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.

Steal this Drill: Variations on the Old Two-on-One Drill

Here's a little variation to try when you're doing two-on-ones. Generally, in the 2-on-1 drill, one of the players does all of the hitting and running and it seem like the other players are just barely hitting a shot and then standing around. Sure, the coach can push the players to move their feet but, eventually, the whole concept breaks down when the drill sergeant isn't looking and players are back to standing on their heels.

Instead of trying the same-old, same-old and expecting a different result, place two targets (be them wrist-bands, athletic tape, plastic lines, cones, etc) about 6 feet inside the baseline and 4 feet from each side line. The two players hit down the line (or cross-court) and then SPRINT IN AND TOUCH THE TARGET and pedal back (FIG 2 BELOW). In turn, the single player hits the opposite of the two-player team (i.e., cross-court or down-the line) and aims for the same target (so the target serves as both a point for the player to aim to as well as a spot towards which the two players must run to). The key to this drill is that while the single player moves side-to-side, the two players move forward and back so everybody is getting the benefit of running and hitting although in a different direction.

Conversely (FIG 1 BELOW), have the same set-up as above but put one of the two-player team at the net (the other at the baseline). The two-players hit down the line; the single player hits cross court. However, in this variation, the net player hits the volley and backpedals, touches the cone/target and then sprints IN again to make contact with the volley inside the service line. This is an AWESOME way for the players to practice their first volleys. 

Another variation on the 2-on-1 drill is where the two players do most of the moving. The drill is cross-courts (or down-the-line). The two players line up on one half of the court, one behind the other. A cone is placed about 1 foot (or more) in front of the baseline T or slightly into the other half of the court. The single player (or coach) feeds the ball to one of the two guys. This player hits the ball back and then sprints forward and around the cone. The other player then steps in, hits the next shot, sprints in and rounds the cone. If the players are practicing backhands, the two-player team rounds the cone clockwise. If the players are hitting cross-court forehands, the players are rounding the cone counter-clockwise. Many players have done this drill when the ball was fed to them but there's no reason why it can't be done in a live-ball setting. The key is to focus on control and movement. The same concept can be done down the line and the cone can be moved around. It's an awesome way to develop ball control and RECOVERY.

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The purposes of the 2-on-1 drill is, obviously, to make sure that the single player (i.e., the "one") learns to both move and move the ball around. In tennis, changing the direction of a moving ball (movement #1), while you are in motion (movement #2) with a moving object - the racket (movement #3) is one of the most critical components to understand and master. However, nothing irks me more as a coach than seeing the 2 players loaf around waiting for their turn to get a workout. Although I agree that the primary purpose of the 2-on-1 is to provide the single player with a good workout, the drill often breaks down because the "two" players' minds wander or their feet stop moving.

Above, we have covered things such as hitting the ball and running in and touching the cone. Again the cone can be inside the baseline (serving, also, as a target for the shots of the "one"), at the center T (thereby teaching the "two" to hit and recover) or anywhere else for that matter (e.g. 10 feet behind the baseline or even at the intersection of the baseline and the singles/doubles sideline). The concept, here, is of course, to keep ALL players hitting and moving and to also keep the minds of the "two" players focused on specific tasks in between strokes. In addition to hit-and-recover drills, the players can also include other devices to maintain the intensity of the work-out. For example, there's nothing stopping the "two" players from doing kangaroo jumps (e.g. 2-3), high knee running in place, split-lunges, squat jumps, etc. in between strokes.

Steal this Drill: The "Cross" Drill

The "cross" drill is a variation of the inside-out, side-to-side and advance retreat. In it's purest form, it combines the drills together in that the player is made to move side-to-side, inside-out, and advance retreat. The concept is that that player is being pushed into uncomfortable positions - similar to something that the opponent may throw her way - and have to generate pace and precision accordingly.

In other words, this drill borrows from the muscle-confusion theory of physical workouts (such as P-90X or Insanity) by making the player execute shots when she is not in the optimum location. For example, the player is made to hit a "regular" forehand, followed by an inside-out forehand, followed by a short forehand which is, in turn, followed by a retreating forehand. From then, the player is jerked around from these four points of an imaginary cross while always moving either after the ball or away from the ball. In this drill, the player should imagine that s/he has a Death Star "force-field" around her and that the ball never enters the force-field (thereby jamming the player). The key is for the player to "tell the ball what to do"; not the other way around. For maximum benefit, alternate a the cross drill with a live ball rallying drill where the coach pushes the player gently (at first) around the court making him move backwards, sideways and forwards, and seeing how the player adjusts to the ball and recovers after hitting. The emphasis should be on proper footwork, balance, contact point, intensity as well as hips-shoulder-arm preparation and positioning. 

Inside-Outs

There's a misconception that the best way to practice for tennis is to perform solely "standard" side-to-side drills. This is certainly a good drill for learning proper movement to the ball. However, as very few points are in fact played in a "coast-to-coast" fashion (i.e., sideline to sideline), every practice should seek to incorporate an inside-out drill as well (that is, forehand from the backhand side, backhand from the forehand side). Inside outs assist the player in squaring the leading shoulder to the ball (a particular problem with players with extreme open stances) and staying on their toes. It is important to note that in tennis, running TO the ball is as important as running AWAY from the ball. Inside-out teach the player how to properly set up for every shot in order to maximize power, accuracy and positioning. 

Initially, the coach should feed "regular" side to side sets followed by inside out (e.g. sets of ten each). The player's goal should be to maximize power and placement in order to generate the best angle that she can under the circumstances. After the player becomes proficient at the fed drills, the practice can incorporate the "corners" drill where the coach stays in one corner and moves the player around side to side (the player hitting one "regular" shot followed by an inside out shot). For tougher practices, the player can hit ALL inside outs, although this would depend on the coach's fitness and expertise. A great drill is the typical figure 8 drill but where one player has to hit inside outs (cross-court). Similarly, a more basic drill is the "lazy 8s". This is where the players play cross court and HAVE to alternate shots regardless of the bounce (i.e., if the player hits a forehand off the feed, the next one MUST be a backhand). As the name implies, this is a variation of the standard figure 8 drill although the court is smaller and footwork is more focused. This is a also a great warm-up drill as it keeps the feet moving. 

Learn to master the inside-outs (strokes and movement) and your angles will be deadly. 

Steal this Drill: 7-11 Game

7-11 is a game where one person is standing in a corner moving the other person around.  Player 1 (in the deuce corner, lets say) is allowed to hit the ball anywhere he or she pleases.  Player 2 (covering the entire court) is only allowed to hit the ball to the deuce side of the court.  The player who doesn't have to move tries to get to 11 points and the player who does the running tries to reach 11.  One key rule:

The player attempting to reach 11 points is not allowed to hit winners

Anything goes, either player can dropshot, lob, slice, volley...test your imagination.  The way the game is setup, it should create for a very even match-up between players.  For the player running, the goal should be consistency and extending the points long as possible.  If the player running is engaging in a bunch of 1, 2, 3 shot rallies and missing- you are going for too much.  Remember, it will be nearly impossible to hit a winner into half a court...even for a world class pro.  A much more sophisticated way to attack the situation is to use a plethora of attacks- be it looping, slices, depth, short, change of pace, and mental will to catch the non-mover off guard.  If you can sucker the non-mover into errors, that is your only and best chance.