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: Closing Volleys

In hitting volleys, simplicity is often the best strategy. Players who spend a lot of time at the baseline believe that volleys are just as complex as hitting ground strokes and, as a result, over-think the shot to their detriment.

Let's simplify things a little bit. The purpose of the volley is to take time away from the opponent. However, instead of doing so through-pace generation, the player should attempt to move forward as as quickly as possible and close out the angle.

I will let your private coach focus on the particular technique (be it grip, footwork, balance, etc.). My tips are simply to keep three components in front of you at all time: 1) the ball; 2) the racket and 3) the opponent. Often times, player move forward and "forget" to take their racket with them (thereby inadvertently creating a back-swing which then results in an over-hit). On the other hand, some player don't mover forward at all and feel that they have to swing at the ball in order to generate any kind of pop. It's important to keep in mind that, on the volleys, the moving forward (aggressive lunge forward) IS the swing. By stepping forward, the player uses his body-weight to make solid contact with a fast-moving object (ball) Also, a contact out in front means that the opposing player has a less time to cover the shot. Again, take time away from your opponent through forward movement.

To practice this, start out by hitting volley-volley against the coach. However, in this drill the coach is at the service line and the player is about 3 feet inside the baseline. The player should advance forward taking aggressive but MEASURED steps. Once the player reaches his service line, the coach should "pop up" one of her volleys and the player should practice moving forward quickly and pouncing on the ball (but with a controlled "stick") before it drops below the level of the net. This is a reaction drill in that the player's eyes have to pick up the "pop up" very quickly in order for the brain to trigger a signal to the legs to move forward.

To add some fun into the practice, the coach can sometimes feed a lob right after the closing volley and the player has to run back and either hit a "regular" shot back in play or practice a between the legs or some other fun shot. Sometimes, the player can start the drill with a swinging volley (or half-volley) and the proceed to moving forward with regular volleys. The key is for the player to become comfortable everywhere INSIDE the court and also to "stick" the volleys by using his legs and not so much the racket. 

Steal this Drill: Inside Out Volley

As a follow up to the inside-out drills from the baseline, the player should also consider hitting inside-out volleys". This is mainly a feeding drill where the player hits a forehand volley from the backhand side and a backhand volley from the forehand side. Although this is something that the player would seldom do in an actual match, the benefits are in that the player learns to (i) move quickly side to side (relatively less time to move and adjust than from the baseline), (ii) get low and in balance and (iii) more importantly, to keep the leading shoulder in front on the volleys (i.e., left shoulder for the forehand and right shoulder for the backhand).

Often times, the players do not learn to work correctly with their shoulders (maybe it's a "relic" from open-stanced groundies) on the volleys relying too much on swings and swats as opposed to "punching" the ball. For purposes of this drill, the player should stand about 10-12 feet from the net and have a cone placed at their feet. The player should have to recover around the cone after each shot. Furthermore, the feeds should force the player to (a) circle slightly backwards and (b) move slightly forward/diagonally back through the ball. After a couple of sets of this drill, the coach and player should engage in a quick-hands volley drill (i.e., volley-volley) in order to see how the player reacts when the ball is hit right at her (i.e., hopefully with the correct shoulder in front). For example, is the player moving quickly out of the way and punching through the volley or does the player wait for the ball on her heels (with shoulders parallel to the net)? If necessary, have the player alternate between these inside-out drills and live-ball quick-hand hitting. Even if the ball is struck at her, the player should manage to (1) get out of the way with small, measured steps, (2) turn her shoulders and (3) step forward and punch through the ball. 

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. 

Steal this Drill: Games To Improve Your Serve

Often times, the server takes a back seat to the rest of the game. It is practiced at the end of the workout when the player is fatigued and the least attention is available for improving the shot. It is true that the serve is the type of shot that can be practiced on your own. In reality, however, how many people get to do this?! 

To improve your serve - and particularly the second serve - try doing serve specific workouts. My favorite drill involves serving a game up to thirty points where one player serves the entire game. Also, the player is allowed only one serve. This is a great way to build up stamina for the serve and learn how to win points on your second serve. You will be so much more relaxed on the first serve if you know that holding the game with the second serve is "a lock". With two players of equal ability, the server should win (if you follow the stats of the best professional players, you will always see second serve percentage of points won that exceed 50%). With developing players, however, this is not always the case; they hit way too many double faults and, initially, their serves will be shaky even if they manage not to miss. But the serve will get noticeably better from week to week as the player learns to RELAX UNDER PRESSURE. This drill will definitely shine a light on the player's serving skills. Furthermore, this game is far superior to the baseline game as it is purposeful practice. 

Once this drill is mastered, the players can transition to other serving-based games. Another favorite drill is for the players to play a set where one person serves the entire set (this time, she gets two serves). Then, the other player will serve the entire second set. Another variant is for each player to serve two games at a time (and they play an 8-game Pro Set). These games are intended to build stamina and confidence. In addition, as one of the most important strokes in tennis, the serve will once again take center stage.