The game is played within the two service boxes (not including the tramlines). One player brings the ball into play by hitting a shot that bounces on his or her own side first before crossing the net.
Drop Shot Game
Players play a game hitting drop shots in the alley. The players have to try to hit the ball over the net as close as possible to the net, always landing in the alley. The players have to run and touch the middle service line after each hit. This drill can be used as a warm up, as a conditioning …
Place and Pick up
Players play mini tennis in the service boxes. They have to hit the ball with slice and are not allowed to hit the ball hard. In addition, each player starts with a ball in the non-dominant hand. After each hit each player will either place the ball on the ground or pick it up. The drill will force the players …
Methodological Tool to Improve Net Play – Alternating Volleys and Groundstrokes
Alternating a volley and a groundstroke in the service boxes sound easy – and it probably is, especially when playing with a coach. But it is much harder when your partner has to play the role of the coach. It is very important to work on being able to volley in motion as soon as possible and to use quite a few different approaches to achieve this.
A Different Way to Force the Players to Practice the Return During the Warm up
Alternating volleys and overheads is quite a normal combination in the warm up. However, when you ask the players to try to hit a low topspin shot after the overhead, it becomes more of a “return” type of shot. And that is exactly what we want.
Warming up: 2 Hits and Change
Four players on the court, two at the net, two on the baseline. The coach feeds the first shot. All four players play with one ball. After two ball contacts, the players have to switch position. The active player always moves to the front. The players are free to direct their shots as they wish. The direction should actually be …
Warming up with Serve and Return
The most important thing is that the players return the serve, irrespectively of whether it lands in or not. The next step involves the players executing the following simple and highly effective task. Each player has to hit two shots. The server hits one serve followed by another shot, while the returner hits the return plus one further shot. The …
Warming up with Volleys and Overheads
Here, we take a slightly more progressive approach to warming up with the overhead. The players at the baseline should mix low and high shots, allowing the net players to hit a mixture of overheads and volleys – often alternating if possible. What we like about this exercise is that the net player has to return to the net after …
Warming up at the Net
Here, the focus is on warming up strokes with one player hitting groundstrokes and one hitting volleys. However, there is a small, yet vital change. The baseline player should stand slightly within the baseline. In general, a volleyer tends to hit many a relatively short volley which lands around the service line. If the baseline player is too far back, …
Warm up strokes: Offensive and Defensive Groundstrokes
Changing from offensive to defensive strokes, in other words, consciously altering the spin and tempo and executing a change of pace, is a key ability that good players must possess. Warm up strokes in one half of the court are ideal for training this. One player stands slightly behind the baseline and hits the ball with spin and height. The …