Steal This Drill: "Z" Forehand Drill

Many players are familiar with the volley drill popularized by the Bryan Brothers. In this drill, one player start in opposite corners of the service/side line and work their way side-to-side hitting back and forth volleys. This is a good drill for learning to control a moving object with the volleys while the player is also on the move. The only caveat is that you're supposed to move FORWARDS at the net so performing this drill exclusively might not be the best thing for your volley game. However, in the same vein as the "Z" volley drill, one could practice (along with a partner) the "Z" Forehand Drill. This is where the players position themselves at opposite corners at the baseline and work their way side--to-side by trading forehand. In the diagram above, A feeds X; X hits to B; B hits to Y; Y hits to C; C hits to Z; Z hits back to C; C hits to Y; Y hits to B; B hits to X; X hits to A. This is the basic concept of the game. In practice, there will be multiple targets but the point is the players push each other around the court with their forehands and learn how to set up for the ball and exploit angles. To spice things up, try playing the point out after performing the drill for one minute.

Two Scales to Measure Yourself Against

A) How tough are you to beat? On a scale from 1-10, honestly answer where you stack up. Players who are tough to beat are no fun to compete against. These players never give up, make life miserable, rarely miss, are mentally tough, don't take unnecessary risks, do not beat themselves, are lovers of the game, and more often then not, they are in excellent physical condition.

Now lets flip the scale around...

B) What is your Upset Quotient? On a scale from 1-10, honestly answer your ability to upset players better than you. These types of players come in all shapes and sizes, they don't fit one particular gamestyle. Immediately what comes to mind are big hitters of the ball who are loose mental canons. This fits the stereotype of someone who would be able to upset a highly ranked player, but some of the best players in the world are counterpunchers ala Murray, Nadal, Jankovic, Simon, Chang, Hewitt, the list goes on and on.

At the end of the day, you only have control over one scale and that is HOW TOUGH ARE YOU TO BEAT? If you improve this scale, you have greatly increased your chances of becoming a better tennis player.

Proper Placement on Warmup Overheads or Injure Groin

There is an art to warming up the overhead. It takes skill, precision, dancing on the toes, and rhythm. When I am warming up with my practice partner or opponent, the overhead can be a great indicator of the level of player I am about to face. As like other strokes in the warmup, you are always trying to gather as much information from your opponent. Unlike other strokes, the overhead can quickly tell you a bigger chunk of the story and the truth about your opponent.

If you are returning someone's overhead and it is landing all over court, darting in 10 different location off of 10 different feeds, be careful. I really mean it, be careful. You can easily criss-cross your knees and involuntarily tweak a groin before the match even begins. Here are some simple signs of a poor overhead in warmup:

1) The ball is struck too hard. Veteran players do not hit overheads hard. In fact, they hit them very slow and relaxed. Trying to get a feel for the ball and swing. It's called a warmup. Plus, if you hit the ball too hard, how is your opponent going to bump the ball back? It takes two to warm-up your overhead.

2) You are warming up your volleys from seven feet behind the baseline. Think about that again, you (the lob feeder) are hitting balls out of the air to give them another overhead. Great way to break your knees in the warmup.

3) The overheader is making you run from side to side and up and back. Overheads should be hit within a reasonable 5 feet radius of the returner. All overheads should land at the service line. No exceptions!

4) The overheader needs more than 10 overheads to warm-up. If they can't feel good by 7, they are already considered a rookie.

5) The bounce off the ground should be a closer to 90 degrees than 0. You (the lob feeder) should be tapping lobs back from around your shoulder area, not your knee caps. Lobs made from knees or ankles are terrible overheads because they landed on the baseline. From a consistency point of view, this is too risky in a match.

Watch top junior boys, college players, or professionals warmup overheads. There is an art to a proper overhead. Now if you want to break some knees and injure your opponent's groin- keep swinging for the fences in 10 random locations.

Defeating the Big Bombers

When you're young, big servers can be very intimidating to play. The size difference seems downright unfair. A lot of players "bag it" early thinking that there's no chance to ever break such beasts. Nevertheless, as players get older and wiser, they are often able to come away with a win despite their opponent's height and power. So, when facing Goliath, what is the best way to neutralize his/her power?

Here are some tips that you might find helpful:

1. Try not to back up when hitting returns. Backing up only increases the distance that you have to cover in order to return. Although the server's angle can be the same, the further back you go, the greater the side of the triangle that you have to cover. If anything, try to move in so that you can be closer to both sides of the triangle that make up the potential trajectories of his serves. 

2. Being closer to the court = quicker reaction time. This is really not the time to be a hero when it comes to hitting returns. Cut back on your backs-swing and try to "smother" the serves like soccer goalie on a PK. The object is to get as many returns in play as possible. You may prefer to keep a relatively tight neutral grip and block the return off both sides. If you're strong enough, you should be able to redirect the return deep without much swing and position yourself in middle of the court right away. 

3. Keep mental tabs on the big server's peculiarities. It is often easier to "read" a taller person than a short person. A taller person tends to telegraph his movements a lot sooner so once you notice something out of the ordinary (be it toss, shoulder movement, hip turning, etc. ) make a mental note of it and see if it pops up again next time he aims for the same target. Then, the third time, you can start anticipating. 

4. For the most part, big-serving juniors have not mastered the slice serve (out wide on the deuce or down the T on the ad-side). So it may be worthwile to squeeze the backhand side and bait him to go to your forehand. Maybe you can move towards the backhand a couple of inches but maintain (or change to) a forehand grip just in case he choose to go to the forehand. He will then be forced to go for a riskier serve towards your backhand or an un-tested serve towards the backhand. 

5. Spend a great deal of energy focusing on winning the first two points of your service game. You do not want to go down 0-30 against someone who's "nothing but a serve". If they go up, they will start taking chances on your returns knowing that the chance of being broken themselves is quite small. Often times, they will be relaxed and get lucky with some low-percentage slaps. Don't give them this opportunity. 

6. Seek to wrong-foot them in rallies. Once you get the point started, big/tall players have an easier time running for a ball that's in front of them than changing directions (which, depending on size, is like asking the USS Nimitz to do a quick turnaround in port - ain't happening). But also be aware of taller players who are lazy and prefer not to run at all. Make THOSE guys run. 

7. Keep the ball low. There's no shame in slicing the ball low or hitting flatter (but not completely flat) shots than usual. Make the tall player get down for every ball and then move. Get down; move; get down; move. Not everyone's built the same way so certain plays may be more taxing on some players than others. 

8. Take the net away from them. Again, given that taller players don't always move as well side-to-side and prefer to be the aggressors, it may be worthwhile to "take the net away" from them. Chip-and-charge or rush in on some plays and force them to move quickly and change direction for the passing shots; in other words, force THEM to be the rabbits. 

9. No silly mistakes. Keep these players in the point. Yank 'em side to side and push them back and diagonally forward. Try to wear them down with long points and capitalize on the drop in serving speed and loss of focus. Remember, they expect to win quickly and on short points; so the longer they're out there, the greater the chance that they'll be rattled and start making unforced errors themselves. 

10. DO NOT GET INTIMIDATED. Show them that you are up for the challenge and you will not be a walk-over. The reality is that, for the most part, big-bombers/tall players are somewhat one-dimensional (things change, of course, on the Pro tour). At first blush, taking them down may seem like a daunting task, but if you're willing to rock the stone column long enough, eventually it will come down on its own. 

Tennis on a Budget

Tennis is an expensive sport. Between the cost of rackets, shoes, strings, balls, coaching, entry fees, travel and club membership fees, the expenses can run into thousands of dollars. Is it all worthwhile?! Depending on your goals and commitment it may be. It is disheartening, however, to invest so much in developing as a tennis player and not get much out of it simply because you did not put in the extra effort.

Unfortunately, a lot of parents rely only on individual lessons in order to develop their kids' games. This is simply not enough. Although many aspects of the game can be taught, there are numerous components that can only be LEARNED (i.e. discovered).

Your coach can tell you how to hold the racket but only you can determine how to use the stroke in a match. Many players, however, never really learn how to "teach themselves" or how to "self-soothe" when things don't go their way in a match. They rely on constant coaching in all aspects of the game and, therefore, become automatons without any artistry or true passion for the sport. 

In addition to not being self-sufficient, many players end up playing their coaches' (or parents') version of the sport rather than their own. Furthermore, since coaches are, for the most part, authority figures, a lot of the workouts follow the "do as I say not as I do" routine. Often times, and depending on the tone and message, this can result in burn-out, dissatisfaction or outright tanking ("just to get back" to the parent/coach). 

On the other side of the equation are the players who do things completely on their own without any outside guidance. These players possess a great passion for the game and practice, whether by choice or by necessity, a lot on their own and in their own way. Of course, what they lack sometimes is structure and, perhaps, a good grasp of the fundamentals. Some of these player become quite good in their own right although it's tough to say whether they have maximized the potential. 

I believe that the best way to grow into an accomplished player would be include components from both "classes" of players: those who rely on private coaches and those who learn the game on their own. In effect, this becomes "tennis on a budget". By having some structure, the players are assured that they have proper fundamentals (what's "proper" is debatable). However, by doing things on their own or with little supervison, the players can also maintain the artistry and independence to develop one's own sense and place as a tennis player. After all, the players are not playing "for their coaches or parents" but for themselves. 

Practically speaking tennis on a budget is a blend that not only spreads the pressures and responsibilities but also minimizes the costs. In addition, the players are forced to become honest with their intentions. If they are passionate about the game, they will do things on their own in order to improve. If they are not, then no-harm, no-foul but "at least we're not fooling ourselves" or using tennis as an excuse to not study or pursue some other objectives. Although everyone's finances and goals are different, a developing player (e.g. 14+) can easily follow a disciplined routine (such as one outlined in the example below) and still manage to attain a reasonable level of success:

1. MON: 2 hours on the ball machine (FH; BH; Volleys); 30 min running/jumping rope; 30 min abs/weights. On the ball machine, work on power ("hit the ball like it owes you money"), consistency and placement. Move the ball machine around the court and learn to hit from anywhere to anywhere. Maintain good, light footwork in between shots with particular emphasis on the 3-4 "dance" steps immediately before the shot. 

2. TUE: 1.5hrs sets/points (can be a match or some adult/junior league); 30 min serves. 30 min of bike; 30 min abs/weights

3. WED: 1 hour lesson; 1 hr points/sets. 30 min running; 30 min abs/weights.

4. THU: 1 hour clinic/group-split lesson; 1 hour on ball machine. 30 min jumping rope; 30 min bike.

5. FRI: 1 hour sets; 30 min serves. 30 min stretching. 

6. SAT/SUN: tournament. NOTE: I ALWAYS recommend that the player does not rely solely on the matches provided by the tournament (i.e., don't just play your match, get in your car and drive home). Try to find a handful of players againt whom you can play a couple of practice sets AFTER the tournament match; go for a run; jump rope; do some drills with another player. Get the most out of that tennis-specific environment particularly if you're from an area that doesn't have a lot of high-caliber players to practice against. 

Again, this is just an example of a "clean" routine where the player is receiving just enough instruction so that he doesn't get too far off track but also sufficient independence in order to develop the game on his own and learn how to make adjustments independently when things go wrong in a match. Of course, the foregoing requires some dedication and discipline from the player but, then again, that's the point. In addition, there is a concern in some schools of thought that without constant instruction, the player will lose his stroke (or develop bad ones). Another school of thought, however, believes that the player is more likely to pay attenion in that 1-1.5hrs of instruction than if he were to participate in private lessons day-after-day. One cannot discount teenagers' ability to "tune things out" when they hear the same thing over and over again. 

Will this schedule produce future Nadals and Federers? Maybe, maybe not. But it will certainly result in more passionate players - in player who take charge of their games - as well as people who are capable of taking charge of their lives and being more disciplined in all pursuits.