Defense balance drills

[uspta146749877]

Please see www.uspta.org
the tip of the week.
Any comments?

julian mielniczuk
usptapro 27873
Courtside Tennis Club,Bedford,NA

https://www.julianmielniczuk.usptapro.com

juliantennis@comcast.net

[uspta990770809]

I like it, but...

Please see www.uspta.org
the tip of the week.
Any comments?

julian mielniczuk
usptapro 27873
Courtside Tennis Club,Bedford,NA

https://www.julianmielniczuk.usptapro.com

juliantennis@comcast.net

I like the drill, but I want my players to get back to that back ball quick enough to move back into it if at all possible. Obviously, this is often not possible. And if they are playing someone who consistently hits deep, then I want them to place their "house" a little further back so they don't have to be moving back to hit so many balls. I don't think you see the pros move up to the baseline, except when they've struck a particularly offensive shot and are really expecting a weak return. Perhaps there is a V pattern of movement, but the point of the V is a little further back so that the V is a little flatter. What I try to get my players to do is to reverse the direction of that V so the player is usually moving forward to hit the ball, rather than constantly moving back to hit their bread and butter groundstrokes. And when the ball is short, I want them to move forward and jump on it, of course. The problem I seem to run into is kids trying to take the ball on the rise and staying on the baseline. We all learned to "play the ball and not let the ball play us" in the 60s and 70s when everyone went to the net at every opportunity, but today's game is different. If you play a ball on the rise and don't hit it effectively and deep, you may be holding your opponent off the net for one shot, but most of the time you are inviting him to make a crippling shot on the next ball when your "on the rise" stroke" ends up being a little weak and short at the other side of the net.

This is an important distinction in position on the court.

don

[uspta146749877]

For Don

A part of an issue is that a V drill originated on clay
and is perceived mainly as a defensive drill
so one wins mainly on an opponent's error..
A tacit assumption is that one comes to a net once per match
to shake hands
But I have been wrong before

julian mielniczuk
usptapro 27873
Courtside Tennis Club,Bedford,NA

https://www.julianmielniczuk.usptapro.com

juliantennis@comcast.net