9/30/19 Shot Recognition
3 Ball Drill – easy to difficult progression, mixing up depths & spins
2 Ball Recovery Drill: Continue to mix up spins and depths, randomly
Discussion: Sending & Receiving. Most instruction is based on sending. What are we looking for when receiving a shot? When do we start perceiving the oncoming ball? Judging the ball that is coming at you, height, speed, spin, where is it going to land? How is it going to bounce? Differences in bounces between backspin & topspin, what angle is it coming down at? What are our reactions and preparations? What are our options and selections? Where do we move to? What type of shot do we select? How is our positioning and balance? Where do we aim the ball?
LIVE BALL DRILLS – JUDGING THE INCOMING SHOT/BALL
Groundstroke Rallies: Players take turns rallying, half court down the line, calling out which target area where they think the ball is going to land. Adjusting positioning based on landing zone. Rotate players on both sides accordingly.
More Groundstroke Rallies: cross court, same format, players continue to call out the characteristics of the oncoming shots, now also calling out the type of spin.
LIVE BALL GAMES (On 2 courts)
Singles Winners & Losers: Vary feeds. Spins, heights, depths. Players rotate courts occasionally
On 1 court
Rotating Doubles: Varying feeds. Feed to deuce (forehand) side first game.
9/23/19 NO CLASS
9/16/19:
WARM UP FEEDING DRILLS
Forehands, backhands, approach shots, volleys, and overheads
Half volleys, closing volleys, wide lunging volleys and/or overheads
Warm Up Serves
warm up different types of serves, serve does not always have to be strong
Discussion: Serve & attack as plan A & plan B. Ball toss forward, moving in, split, stutter step, low volley or move in on floating, high volley. Continue to move toward net. 2nd volley placement then movement to cover the court. Watch out for the lob. Constant pressure off serve & volley. Pick on opponent’s weakness in serve returns, or placement of serves to cover court. Serve & attack means stay back on the return, then take the return as an approach shot and attack the net for volleys.
Demonstrations: Serve & volley and serve & attack demos
FEEDING DRILL
Players start with a serve, the serve does not have to go in. Player rushes the net as a ball is fed at the feet, player makes a half volley or low volley and continues moving into the net. 2nd ball high volley, 3rd ball is put away volley or overhead. Drill is repeated on ad side.
LIVE BALL GAMES (On 2 or 3 courts)
Rotating Doubles with serves: pro serves and steps out of the way, player rushes net, play out point
Rotating Doubles with serves: Players serve themselves, must rush the net, play out point
Play out doubles points: Serve & volley mandatory!
9/9/19: Class is on. 7:30 PM start time
Lesson plans will be forthcoming by Monday 12:00 noon.
8/26/19: Class will be run by Zak Khan.
Jeff is absent this week. No advance lesson plans posted this week.
8/19/19 – Forward & Back, Vertical Movement
FEEDING WARM UPS
Players at baseline, start from ad corner (half basket)
1st ball to BH, regular deep feed
2nd ball, FH short, around service line
3rd ball, FH deeper floating feed, player must run back
Players at baseline, start from deuce corner (half basket)
1st ball to FH, regular deep feed
2nd ball, BH short, around service line
3rd ball, BH deeper floating feed, player must run back
Two lines from center
4 corner drill, 2 players at a time
DISCUSS FORWARD & BACK – VERTICAL MOVEMENT
Shot recognition, movement, balance, shot selection, improvising. Hitting off the back foot or falling back is not necessarily bad as long as point of contact is in hitting zone. Easier coming forward than moving back.
LIVE BALL DRILLS:
Half court rallies, alternate short & deep
Rally singles points on two courts
Cross court alley rallies, short & deep
GAMES:
Cross-Eyed Doubles: 4 players at a time. Simultaneous cross court rallies on both ad & deuce sides. When the first rally ends, the second ball in play becomes a live ball. Score one point for winning the first rally and two points for winning the second point.
Rotating Doubles: Start players in no man’s land, feed deep ball forcing them to run back
Live Ball: adjust feed to work on the focus of the clinic
8/12/19 there was no Drill Class. Both Jeff & Zak were out of town on Monday, 8/12.
We will be extending the current summer session one week, and adding one week on to the last summer session.
New Dates:
Session 3 – July 29, Aug 5, Aug 19, Aug 26
Session 4 – Sept 9, Sept 16, Sept 23, Sept 30
8/4/19: Singles Play Part 1
FEEDING WARM UPS
2 ball recovery drill, from both sides of the court
Changing the angle of the ball. Feeds are from the side of the court, players must change the angle of the ball. Discuss why and how this is important. When and when it is not appropriate.
GAME: Winners and losers, singles
THE “KILL ZONE”
What is the “Kill Zone”? Use it to pull your opponents off the court, to open up the court for the next shot. Don’t necessarily try to win the point on that shot, open up the court for the next shot.
GAME: Winners and losers, singles. Take advantage of the “Kill Zone”
7/29/19: Volleys Part 2, Controlling Direction & Depth
FEEDING WARM UPS
Players at baseline, start from ad corner
1st ball to BH, player aims deep cross court
2nd ball, BH volley approach, deep crosscourt
3rd ball, BH mid height volley, cross court
4th ball, FH low volley, direction change cross court
Players at baseline, start from deuce corner
1st ball to FH, player aims deep cross court
2nd ball, FH volley approach, deep crosscourt
3rd ball, FH mid height volley, cross court
4th ball, BH low volley, direction change cross court
Two lines from center
1st ball, outside volley approach shot to each line
2nd ball outside volley cross court
3rd ball outside volley down the line
Depth control & height – two lines from center, net height adjusted to higher
1st ball, midcourt volley, over yellow chord
2nd ball, from just inside service line, over yellow chord
3rd ball, outside low volley, short angle over or under cord
LIVE BALL DRILLS:
- Half court rallies
one player back at baseline, one up at net (just inside the service line). Net player must volley
over the yellow chord. Keep rallies going half court, down the line. Rotate baseline players and
net players.
- Change Drill to Cross Court
GAMES:
Passing Shot Game 1 – Two players at net (champions), rest of players at baseline. Feed from off the court (outside doubles line) to a net player. First volley must change direction and be past the service line. No lobs, points can only be won by passing shots or winning volleys. Use scoring rules as described by lead pro (Jeff R)
Attack & Defend: First feed, closing floater volley. Second feed, volley with players at the net. Third feed, low volley.
7/21/19: The Volley, Part 1
FEEDING WARM UP DRILLS
2 lines, middle of court at baseline: (2 players at a time)
Balls fed from ad side of the court
1st Ball Outside ground stroke
2nd Ball: floating approach volley
3rd Ball: Outside volley at the net.
4th Ball: Lunging or low /wide outside volley
2 lines, middle of court baseline: (2 players at a time)
Balls fed from ad side of the court
1st Ball Outside ground stroke
2nd Ball: floating approach volley
3rd Ball: Outside volley at the net.
4th Ball: Lunging or low /wide outside volley
LIVE BALL DRILLS
- Cascade Live Ball Volley to Volley:
On two courts, one player at service line, all others on other side of the net at the “T”. Pro feeds volley to first player in line, that player volleys to the player on the other side, then gets out of the way and goes to the end of the line, the next person in line takes his turn and continues the volley rally to the solo person on the other side. Players take turns as the solo volleyer. See which court can get the highest amount of consecutive volleys.
- Live Ball Volley to Volley:
- Players stand in service courts, volley straight ahead
- Rotate spots to hit with different players
- Move back to service line
DISCUSS VOLLEYS
Technique, it’s the easiest shot in tennis! Volley within your ability. For those who can and want to stick the volley, go ahead but be aware of your success rate. Don’t necessarily copy the pros or very advanced or young players. It’s OK to float it deep. It’s OK to hit shallow. It’s OK to take off some pace in order to raise consistency. When to hit angles, when to hit straight ahead, aiming volleys. Demonstrate my “bounce off the strings” volley technique. Explain the difference between fed volleys and random volleys.
GAMES: Focusing on the volley
Team Olympics: Doubles Champions at the net. Feed goes to challengers on the other side, play out the point. Lobs not allowed. Challengers must win 2 (or 3) points to get to the other side. Maybe add in a clean winner to get points, etc.
Live Ball: Use normal live ball rules
7/15 – No Specific Lesson Plan
7/8 – Poaching in Doubles
WARM UP FEEDING DRILLS
2 lines at baseline, close to center:
1st ball: outside groundstroke
2nd ball: outside approach shot
3rd Ball: high volley closing the net
4th Ball: low or reaction volley
5th Ball: Overhead
Kamikaze Poach Drill
2 lines at center starting a service line:
2 shots, feed 1st ball toward one line, player crosses in front of other line for a poach, right line practices backhand poach volley, left line practices forehand poach volley. Then quick reaction volley for 2nd ball
DISCUSS POACHING
When do we poach? Predetermined game plan, slow floater, move across after opponent’s low volley. If partner poaches, you must cross behind him/her to cover the resultant open court. Poaching MUST be hit higher than the net. Where to aim the poach, NOT CROSS COURT! Where does the partner go behind the poacher? Cover the open court.
FEEDING DRILL : Poach & Cover Drill
2 lines at baseline:
1st ball: approach shot to deuce side, hit cross court
2nd Ball: feed toward same side, ad side player poaches
3rd Ball: first player covers behind poacher, feed low volley, hit down the line.
GAME #1: Attack & Defend with first shot to deuce side approach, 2nd shot must be hit by the other player as a poach, first player must run behind and cover the open court. 3rd shot is an overhead or other feed that works on poaching & covering
GAME #2: Same game, Attack & Defend with first shot to ad side approach
GAME #3: Two “Champions” on one side at baseline. Players on the other side in a line outside doubles lines at service line on both sides of the court. Feed ball short, kind of high so that either player coming in has to poach volley. 2nd ball is fed to make one of them poach again. 3rd ball is an easy overhead.
GAME #4: Rotating Doubles, feed to one side, kind of high so net player has to poach. Defending side, both players back to defend against the poach
———————7/1: The Half Volley
WARM UP DRILLS
One basket fed from the deuce side, one basket fed from the ad side
1st Ball Forehand ground stroke
2nd Ball: move forward, forehand half volley at mid court
3rd Ball: Volley at the net.
One basket of Overhead practice, various set ups, feeds, target areas
Half Volley Discussion:
Hitting the ball on the rise, mid court, moving forward half volley, little or no backswing, get the racquet head down. “swing” UP! Don’t slice a half volley or a ball on the rise. Extend the racquet face toward the target area, push it deep. Discuss mid court half volleys versus full court half volley “short hop” ground strokes. Need a follow through when hitting half volleys from the baseline, BE CAREFUL, it’s a difficult shot, sometimes played defensively. For players with higher skill level, work on controlling the depth of the shot
Demonstration:
Pros will demonstrate, the differences of standing and moving through the half volley. The “skip.” Form one line in the middle, use trash can to illustrate no backswing. Have everyone go through the line learning the shot.
DEVELOPMENT DRILL
Players will start at the back fence, moving forward 1st Ball will be fed at their feet just inside the baseline, 2nd Ball will be feed after player moves forward as a half volley, in no man’s land, around services line, 3rd Ball will be fed close to the net, at players’ feet
Live Ball Drill:
Hit the Boxes – Drill be explained on court that emphasixes practicing half Volleys and low volleys, keeping them deep
LIVE BALL GAMES:
Attack & Defend with first shot as moving forward half volley at midcourt, 2nd ball, low volley or half volley, 3rd ball easy overhead
Rotating Doubles with feed hit as mid court, moving forward half volley
———————6/17: High Volleys & Overheads
WARM UP DRILLS
3 Balls: 2 FH groundstrokes, high FH around mid court.
3 Balls: 1 FH groundstroke, 1 high mid court FH floating volley, taken in the air, 1 Overhead
3 Balls: 2 BH groundstrokes across baseline, high BH volley around mid court
3 Balls: 1 BH groundstroke, high mid court BH floating volley, taken in the air, 1 Overhead
3 Balls: Outside midcourt high floating approcach volley, move forward to the net, 2 overheads
Discussion: Moving in on a mid-court high floating volley. Take it as an approach shot, don’t let it drop, aim deep. 2 ways to hit, swinging topspin volley, demonstrate. Or flat/backspin floater. Start high – finish high. Brain tells you to hit it down, HIT IT UP or HIT IT STRAIGHT OUT (letting gravity pull it down!) What type of spin? Topspin? Little or no spin? Maybe some back spin? Direction – down the line or cross court? Stay sideways on down the line shots. High volleys aim deep, don’t hit down. OVERHEADS!! Keep practicing! Technique, don’t hit too hard, don’t let the ball drop. Other tips?
DEVELOPMENT DRILL
3 Ball Drill, high volley, OH: start on either side of center mark at baseline.
1st Ball: Closing mid court volley,
2 overheads, moving back then forward
LIVE BALL GAMES – EMPHASIZE CLOSING VOLLEYS & OVERHEADS
Attack & Defend Doubles:
Start with floating, closing volley, both players must close in to the net
2nd & 3rd points are overheads. Win all three go to the winners side
Rotating Doubles:
Alternating with either of these two feeds: floating, closing, mid court volley, player must follow the shot into the net, OR overhead – player must hit overhead cross court NOT at the net player!