1.) Do the small things right at practice. There are obvious things you should do at every practice, like give good effort, but the small details might make all the difference. Starting behind the line for every suicide, having proper technique during the warm up, or staying focused while hitting serves. 5-5 deuce is just one point but it is a very important point. All the small details might seem unimportant, but if you want to win the 5-5 deuce point, you need to take care of the minor details.

2.) Have a competitors mentality. Do you hope for easy practices or fitness sessions? Do you hope for easy draws or defaults? You might need a mentality adjustment.

3.) Do things right when no one is looking. Some of us want to give great effort at the tournaments or while a coach/parent are present but how we are preparing while no one is watching will determine how we do in the tournaments we play.

4.) Hit the ball in practice that you will hit during your tournament.

What Does it Mean to Make Balls?

• Know your ability level and stay within it.
• Your ability level is a combination of how hard you can hit the ball and how close to the line you can hit.
• All tennis players should constantly be improving their ability level and re-evaluating where you are.

How Can you Get Better at Making Balls?

• Admit if you are losing matches because of consistency.
• Hit the ball at practice that you will hit in your tournaments.
• Start thinking about your mistakes like this…(1) Do I need to put more spin on the ball? (2) Do I need to aim further from the line?
• Over the course of time — due to getting bigger, faster, stronger, and logging practice hours — slowly start increasing the speed of the ball you hit and how close to the line you hit.
• Continue re-evaluating what your abilities are factoring all relevant factors — time off, weather, situational tennis…

1.) Stay Greedy

• Think about a score that motivates you. If you play better behind, pretend you are behind. If you play better even, pretend you are even.
• Remember, you need to stay hungry because you must earn tennis matches. You need to finish, you cannot simply run out the clock or rely on a teammate to make a play. You must be proactive.

2.) Stay in the Moment

• Determine specific phrases to say to yourself that help you focus.
• Do not look ahead or behind. Do not think about times you have lost a lead in the past. Do not take the situation for granted and assume the match is over.
• Understand the percentages to help keep you motivated. If you are playing a good player and have been winning a high percentage of the points, they are “due”, so stay humble and hungry.

3.) Continue with Your Game Plan

• Do not become overly creative and try to trick your opponent. Stick with your primary strategy and tactics. Only deviate from this if you are ahead but losing the momentum and you need a positive play to switch the momentum.
• Play high percentage.
• Big shots, safe targets.
• Long points and making your opponent work are always good.

What do you need to do before you move from Red to Orange Group?

• Know the shots of tennis and basic technique (ready steps, split, invisible wall, step, swing to the ear or small push forward)
• Know the
  traditional footwork moves (ready steps, split step, run to the ball, step in, recover)
• The ability to rally consistently to 10 with every shot
• Ability to throw a red ball consistently over the net and in the court
• Know how to play a tie breaker without being told where to stand or reminded to say the score
• Competing in 6 red ball tournaments/year
• Months of attending 2 classes/week
• Months of taking a 1/2 hour private lesson

Doubles Tips

1.) Move with your partner. If your partner is moving left, you move left. If your partner is moving back for an easy OH then start closing forward and look to poach. If the lob goes over your partner’s head then start running back.

2.) Do not be an alley protector. Alley protectors UNITE in the middle of the court. If someone beats you by consistently hitting winners down the alley then too good!

3.) If you have a low or difficult shot, hit the ball to the baseline player. If you have a high or easy ball, hit the ball to the net player.

4.) Play down the middle of the court if you are playing against alley protectors but if you are playing a more advanced doubles team then play through them.

5.) If the ball is between an easy shot and a difficult shot and you do not know if you should go to the net player or the baseline player, then hit two balls to one player and then one to the other. When you hit a shot a couple of shots to one player, the other player becomes a spectator and might not be ready for the ball especially after seeing their partner hit two shots.

6.) Focus on making the first 3 shots that you hit every point. For example, serve, first volley, and finishing volley.

7.) If you are playing against a team in which one opponent is clearly stronger than the other opponent, do not simply hit the ball to the weaker player. You need to maintain a balanced attack. If playing against a quality doubles player, the worst thing that can happen is they know where you are hitting every shot. You need to play through the stronger player as well to keep the stronger player honest. A 2:1 ratio of hitting to the weaker:stronger works best.

8.) Your #1 priority when playing doubles is your partner’s emotions! Never turn your back on your partner!

3rd Set Tie-Breaker Formula

1.) Know yourself. Know your strengths and weaknesses. Play to your strengths and away from your weaknesses. It is time for YOUR best stuff, not necessarily your opponent’s worst stuff.

2.) Remind yourself that you are in a great position! However your got there — whether you won the first or second — you have put yourself in a position to win the match! Great job! All you need is 10 focused points, one point at a time.

3.) Have a serving location that you will frequently use. Spin and location. Use it frequently and then mix it up just enough to keep them honest but have a “go to” serve spot that you serve the majority of the points.

4.) Have a specific tactic that you will frequently use. Your goal is to be able to use your tactical play 60-70% of the time. If you do that, then you should feel very good about your chances. Remember, it is about what you do well!

5.) Have a mental, emotional, or physical goal. For example, to show positive emotion at some point, to do ready steps before every point, or to go to the towel between each point. Something that will help you perform mentally, emotionally, or physically better.

Serving Technique (right handed player)

• Have a consistent pre-serve routine that you do before every serve and start with a continental grip and your weight on your front foot
• Rock hands and weight back towards the back leg
• Either slide your foot up or have the back foot remain in the same spot prior to contact — be consistent
• Arms move at the same time, stay lose, and work together
• Hands rise together and stay lose until contact
• Left arm tosses the ball from the right of the body and right arm is turned to the left side of the body
• Right elbow needs to be on proper side of your body and have enough space from the rib cage
• Heals off the ground as leg bend occurs
• Racquet face is angled down from the trophy position
• Toss even with your head for deception
• Pronate according to the spin and location you are hitting
• Jump and land inside the baseline
• Lose and relaxed motion — slow and then fast

Serving Drills

• Serve @ targets
• Service line progression back towards baseline or pronation progression using more legs
• Miss = fitness penalty
• #s — second serves out of 10
• Serve a set again yourself using lanes — make = win the point; miss = lost the point
• Throwing drills

*First move on the OH is elbow back*

**Have more enthusiasm for the rest of the summer than your competition. There is no greater place to be than NWA. Play high %, kill it w/ energy, & work on your game!!!**

Volley Technique

1.) Continental grip with top of the racquet above your grip; hands extended and even with the body; energy with your feet

2.) Split step

3.) Push hands out in front; elbow in on the forehand; elbow out on the backhand

4.) Step out; contact; step forward — volley with your feet!

5.) Finish above the level of the net

*Volley combinations are deep short or short automatically. You have one or two chances to finish the point at the net. Do not rally at the net*

**Do NOT take the racquet too far back (well past the shoulder), finish beneath the net with your follow through, or finish on the wrong side of your body**

Goals for PB or any Future Tournament

1.) Make 12 balls a point; high % first serves; high % returns

2.) Do not let your parents be more professional than you…

• Carry your own bags and water jug
• Fill up your water jug
• Plan your warm ups and meals
• Pack your snacks
• Pack your bag with everything you need

3.) Communicate with coaches before, if you split, and after each match

4.) Control what you can control

• Focus
  • Routine
  • Planning
  • Staying present in the moment
• Emotions
  • Post point reactions
  • Not getting too emotionally high
  • Not getting too emotionally low
• Footwork — if your feet are there, your game will be there
  • How hard you run for every ball
  • Return footwork
  • Energy with your feet

5.) Rest Rules

• If you have a tournament the very next weekend, take a Monday or a Tuesday off
• If you don’t have a tournament the very next weekend, come to practice and learn to play tired. Do not miss out on valuable group time. Instead — take the following weekend off.
• Don’t come this Monday though — no practice.

Here is what you should do outside of your normally scheduled privates, groups, and tournament matches.

1.) Hit serves

• Targets
• Play a serving set
• Do a flat progression
• Add a fitness penalty for a missed serve
• Always be working on something technical or
  tactical

2.) Fitness

• Run for time or a certain distance
• Sprint for time or a certain distance (add a hill for more fun)
• Jump some rope
• Stretch (new stretch routine)
• Do some body weight workouts — push ups, sit ups, squats, lunges, super-mans, pull-ups, dips, mountain climbers, burpees, planks…

3.) Match Play & Wall

• When you have someone to hit with outside of group practice, do not drill, we do plenty of drilling in groups. Compete. Unless that partner is a sibling — then serve with them or do fitness together. If you do not have someone to hit with, a wall never misses…you can even put some tape on the wall and make up drills such as 100 forehands in the box or something similar. Always start with a full dynamic.

4.) Mental

• Post tournament thoughts (who you played, how you did, what you did well, what you want to work on)
• Post practice thoughts (what you did, how did you perform, what did you learn, what do you want to do better at next time)
• Update your PDP

5.) Rest

• Eat
• Sleep
• Drink
• Ice
• Shut it down (no phone)

Someone who is professional does an excellent job of taking care of the things they can control. They understand there is a right way to do things and a wrong way to do things. If something is in their control, they do it the right way and to the best of their abilities.

How to be professional…

1.) Have bag, towel, change of clothes, and multiple racquets strung and gripped to your liking every time you enter the court

2.) Have water jug, electrolyte based drinks, and snacks with you every time you enter the court. Eat throughout long matches and practices.

3.) Do a full dynamic stretch before each match and practice session. At the end of each day do additional body weight workouts and/or stretching.

Post Practice Stretch Routine:

• Feet together
• Down the middle
• To right
• To the left
• Right heel to butt
• Left heel to butt
• Right shoulder across
• Left shoulder across
• Right elbow up and back
• Left elbow up and back

Dynamic Stretch Routine:

• 6 laps or 3 figure 8s
• High knees down and butt kicks back
• Shuffle down and back
• Grapevine down and back
• Toe kicks down and toe touches back
• Lunges down and side lunges back
• 10 over and back forward & backward and shuffles
• Fast feet and a sprint
• Shoulders (20 arm circles forward, 20 arm circles backward, and 20 arm swings across)
• Hips (10 right leg forward, 10 right leg sideways, 10 left leg forward, and 10 left leg sideways)

4.) When off the court be sure to be eating, drinking, and rest enough. Do not be draining yourself by being social. Find your water jug, find some air conditioning, and put the phone down.

5.) Have a plan for your day. Know when you play or practice, schedule your warm up or lessons, and plan your meals. Complete your day with writing in your tennis notebook or binder.

Tennis Notebook or Binder:

• PDP (Player Development Plan — Strengths, Weaknesses, Areas of Focus, Execution, Tournament Schedule, Expectations, & Goals)
• Tournament Log (who you played, how you did, what you did well, and what you need to work on)
• Practice & Private Log (what you have been doing at each session, how have you been doing, and what have you learned)
• Extra or Additional Notes

Serving & Returning Strategies

1.) Serve wide — hit to the open court; Serve T — hit behind opponent

2.) Return first serves deep down the middle of the court to neutralize server’s advantage; Return second serves to opponent’s weakness

3.) Bigger points — use high % serves and returns

4.) After you have just broken your opponent or held — use high % serves or returns for first point to keep pressure on them

5.) After your opponent has just held or broken you — use aggressive serves or returns for first point to gain back momentum

Rally Strategies

1.) Play primarily cross court because it is high %

2.) Attack a weakness (forehand or backhand)

3.) Move your opponent around the court

4.) Get to the net

5.) When in doubt — do what you do best

Finishing Points

1.) Be alert and recognize opportunity balls

2.) “Attack” the ball with your feet not your arm

3.) Shot selection is based on strategies — either go at opponent’s weakness, move them, or send the ball from the direction that it came from

4.) On approach shots focus on up and down; aim lower, shorter, and harder

5.) Follow the path of the ball to the net

Momentum Rules

1.) Have it — play high %

2.) Need it — attack

3.) Big points — play high %

4.) It takes two points to gain momentum — one to stop opponent’s momentum and another to get it going your direction

5.) Continue to be greedy — tennis is a finishing sport, not a timed sport

Goals for Each Match

1.) Fight more than opponent — FIGHT = Toughness + Professionalism

2.) Focus more between points than opponent

3.) Move feet harder than opponent

4.) Control emotions better than opponent

5.) Have better shot selection than opponent