. Teach your players to target specific zones of the court to give their opponent the runaround!

Doubles-Specific Practice

Work on the tactical and technical areas of the doubles game, making your players aware of the different priorities needed than in a singles match!

Improving Key Skills For Juniors

Use this session plan to help your players’ confidence and skills grow, by putting in use of key skills that are required in the game.

Rip and Chip - Attacking and Defending

Rip-roaring fast shots sessions! Give your players the freedom to work on their power strokes and see how they dig deep to defend to keep the point alive

Training tips for taller tennis players

Teach players to use their natural advantage with this tactics and technique plan - covering everything from how to get more power in your serve to dominating from the baseline

Achieving Backhand Stroke Consistency

Help your players achieve backhand stroke consistency in this great session packed with live ball drills!

Hitting to Corners and Digging out Points!

Instil that Andy Murray "never say die" attitude in your players - Get your players hit into the corners and try to make every point, even if the odds are stacked against them!
target ANSWERS
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re The Art of Feeding

I received your email on 'The Art of Feeding' and like to read your suggestions of drills. When looking at your suggested drills on this newsletter, I would like to ask for a bit of clarification on the coaching point 'as players move sideways they must take last step towards ball at contact'. I thought that the player must have stopped before making contact with the ball. Do you mean that the player's balance takes him into another step at contact? I'm really interested in your drills and plan to make a purchase in the near future. Best wishes, Nick-submitted by email

Sportplan Team Coach, United Kingdom

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

How can i control my ball toss on the serve ?

How can i control my ball toss on the serve ?

Archived User Coach

13 round tennis roster

Hi there Just wondering if anyone has a tip on making a fair tennis player roster for 6 players over 13 rounds Much appreciated

Archived User Coach

What is my fault? Difficulty coaching some of the older players - advice?

Helo, my name is Fernando, I am a Spanish tennis teacher who started teaching six months ago. I am working in a public sportcenter and I am having some problems with adults. When I started I realiced that the students were used to playing tennis without any control. Young students told me that the other teacher only used to leave them play - he rarely explained them how to hit the ball. Consequently the do enjoy my clases and they are learning a lot and impoving their level of tennis. So far so good, but the problem is that with the adults I have the impression that they don´t like my clases. In fact some of them left the group at the begining. I try to mix different kinds of drills during the class and I usually finish it with a game like for example 21, winner........ But it seems that they don´t enjoy it. During the exercises most of them don´t try to do what I tell them. As a result, they don´t have a good level of tennis. But as far as I know, the other teacher was a tennis player who uses to play against them during the clases. As this is my first time teaching tennis, I don´t fell confidence and that is the reason whay I do´t like to play against them. Appart from that I think that this is not my role as a teacher. So I would like you to tell me how to deal with that situation. I don´t care if they leave me because this is not going to affect my job, but i wouldn´t like them to leave just because I like tennis and I like teaching tennis. Thank you very much for your help. I am sorry for my English. Best wishes!!!!

Fernando Coach, Spain

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

How can I improve the consistency of my serve?

Does anyone have any drills or tips for improving the consistency of a player's serve?

Timothy Hutton Coach, Australia

Passing shot drill for four or five players.

Is there a drill to involve four or five players to teach a passing shot? Situation would be opponent at or approaching the net and plays a poor approach.

Keith Brown Coach, England

Fun technique drills for 4-5 year-olds?

I could use some relatively easy technique drills that are fun to keep the kids I train interested. They have played for 4 months (beginners) and are aged 4-5. If you know some fun drills involving forehand and backhand I would very much appreciate if you'd answer this question! Thanks in advance!

Mari Milos Coach, Sweden

How can I change the language?

How can I change the language, from englisch to dutch

Zoran Kenjic Coach, Netherlands

How to correct the bad habit of under-slicing a forehand strokes?

Hi Many times you find new beginners, especially kids, tend to do the easier way of forehand shots by under-spinning/slicing the balls to get over the nets. I've tried a few ways but it's not to easy to change a habit. Please help. Thanks a lot. KT.

KT Teo Coach, Singapore

Fun game play ideas for year 3...

I am teaching only 4 lessons to year 3 and need some good ideas to cover the basic strokes and game play?

Sue Blackmore Coach, England

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