Advance and Retreat

Closely related to the inside-out concept, is the advance retreat movement. This is where the player must back up for a deep (maybe high ball) and then move in for a short ball (preferably slightly insideout-ish thereby forcing the player to "circle" slightly around the ball and in). The basic premise is that the player must learn to "move in position". That is, for a forehand, the player should learn to move backwards (and forwards) by keeping the left foot and shoulder in front. This is not a shuffle-back drill, stop, turn, rotate and swing. The coach should emphasize movement while the player is in the position to strike. Similarly, when moving forward, the player should not sprint in, stop, turn, take the racket back and swing. All these components take too much time to execute (time that the player does not have). Instead, the player should master moving in position so that, no matter where in the court she finds herself, she is ready to strike. Lastly, this is a great drill for teaching player not to get stuck playing "from the vineyard" (i.e. 12 ft behind the baseline). Sometimes, it's OK for the player to back up when being pushed by the opponent. However, the player should not remain behind the court. Instead, the player should always look to recover. 

This drill also works for developing the player's approach shots by teaching proper movement and timing. To take the drill to the next level, the player can - instead of an approach shot - hit a swinging volley. This can be practiced either through feeding or with a live-ball rally. To spice things up, add a regular volley after the swinging volley or approach shot. This 3-shot drill starts by having the player RETREAT for a high, heavy topspin, ADVANCE for the shorter ball, and step in for the volley (repeat 3-4 time and seek to cycle through the movement faster and faster). It's important for a player to be fast, but it's more important to be quick. This, after all, is not a 100yard sprint; it's tennis. Therefore, the player should visualize a fencer advancing in for the kill and then retreating when the opponent advances (the epee, shoulder and leading foot is always in front).