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Patience During the Point (By Mike Stair, Wilmington NC)
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Play a 4 game set normally except there are no double faults, and if you hit a clean winner or force
an error during the point, you lose the point. So the only way you can win the point is through
unforced errors of your opponent. This drill teaches consistency in your ground strokes, and helps
find that neutral pace shot in a player. The player will realize that not every shot has to be a
winner, and that moving your opponent around the court is a powerful weapon!
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Shadow Swing (By USA Tennis Tim Davide, Tampa Bay FL)
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Find a mirror in your home or where ever and practice your stroke from low to high, just 5 minutes
a day can make a difference. I tell anyone I work with to do this and I always notice the ones that
do it compared to the people that don't want to take the time.
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Win With Your Feet (By Brit Lay, Former Tennis Director, Westborough Tennis Club, Ma)
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Place a traffic cone on the center hash mark of the baseline.
The Student starts behind the cone and you feed balls medium
deep alternating between the deuce and ad sides.
After each shot, the student must side shuffle back behind the cone to prepare for the next shot.
Mix it up by sending your student to the same side twice.
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Booty on the Court (By Michael D. Shires USPTA, Birmingham AL)
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Start the group on the baseline in one line and each player tries to hit a groundstroke over the net.
If the shot is completed correctly, the player is safe and returns to the end of the line. But if the
shot is not completed, the player is to find a spot on the other side of the court with their
“booty on the court” and the next player is up. Now if the player(s) with their booty on the court
touch the ball hit by the player on the other side, they return to the line. If the player
with their booty on the court hits the ball over the net and it is in, everyone with their booty
on the court returns to the line. The winner is determined when there is one player in line and everyone
else has their booty on the court. The last player hits the ball in and away from the players
with their booty on the court.
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"Z" Drill (By Brit Lay, Former Tennis Director, Westborough Tennis Club, Ma)
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Student starts at the baseline and hits a forehand, then moves in toward
the service line for a backhand down the line.
Then the student closes in on the net (with a split step and a grip change to continental) for a forehand volley,
then a back hand volley, finishing with an overhead. Mix up the last three shots as desired.
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Grand Slam (By Jerry King, San Pedro CA)
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Grand Slam is great fun, and it helps to develop an ability to string points together when the pressure is on.
One player will serve and the other will receive to start the game.
The server must win four points in a row to win a grand slam.
The server first has match point at the Australian Open. The server continues with match points at the French
Open, Wimbledon, and the US Open as long as he wins. The players switch roles if the server looses a point.
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The Two-Step (By Jerry King, San Pedro CA)
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Do the two-step to become an aggressive player.
Watch your opponent as he moves to get into position to return your shot.
If your opponent is struggling to get to a short ball, a wide ball or a
deep ball, you should move two or three steps inside the baseline.
From your position inside the baseline, you can easily move forward to attack a weak return.
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Alligator or Hospital (By Michael D. Shires USPTA, Birmingham AL)
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For this game you divide the group into two teams. The pro feeds a ball to one side of the court.
The point is played out and when someone loses the point, they lose a BODY PART. They can chose
a leg (below the knee, above the knee), an arm (below the elbow, above the elbow), or an eye. When
they have lost both arms and legs they go to their back on the court and if they lose there, they
go to the hospital or have been eaten by an alligator.
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Introducing the Spin Serve (By Brit Lay, Former Tennis Director, Westborough Tennis Club, Ma)
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Have the student choke up on the racket (holding the throat of the racket just below the base of the grip).
Start with the racket resting on shoulder with the edge facing up (as if they
are going to hammer a nail on the ceiling).
Have the student toss and "hammer up" into the ball as they rotate the body.
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Short Rally (By Jerry King, San Pedro CA)
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Develop consistency by learning to rally with a partner from service line to service line.
Concentrate on moving into position for each shot, preparing early and hitting the ball in the center of the racket.
Set a goal of twenty-five or thirty shots without a miss.
Meet your goal, and then move half way between the service line and baseline and repeat the drill.
Finally, move to the baseline and rally crosscourt.
Set a goal and meet it while rallying from the deuce side and the ad side.
Your consistency, depth and pace will improve significantly.
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How to get your students to pick up balls and have fun at it! (By Michael D. Shires USPTA)
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I have my younger juniors try to compete to have the class record of the day for picking up balls.
They fill their shirt up with as many tennis balls as they can hold and count the amount they have collected.
I tell each to get the “BIGGEST TENNIS STOMACH”! They love this and it makes picking up balls quick and FUN.
Click image to enlarge
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