Monday, December 5, 2011
Tuesday, November 15, 2011
Tennis Lessons and Drills (Life Over 50)
Now that you're over 50 now is the prefect time to dust of your tennis racket or learn how to play tennis . The great thing about tennis is that it can be as relaxing or as competitive as you make it and it's also a fantastic way to keep in shape, especially when you reach middle age. So continue reading to find out about tennis lessons training tips and drills. Anyone interested in taking up tennis will be pleased to hear that there are plenty of ways to learn how to play the game. Every way from the tennis court to the internet, the video store and even the classroom will prove to be constructive for those wanting to learn how to play the great game of tennis. Prices will hinge on on the particular choice of training method that is chosen, but can usually be quite affordable. This is noticeably true of those who opt for learning at home through the use of videos or internet lessons. A professional tennis trainer, albeit, will undoubtedly be the most expensive way to learn but will provide a hands-on experience that none of the aforementioned options can.
If you favour to hire a tennis instructor, you will probably want to hire someone who has a lot of know-how in either teaching or playing tennis. Or, if achievable, find someone who has done both. During this training, you will begin to learn the certain swings and in which deployment each can be used. In the beginning, tennis may seem intimidating because of the amount of running that is involved, along with the ought to to have a lightening quick reaction to every situation. But, after a few lessons, you will be more simple with the game and how to play it. Patience is the fundamental to learning anything new and tennis is exactly the same.
Even preliminary to hiring an instructor, some new tennis players may make sure to learn some basics of the game before beginning the actual lessons. This can be accomplished by either purchasing books, videos or doing some research online. Either of these methods should provide an introduction to the game, the proper way to grip and swing the tennis racket, etc. With this information, any new tennis player will enter their learning phase with added levelheadedness and will impress their instructor by how much they already know. As well as, anything that you can learn beforehand may end up saving you some money on the actual lessons.
Never the less, it s good to realise that there is nothing on earth wrong with taking tennis lessons if you are a true beginner. Even if you have never held a tennis racket or held a tennis ball before, there is scarcely anything to fear. Tennis instructors are there to help you to learn from scratch if that s what you ought to. During your lessons, it will always be a good idea to have access to a tennis court and possibly even practice a little in between lessons.
Different tennis instructors work one-on-one with their students, meanwhile others prefer to educate to a group of individuals. Those who prefer to learn as much as possible, but without doing so with hands-on training may opt for online lessons. The only difficulty is that this method does not provide actual practice, which can be sought separately by the learner. Friends and family can usually provide costly insight in helping one to learning how to play tennis without professional instruction.
Why not put into practice the tennis lessons training tips and drills you've just learnt...
Tuesday, November 8, 2011
Sunday, November 6, 2011
Strategies and Tactics
Several months ago, I received a very flattering e-mail from a reader. However, he did comment that he believed that I needed to spend more time addressing the tactical side of playing tennis. He raised a valid point, and I promised him that I would put this on my "to do" list for column ideas. I try to keep my promises.
A strategy is an overall game plan that incorporates specific steps that will be taken to achieve success.
Tactics are specific measures (either pre-determined or improvised) that permit a player to realize a game plan or strategy.
In playing this wonderful game of ours, a competitive player must have both a strategic and tactical approach to each match. However in determining each of these essential components, a player must realize his/her limitations!
I would love to have the serve/volley and chip/charge strategy that Stefan Edberg was so successfully able to execute when he competed on the ATP tour. Yes, I can play either, but they are not inherent strengths for me. If need be, I will employ either, but this is not my first choice for an overall game plan. Each person must be honest with herself/himself and recognize what is viable and what is not.
Recognizing one's limitations is a very useful "tool." Why? Well if we recognize what we can't do well, we avoid the techniques in critical match situations. More important, realization of one's limitations allows for a person to set goals that will improve her/his game! One of the most wonderful aspects of this great game is that there is always room for improvement!
I should mention the importance of setting and achieving goals in tennis. You will never reach your full potential unless you assess honestly, set goals for improvement, and construct viable action plans to realize these goals.Some years back, I wrote an article that addresses the importance of setting goals. You can access it here:http://www.tennisserver.com/turbo/turbo_99_11.html.
To expand your strategic options, you need to develop more specific tactics. Generally, this requires specific strokes, movement and/or conditioning.
I should also mention that each of you should know what "type" of player you are. This is critical in establishing a set of strategies that will "fit" you. Again, I wrote an article where I describe the two most common types of players. I refer to these as Type A and Type B. Of course, the goal is to become what I call Type C. Rather than belabor the definitions of these player types, I refer the reader to the original column available at:http://www.tennisserver.com/turbo/turbo_00_11.html. However, the "Type C" player is one who combines the attributes of both "Type A" and "Type B." In my mind, Andre Agassi began as a "Type A" player. Brad Gilbert enabled him to become a "Type B" player. Ultimately, he was an archetypal "Type C" player. Very few of us will ever reach "Type C" play and its limitless strategies/tactics. But, we can all strive to move in this direction!
Lastly, I shoustructures. These pyramids start with the most basic and essential aspects located at the bottom of each pyramid. As you move up the pyramid, the more sophisticated aspects are located. You can't build a good pyramid without establishing its base ld mention what are the hierarchical components when playing tennis. Essentially, I see two pyramid-like first!
Regarding Strokes, here is the basic pyramid of tennis:
5. Power
4.Topspin and Slice
3. Hitting in Every Direction
2. Hitting All Balls Deep in the Opponent's Court
1. Hitting Every Ball Over the Net... Even if it is hit out
It amazes me how many players (especially the younger, "Type A" competitor) will start with power... the last element in establishing solid strokes. Regarding where strategy fits into this great game of tennis, I offer the following pyramid.
5. Self-Actualization
4. Strategies and Tactics
3.Visualization and Mental Strength
2. Proper Stroke Development and Stroke Variety
1. Strength, Foot Speed, Endurance, Flexibility, Balance, Aerobic Capability
Note that I place strategies and tactics in the fourth highest position. If you have not developed the first three, you are not likely to be successful with respect to the fourth. I should note that self-actualization occurs in those rare instances where we are playing "in the zone." Nothing seems to go wrong, and everything is effortless. We are merely spectators watching in mindless amazement as we compete at a self-actualization level.
Having established all of the above, let's get to the heart of this month's column.
MOST COMMON TENNIS STRATEGIES
Simply keep the ball in play. Just get the ball over the net one more time than your opponent.
Hammer an opponent's weakness. If your opponent has a weak backhand, can't move well, or hates a particular spin, etc.; you simply do everything you can to exploit this weakness. Discovering weaknesses in players with whom you are not familiar may take some time. Usually, you can scout a player before a match. Sometimes, the warm-up will betray a weakness. Guess what! We all have weaknesses... even the pros.
Keep your weakness from being discovered. This is much easier said than done. The way to hide a weakness is to execute well in the warm-up, and to not attempt winners that involve the weakness during the match. I have literally coached players who have had no backhand of which to speak. Still in many instances, they hid this weakness by simply hitting safely crosscourt whenever a ball was thrown to his/her backhand.
Out power your opponent. Unfortunately, there are so many young players who use this as their only strategy. They go out on the court and literally try to bash their opponent into a loss. If you have "the goods," go for it. But, I don't recommend this strategy for the vast majority of players. Allied with this mentality, a player may possess a really great weapon... like a big, first serve or powerful forehand. Don't be afraid to utilize these... after all they are weapons. Just don't be seduced into believing that your entire strategy can be built upon power!
Push! I know. We all hate pushers. It almost seems "weak" to play this type of game. Don't let Brad Gilbert hear you think this out loud. He made a professional career out of massaging... not hitting... balls. Even if you are not capable of being a pusher, you can always temper your shots and take pace off of what you send in your opponent's direction. Adopting this strategy of three quarter pace shots may do two things. First, it may add control to your shots. In addition, it may actually frustrate your opponent who feeds off of shots that are hit to her/him with pace.
Serve/Volley and Chip/Charge. Sooner or later, this style of play is going to resurrect itself and become far more commonly played on both amateur and professional levels. Granted, modern racquet and string technology have made the net game a more difficult strategy. Let's face it. It is harder to close the net and not get passed when groundstroke oriented players tee off on passing shots. Like John McEnroe, I have hope for this strategy in the future. Sooner or later, the pros will adapt to the increased speed of the ball. Already, training techniques have greatly improved the foot speed of the modern player. Although many of you may not want to venture into this strategy, I strongly encourage you to reconsider your decision. It may be that serve/volley does not pay dividends for you. But, you would be amazed at how successful chip/charge can be even in the modern game.
MOST COMMON TENNIS TACTICS
Coast to coast tennis. This is really a wise tactic. Moving your opponent from corner to corner means that you are hitting crosscourt. Hitting crosscourt is percentage tennis. Why? Well, the net is lower in the center and by hitting crosscourt you actually gain extra court space in which the ball can land. Thus, you are increasing your margin for error. This type of tennis will force you to run as well, but more often than not, the player who decides to hit down the line will lose the point. To help make sense of this, you may want to read my previous column entitled, Euclidean Geometry available at:http://www.tennisserver.com/turbo/turbo_98_5.html.
In/Out Tennis. This is probably one of the most underutilized tactics in tennis. Given the fact that most, modern players are not comfortable at the net, why not move them forward and backward. Hit a moonball deep in your opponent's court and follow it with a short drop shot.
Never let your opponent see the same ball twice in a row. Many players (particularly "Type A" competitors) are looking to establish a rhythm when they are in a match. A great way to neutralize an even superior player is to vary every shot. Change the spin, change the pace, change the depth, etc. The goal is to never let the opponent establish a comfortable pattern of play. This is one of my favorite tactics and has won me many points, games and matches. When coaching tennis on the collegiate level, I would be spotting my players 20 plus years as we competed in practice sets. This style of play earned me the nickname, "The Junkman." I take the name as a compliment!
Take a step in after each groundstroke. Jimmy Connors and Andre Agassi were masters at this tactic. After hitting a groundstroke, each would take a little step forward. After several strokes, they were automatically in a position to hit a winning put away or charge the net for a winning volley. They were so subtle in this "advancement" that I suspect many of their opponents never realized that Connors and Agassi were increasing their court angles.
Important Tips
 |
- Watch the ball.
- After you hit the ball, watch the closest opponent's racket to you. That way you will gain information of what will happen next.
- Quit looking where you are hitting or serving the ball.
- Always think "Start the Point."
- Never look at your opponent's attire or face in a match. (do not make the match personal).
- When you are in the offense, move through your volley.
- When you are in the defense, stop and hit the volley.
- Volleys should be pulled. For example, for a right hander, pull right to left, high to low or out to in.
- Think of your volley as a comma.
- On your serve, example for a right hander, if the ball is to the right of your left hand or if you have to move your plant foot, (left foot for a right hander), do not hit the ball.
- On your serve and overhead, use your racket arm for height, like a ladder. Use your legs, your coil and wrist-snap for power. Save your shoulder. Think of how fast you can make the tip of the racket go, not how fast you can move your shoulder or the butt of the racket.
- When playing singles, keep a majority of all of your shots at three quarter depth. Keeping even a strong opponent at that depth will at least give you time to chase his or her shots.
- In doubles, remember to keep the ball low. All opponents are looking to kill the soft high balls.
- In doubles, the order of competing is to listen to your partner hitting the ball, then you want to know which opponent's racket you are playing against, then you want to rate that racket as green light, yellow light and red light. Green light, below the waist, move forward to attack. Red light, between the waist and shoulder, stop and defend. Yellow light, ball above their head, more like they are hitting an overhead at you. Cautiously move back quickly and try to stop right before they hit the ball and play the ball or move forward so as to take the shock of a hard overhead.
- The game is getting quicker, keep taking the short backswing on your ground strokes.
- Remember, you cannot win the point every time you hit it. Learn how to set the point up by changing the arc of your shots, the spin, your opponent's direction, etc.
- The most important shots in tennis are the serve, the serve return and your ground stroke.
- Having problems with your serve? Go out sometime and see how long it takes you to hit 5 serves in a row into the service box, four times. This will really calm you down in match play.
- The best way to get better is to hit more balls. Find a practice partner and hit at least two times a month for one and half hours.
- Always have a new can of balls in your bag. You are worth it.
Good luck on the courts!
Monday, October 31, 2011
Thursday, October 27, 2011
Sunday, October 23, 2011
Tennis At Early Age
Attaining high tennis performance requires the regimented implementation of a
long term training plan designed to systematically regulate volume, intensity,
training frequency and competition. The training session should be presented
with variety, challenging, interesting drills and match situations to have fun.
In most of the countries young boys and girls start playing tennis at early age.
Therefore to improve chances of peak performance occurring at the most desired
times, the coach and parents must work together as a team to ensure that the
players eat, sleep and rest well to prevent over training and burn out.
Saturday, October 22, 2011
Thursday, October 20, 2011
Wednesday, October 19, 2011
History of Men’s Tennis Fashions
The importance of fashion in men’s tennis has a history stretching back to the earliest days of the game, when men of leisure indulged in games of tennis, watched by small crowds of aristocratic spectators.
1500-1900 The earliest male tennis players most closely resembled today’s baseball players. Royal decree ensured that all players wore balloon-like shorts accompanied by stockings – an apparel style that matched the fashions of the day.As the years passed, and Britain entered the Victorian era, men’s tennis apparel became more conservative, and tennis players took to the courts in full-length trousers and shirts. However, there was some relief on the footwear front, when rubber-soled sneakers were introduced to the men’s game in 1867. |
1900-1932 During the early part of the 20th century male tennis players were virtually indistinguishable from test cricket players. Men dressed in white flannel trousers and white shirts, sometimes adding v-neck or cable-knit sweaters to their kit to add an element of style to their appearance.‘Big’ Bill Tilden is generally regarded as having been the first male tennis fashion icon. Tilden transformed the image of men’s tennis from that of a sport played by wealthy, leisured young men unable to handle the physical demands of team sports, into a man’s game played by the toughest athletes. Tilden’s fame led many to emulate his style of dress, which included long shirts rolled up to the elbows, the customary flannel trousers and a selection of elegant sweaters. |
1932-1970 A major revolution took place in men’s tennis in 1932. English tennis player, Henry ‘Bunny’ Austin, grew frustrated with having to wear cumbersome flannel trousers, and ditched these in favour of a pair ofshorts. When Austin wore his shorts at Wimbledon in 1932, he initiated a fashion revolution that would transform the sport forever.During the next four decades changes to men’s tennis fashion were minor. The length of shorts varied from decade to decade, as did the cut of the tennis shirts players wore during tennis tournaments. It was, however, not until 1970 that players decided to add a little colour to the game. |
1970-1990 During the 1970s color was added to men’s tennis apparel for the first time since the earliest days of the sport. The change was introduced after spectators complained that the bland coloring made it difficult to distinguish between players.Even after colour made an appearance in men’s shirts, it remained toned-down, with most using only pastel hues. At around this time the use of headbands became popular, with both John McEnroe and Bjorn Borg sporting this headgear during the period of their famous rivalry. |
1990-Present From the 90s onwards, colours started taking up more space in men’s shirts, first in the form of designs, before fully coloured shirts finally became an acceptable item of clothing for male players. Shorts were soon to follow, with the likes of Andre Agassi pushing the boundaries of men’s tennis fashion ever further.During the 1990s, the short-shorts favoured during the 1980s were dropped in favour of baggier, Bermuda style shorts. Players like Agassi started wearing lycra cycling shorts underneath these shorts – a trend that continues to this day. As the shape of shorts changed, so did that of shirts, with some players discarding the traditional tennis/polo style shirt entirely. Male players now choose from a wide variety of shirt styles, ranging from t-shirts, to thesleeveless shirts favoured by Rafael Nadal. |
Monday, October 17, 2011
Sunday, October 16, 2011
Sunday, October 9, 2011
WHAT MAKES A GOOD MOVER? by Allistair McCaw.
Good anticipation and response skills are qualities to being a good mover on the court. Knowing your opponents next shot, the one that's coming back, already allows you to move early and into a position to be ready.
The best movers on court not only have great footwork and movement skills, but also have the skills of reading the game and anticipating better.
Belgium's Kim Clijsters is an example of a great anticipator and mover, she reads it well, gets into an early ready position and takes away time from her opponent
Friday, October 7, 2011
Thursday, October 6, 2011
Tuesday, October 4, 2011
Tennis Coach Education: The 7 Principles of Coaching Progressions
| By Jason Lampione The process of effective lesson planning should be developed with specific target objectives in mind with a hint of progressions added to the list. The coaching component to lesson planning excellence begins with an understanding on how to execute a series of positive progressions for all players of all ability levels. |
Therefore, it is vitally important to remember that with each sequence of patterned practice plans, you'll need to dress the court with colored coded cones in order to visually stimulate your players and get them energized for the coming drilling process.
The entire process varies in complexity with regard to player improvement and participation, which is based primarily on group player-to-pro ratio and the amount of energy that the coach is exuding within that lesson. Throughout my entire professional development career as a player and coach, I have realized there was a gross void in our coaching process on-court and wanted to rectify the redundancies that have caught my attention over the years. Since coaching education has been a huge subject of thought and discussion throughout the many years of
How often do you see players on-court standing around with their racquet's in hand looking clueless and mystified as to why it takes so long for them to have a turn in hitting a ball? Have you ever seen a coach on-court feed the same redundant drilling pattern from a right-to-left fashion with more than four players standing in isolated position and losing interest? I have and because the coach doesn't have a basic understanding on the simple principles of progressions and it's effectiveness on-court is one of the major reasons why so many shy away from this subject.
Therefore, I have outlined each progression in great detail so that any coach of any background can easily implement the process on-court, while his or her players follow suit and move in sync with the coach. This fantastic system is easily implementable for any organization to institute, especially for those looking to increase on-court productivity and player participation within any programming theme. Below, you will find 'The 7 Principles of Coaching Progressions Successfully,' and the inner mechanisms of function and how you can implement this process at your local facility with great success.
Now, allow me to begin by introducing the very first progression principle within the lesson plan.
1. Progression Principle #1: Shadow Drilling with Purpose
The term shadowing or shadow drill is a process by where each player of the group either junior or adult mimics the exact on-court bio-motion of the coach without the process of hitting the ball. Each player within the group usually line-up in a vertical fashion from the net all the way back to the end of the court, remember, be sure to leave room between each player about 3-5 feet of spacing is necessary as to avoid contact with the racquet from the opposing partner.
The coach will begin the class by announcing that he or she will be showing each student and/or player the exact movement and expectation of that drill. These introductory patterns will last about 5-8 minutes in length as the warm-up continues, and then, progress into more difficult bio-motions that will encompass more complex patterns of movement with the upper and lower bodies of the player. The most important element of this process is keeping track of time, because with each progression you have only so much of it (time wise) before you move onto more challenging sequences.
The coach can creatively implement any pattern utilizing the shadow sequence, as long as you understand that the mechanisms for shadow drilling apply only with non-ball hitting motions. Keep in mind, that the shadowing process must have a cardio aspect to it, otherwise, you run the risk of stagnation becoming an issue within your class. Utilizing high energy with a loud tone of voice is ideal, so that the players can hear your verbal communication and see you visually as you perform each movement in sync with the group.
The best method of approach in the beginning is to use markers or color coded cones on-court, have each player perform a specific lower body movement (i.e., normally a lateral movement and/or cross over step in conjunction with an upper body swing of a forehand or backhand), then have them recover back to the center of the court. Again, you can create any drilling sequence you want as long as you have keep the class moving and have them perform a series of patterns for the entire 5-8 minutes of time.
- Principle Tip #1: Mix up the tempo of each shadow drill by adding challenges to the process.
- Principle Tip #2: Use high energy and keep the flow of the class moving.
- Principle Tip #3: Keep it simple and remember to have FUN!
2. Progression Principle #2: The Drop Hand Ball Feed
The second phase of the progression principle is called 'The Drop Hand Ball Feed.' Here you will be on the same side of the court with the players; however, instead of feeding the ball with the racquet you will be utilizing you’re both your dominant and non-dominant hands to place the ball in and out of the hitting zone of the players involved. This progression can be timed around 10-12 minutes in length as you perform each hand feed according to the pattern you are executing.
Preferably, it is best to have the player’s line-up in two singular lines side by side in the middle of the baseline as you begin to explain the process to the players. Remember, since you are going to be feeding a forehand and backhand feed you want to make sure you challenge your players by telling them they have to recover to the middle of the court after each swing.
If you want to complicate matters for them, then explain that you're looking for perfected swings over the shoulder and they must catch the racquet throat with the non-dominant hand in order for the swing and movement to be fully completed with each drop ball feed. Now, simply take one ball in the left hand and one ball in the right hand and begin dropping the ball about 10-12 feet away from the starting point of the player. Then, they must run to the ball and complete the swing from low-to-high and finish correctly as explained and demonstrated before the drill began.
You can creatively make-up any pattern of play within the drilling process as long as you keep in mind that you must drop the ball to an area of the court. The example above was just a guide to assist you in the beginning phases of this progression and as you become more familiar with it, you'll be able to create patterns that will confuse the player and challenge them as the difficulty level increases and response-reaction times begin to improve within the player’s on-court. The drop hand ball feed is quite effective and can be utilized for any programming theme ranging from the 10's and under all the way up to senior players who have limited mobility on-court.
In fact, you can be pretty inventive with this drilling pattern and create some challenging cardio themes from it and enhance participation on-court if executed correctly. The more specific you are about the drop hand ball feed drill, the more stimulation you will receive from your players and increase your retention rate within your club, thus then, making your performance more desirable and attractive to both the facility and client you service.
Principle Tip #1: Vary the drop ball hand feed by location (short, long and wide).
Principle Tip #2: Allow each player to conduct the drop feed as you make the corrections.
Principle Tip #3: Include dynamic footwork patterns to increase intensity and frequency of each drill.
3. Progression Principle #3: The Cooperative Dead Ball Drill
The cooperative dead ball drill is one of the most basic level format that a coach can learn, besides the shadow drill mentioned above in the progression principle #1. Here you will be utilizing the racquet for the first time in these series of progressions as you elevate the difficulty level with each vertical process. Be sure that you dress the court prior to the start of each drill (i.e., by adding color coded cones, rubber line strips, hurdles and arrows to ensure that your player(s) know exactly where to hit the ball and in what direction).
You want to be certain that each and every player knows the exact form and function behind each feed. The beginning process should be completed with the coach verbally discussing, and then, physically showing the player or group by shadowing the process as outlined in the selected progression created by the professional.
The process of the cooperative dead ball drill concept is an added layer to the progression process by allowing the coach or professional to be engaged with his or her players on court. Once you have completed set-up of the court, than the coach can begin feeding the ball (with racquet in hand) to the specific locations outlined in the lesson plan, and then, engage each player in a cooperative hitting session. Primarily, the coach will work with the player to achieve an objective on court, which can be a directional cooperative drill forehand-to-forehand cross court until a set number of rallies has been achieved.
The coach can have each player hit a series of forehands and backhands from the baseline, and then, approach the net while hitting two or three consecutive volley's before the coach and player become engaged in the cooperative hitting scenario. The most important aspect of this progression is that the coach becomes involved with the cooperative hitting process once the drilling pattern has been completed by the player.
Principle Tip #1: Be sure to re-enforce the player(s) confidence by allowing them to play their game.
Principle Tip #2: Set a goal and work with each player to achieve that goal TOGETHER!
Principle Tip #3: Focus your lesson plan in this progression on controlled-aggression and consistency.
4. Progressive Principle #4: The Competitive Live Ball Drill
The competitive live ball drill happens to be the most aggressive style and approach to on-court coaching with the professional involved with the hitting process. As stated above, once the player(s) have completed the series of drilling sequences from one position on the court to another, than the coach comes into play by acting as the adjacent hitting partner (competitive) with the player(s).
The focal point here is the engagement between player and coach, whereby, the player that accumulates the greatest amount of points against the coach becomes the winner within his or her group. The coach can conduct this progression in any drilling scenario that he or she prefers to execute in, however, it is vitally important to keep in mind that once the live ball drill ends, the competitive hitting begins.
Normally, I will usually have each player incorporate a footwork pattern within the drilling process to increase the amount of difficulty within the progression if the player(s) find the format to easy. I can always change the tempo, direction, height, width, length and distance of the feed within the drilling sequence to keep the player(s) stimulated and actively moving. The worst case scenario is to have more than four juniors or adults sitting around by the side of the court and waiting for their turn to play out the point with the coach.
The player(s) will immediately lose interest and become easily distracted if the coach doesn't keep the pace of the class moving, while the drilling and hitting sequences remain a positive challenge for all on-court participants. The live ball drill progression should stimulate and arouse excitement within the player(s) on-court by having the coach facilitate the amount of energy that he or she gives (effort wise) during both the feeding and competitive hitting scenarios.
Principle Tip #1: Incorporate a singles and doubles hitting scenario in the competitive progression.
Principle Tip #2: Have each player switch racquet's with one another to challenge their comfort zone.
Principle Tip #3: Keep players in stagnated positions (one up and one back) to mix up the format.
5. Progression Principle #5: The Cooperative Live Ball Exchange
This uniquely devised progression came about after heavy consideration on the lack of rally participation and consistency I've experienced throughout the years coaching. Therefore, I felt that players became too focused on hitting winners, rather than, developing their ground games with a cooperative approach from both competitors on-court. The cooperative live ball exchange can be utilized both from half-court and back-court position.
The idea behind this progression theme is for the players to begin understanding the importance of learning patience, rally consistency and the ability to move the ball around the court and negotiating both angles and deep patterns of directional hitting.
To begin, the coach is feeding the ball with the racquet in hand in this drill, while dividing the players two on one side and two on the opposing end. The objective of this drill is for each player on each side to rally for consistency, depth of shot, directional control, while becoming more controlled aggressors on-court. The players on one side will be working 'cooperatively' with the opposing players on the other end of the court.
The goal is to win by way of consistency, which basically means that all players involved are working together to accomplish a set number of sustained rallies. The coach can shift gears and change the difficulty level by having each player of each team begin the rally by only hitting in a directional pattern (i.e., forehand to forehand in a cross court fashion utilizing the doubles alleys as markers and anything outside the doubles alley is considered out). The dead ball exchange can be fed from the coach on any part of the court to help increase the intensity of the beginning hit, while putting the player in an awkward confused state, which makes it all the more exciting on both ends of the court.
You don't have to keep score in the beginning, however, if you decided to move in that direction, just remember that in the cooperative exchange format both parties or groups don't compete with one another they're simply working together to achieve the desired outcome numbered set by the coach. This drilling pattern can be timed around 10-15 minutes in length, just be sure to do the following for maximum affect. Be sure to change court positions often, challenge the players by feeding the ball in various places on the court, make sure you use high energy and give positive support and feedback whenever possible.
Principle Tip #1: Confuse the players by randomly feeding the ball into the open areas of the court.
Principle Tip #2: Put the weakest player in the hot-seat by giving him or her the first feed.
Principle Tip #3: Add pressure to the doubles format by only allowing directional hitting.
6. Progression Principle #6: The Competitive Live Ball Feed
Now, we're getting to the juicy stuff. The competitive live ball feed utilizes the same format mentioned above except in this progression the players are working against one another both in singles and doubles format. The coach is on the side of the court feeding in random positions while applying random feeds to keep the process mixed and confused. Ideally, you can many variations in this live ball sequence such as 2:1 ratios on-court where you have two players at the net and one at the baseline fighting for position.
The competitive nature of this format make the players earn their position on the court by out hitting their opposition with consistency, controlled aggression and converting on opportunities during the rally exchange. The coach can incorporate and implement any number of ridiculous patterns of play, the crazier and more challenging the process the more excited the players become. Normally, anytime I have an opportunity to do some competitive live ball feeding, I will usually make every player work for the point in every rally by feeding a drop-shot while they're at the baseline or throw in a semi-lob in the middle of the court just to see how they react.
In some extreme cases, if you end up having a ratio of 6:1 always keep an even number of players on each side of the court (i.e., 3 on one side and 3 on the other), this will ensure that everyone has a fair turn at staying mobile and active during the hitting process. You can even conduct this progression in doubles format if you end up having that number of players, in fact, transitioning from singles to doubles is a sure way to gain favoritism amongst your players, because it shows that you know how to manage and direct on-court drilling patterns.
Therefore, in order to have the most amount of success with this progression it is advisable to utilize creativity, high energy while mixing up the process as often as possible. You could even incorporate a game around this approach and have each player rotate sides of the court and only give them 5 seconds to respond by purposely feeding the ball while their running quickly to recover from position, this will drive them crazy, but they'll thank you after class, trust me!
Principle Tip #1: Play doubles offense/defense at close proximity to get the class pumped for action.
Principle Tip #2: Incorporate a 'blinding feed' by throwing in a third ball mixer when playing 2 out of 3.
Principle Tip #3: Allow only a one stroke hitting pattern (forehands only) during the drilling process.
7. Progression Principle #7: Open Court
The last and final principle in this progression is called 'Open Court,' which basically states that all of the previous patterns of progressions have now led up to a full court exchange between all players on-court. Now, you can incorporate the service motion into the final process of this progression and utilize both the cooperative and competitive scenarios explained in the above examples in the previous principles.
I would highly recommend having each player utilize the format 'king of the court,' or 'doubles of the court,' as the beginning and end sequence of the pattern, so that they leave the lesson knowing they've covered all angles of approach within the lesson.
Here the coach can be more animated on the court by personally engaging with each player both singularly and in group format by going over key components with regard to strategics and tactics in point play scenarios. The players can engage in competitive 2 out of 3 point play scenarios or have a cooperative doubles drill whereby the coach feeds the ball into play and everyone plays out the point utilizing consistency, ball control and directional hitting as the main focal points within this process.
As a final and lasting reminder, since this phase is the most important because it's towards the end of the lesson, be sure to end on a high note. Get inventive and throw in a high energy mixer and use extreme feeding patterns to have your players huffing and puffing for oxygen.
Every person on-court should be feeling it, especially in the last 5-10 minutes of class time, make it burn! Have the heart pumping and sweat dripping from their faces and keep feeding until you either run out of balls or you run out of time, whichever comes first.
Then immediately have a one minute ball pick-up whereby every player becomes excited and hurried with panic, since nobody feels like doing any of those line suicides you promised everyone would do if they didn't get all the balls up in time, boy will they run! This entire progression should take up a good chunk of time within the lesson, about 15-25 minutes of time or so. Remember, the last impression in the lesson should be a positive one, so get those players pumped and ready for round two, I promise, they'll be lined-up at the front door ready for action for the next week and remember, have fun!
Principle Tip #1: Have each player serve and volley on both first and second serves
Principle Tip #2: If using more than one court, at the end of 5 minutes rotate court position and side
Principle Tip #3: The player/team with the least amount of points picks up all of the balls on court
Jason has been playing and coaching for more than 15 years and brings an enormous amount of knowledge and expertise. He is extensively involved with player development, mental toughness, sport psychology, peak performance, personal and business mentorship along with training ranked junior and adult players from around the world.
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