Athletic Performance Training. [941]

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2 Athletic Performance Training [941]

3 CAUTION! A.P Belt Training is a habit building program that develops high performance athletic technique. The A.P. Belt device is a powerful and demanding training aid that is intended to be used only as recommended. While all ages and abilities are encouraged to participate in this program, A.P. Belt training sessions are demanding 30 minute interval workouts that challenge your fitness and stamina. If you experience muscle strain you should consider training every other day to allow muscle recovery and regeneration. Please consult your doctor before beginning any rigorous exercise program. A.P. Belt Training provides a simple yet very powerful method for developing athletic skills and qualities. What makes the A.P. Belt Training System so effective at breaking bad habits and building better technique is the patented A.P. Belt. The A.P. Belt s resistance feedback technology governs the performance of your athletic foundation during practice sessions. As you learn to work within the confines of the A.P. Belt, you begin the process of breaking down poor movement tendencies. At the same time, you are engraining your athletic foundation qualities into habit, along with all the highly efficient techniques and maneuvers commonly associated with a low center of gravity. The A.P. Belt is very user friendly. Once you adjust the length of the bungee cord specifically to your height, work hard not to trigger any resistance from the bungee cord as you move and hit. Any time you trigger a tug of resistance, that impulse indicates you ve deviated from your athletic foundation or you were attempting a less efficient movement technique. The most common tendencies that trigger resistance from the cord include launching upward excessively in your stroke, stepping out from a narrow base in the 1st step reaction and over-striding in acceleration footwork. The A.P. Belt Training System is the most comprehensive program that targets athletic skill development. This manual takes you step-by-step through our 30 day program providing complete 30 minute training regimens for each day. In addition to the A.P. Belt, we integrate The Dog Sled and The Leverage Band into the program. All 3 are resistance-based devices that work to accelerate your technique development. The Dog Sled The Dog Sled is an easy-to-use resistance trainer used to developing specific techniques and for improving multi-directional speed. Comprised of a large loop of bungee cord and two padded foam parts, the dog sled is designed for two people to train together on or off-court. The player positioned inside the loop on the back end will provide the resistance as they work on developing deceleration footwork. The player positioned inside the loop in the front end is the dog doing the pulling. It should be a cooperative exercise where the two players work together while maintaining a consistent distance apart and a steady level of resistance in the cord. Dog Sled training will teach players to use their body momentum, move with a lower center of gravity, reduce the tendency to over-stride, improve quickness in the various footwork patterns and strengthen the lower body muscles. The player in the back end must stay low and plant the toes into each step which is great for developing adjustment step tendencies and basic deceleration footwork. I often use the Dog Sled as a warm up exercise with students before they train in the A.P. Belt. The Leverage Band It is a very effective training aid for maximizing leverage in your strokes and volleys for improved power and control. It is particularly helpful for developing the heavy ball groundstroke, angles and topspin lobs. Remember, top players don t grip their racket very tightly. You ll increase leverage, power and control by not holding the racket so tightly, relaxing your grip pressure. The smaller loop end of the leverage band attaches to the head of the racket and the bigger loop end attaches above the elbow of the dominant hitting arm. When the dominant hand is laid back at a near 90 degree angle in relationship to the forearm, the band should be somewhat relaxed in tension. As you practice your ground strokes and volleys the band will allow full forearm rotation (a waving action) used to apply topspin, which maintains the 90 degree angle of leverage in the wrist. However, the tension of the band resists wrist snap (a slapping action) which breaks down the angle of leverage at the wrist. To attach the leverage band, begin with the small loop end. Thread the small loop between the strings right above where the throat of the frame connects to the head of the racket. Thread the large loop end through the small loop and pull it all the way through so that it slipknots the band tightly around the frame. Now insert your hitting hand through the large loop and slide the loop up your arm to a position above the elbow. The band should be slightly loose in tension when the wrist is at the 90 degree angle. If the band is too loose just tie a knot in the middle to shorten the length and reattach it to your arm. 1

4 When working on the two-handed backhand if your bottom hand is not the dominant hand in your stroke, you should wear the leverage band on the top arm. Otherwise, the band should be worn on the bottom arm. Wear it as you practice your strokes to break bad habits in your strokes and experience the benefits of better leverage. The DVD Quicker, More Powerful Tennis in 30 Days is our DVD that takes you on a journey through all the components of the A.P. Belt Training System, teaching you everything you need to know to become a movement specialist. You ll explore 6 training modules including: Developing your Athletic Foundation Stroke Habit Development Reaction and Acceleration Power, Control and Consistency Expanding Range of Coverage and Recovery Expand your Weapon Arsenal Each module consists of 5 days of training, each day devoted to a unique theme. We show you the techniques and provide you with a 30 minute workout for each day comprised of interval training and theme specific drills and exercises. Portions of your workouts will require the assistance of a coach, parent or another player to feed balls, unless you have access to a ball machine. We also show workouts for A.P. Belt training by yourself against a backboard and even precision Shadow Tennis exercises that you can do off court. To achieve the best results in 30 days, it is highly recommended that you follow the program step by step thru all 6 modules. You should wear your A.P. Belt throughout each entire workout. Beyond thirty days, you can repeat the entire program to continue reinforcing the habits or work on specific aspects of the program that best address your needs.

5 CUSTOM FITTING Your A.P. Belt Attach the Belt With the buckle end of the belt in your left hand, attach the belt around your waist or hips at a comfortably tight fit. Determining the Ideal Cord Length To properly adjust the length of the bungee cord, stand with your feet approximately 2 ½ to 3 shoulder widths apart. Lower your hips by bending your knees to achieve an athletic foundation height approximately 6 inches below normal standing height. At this point, the cord should begin to relax tension. If you try to raise your height and the cord immediately tightens, the cord length is ideally adjusted. As you get more accustomed to working in the belt, you can tighten the cord a little more to encourage you to train at an athletic height 6 to 12 inches below standing height. Attach the Ankle Cuffs It is recommended to wear ankle socks to keep the cuffs from sliding up your shin as you workout. The easiest method for attaching the ankle cuffs is to crouch down with your rear end only a few inches from the ground. Be sure to attach the correct cuff to each ankle so that the bungee cord is not crossed over beneath the pulley in back. Adjusting the length of Bungee Cord To increase the length of the bungee cord, hold the hook portion of one of the adjustment clips that connect to the ankle cuff. Push the excess cord down to create a loop of cord within the clip. Next, grasp the main line piece of cord threaded through the same clip, and pull upward to remove the slack eliminating the loop you created. Repeat the same process with the other clip to balance the amount of excess bungee on both sides. To shorten the length of cord, just reverse the lengthening process.

6 ATHLETIC F O U N D A T I O N

7 DAY1 Discover your Athletic Foundation Building from the ground up... Your feet are your wheels and your shoes are the tires. Just like Formula-1 cars, you need to use the tires that match the challenges of the course and the conditions of the surface. It is the treads and condition of your shoes that determine how much the shoe will grip the ground. On 1st step reaction you need great traction but for sliding on clay, you want a shoe that has less grip. When you buy a new set of tires, you have to get them balanced for them to work smoothly. It is the role of the feet to keep your body weight centered and balanced over the balls of the feet. This position will slightly elevate the heels off the ground activating the feet and calf muscles for athletic performance. Your legs are the horsepower that power the wheels. Lowering your center of gravity by bending your knees, activates the quads and hamstrings for stronger, more powerful output. Your legs are also the brakes. At times, you need to be able to stop on a dime, other times you kick step in an anti-lock brake fashion and on clay, you need the technique for a controlled slide. When your center of gravity is down, the legs can better function as brakes and resist against the forces that cause instability. Learning to activate the muscles around the hips, you can take control of your center of gravity, which is critical to the performance out put of your athletic foundation. With the rear end positioned back and a strong lower back arch, the hips can fortify the structural integrity of you foundation. The power and control generated in the lower body must be managed properly through the hips to generate powerful upper body stroke mechanics. Back Posture is also essential to the flow of power up to the shoulder mechanics. The shoulder mechanics should work to remain balanced and level to ensure the stroke remains stabile and powerful. The Opposite arm serves as a counter-balance helping to stabilize the swing. In more offensive situations, the opposite arm can be used to help pivot the shoulders creating more driving force in the stroke. When you breakdown in your athletic foundation, you establish an athletic height that should be between 6 inches and a foot below your normal standing height. To create the smooth and fluid affect in your movement, you need to maintain a consistent athletic height. Try this... Stand in front of a mirror as you practice breaking down into your Athletic Foundation. Get familiar with how you look in the position and how it feels. You need to get familiar with the total body feeling of the Athletic Foundation so you can better maintain those qualities in match play. The Dog Sled Test If you have a Dog Sled, test your Athletic Foundation with another person. Try stretching the band while lowering your athletic height for stability. Warm-up before workout As an athlete, you constantly push your body to the limit. You have to get in the habit of taking special care of your body to remain healthy and in top form. This includes adequate warm-up and stretching prior to your training and ample cool down periods immediately after workouts. The A.P. Belt Training System is a very challenging and demanding program so make a habit of warming up before and cooling down after you re A.P. Belt workouts Targets For many of the drills, we specify target areas. See how many in a row you can hit within the target areas and keep track of your score for each interval. Measurable goals in practice gauge your progress and help improve your confidence. 30 minute workout for Fed ball or Ball machine *Keep actively working to set up your feet for the strokes. Tune into the feel of your A.F. and work hard to maintain these qualities for the entire interval. Respond to the tugs of resistance by bending down and lowering your center of gravity. Remember, the objective is to not create tension or tugs from the cord.

8 Forehands Interval 1 - Static Fed ball - Interval 2 - Static Fed ball - Interval 3 - Static Fed ball - One Minute Break Elapsed Time - 7:00 Backhands Interval 4 - Static Fed ball - Int. / Adv. players - 1:30 work / :30 rest Interval 5 - Static Fed ball - Int. / Adv. players - 1:30 work / :30 rest Interval 6 - Static Fed ball - Int. / Adv. players - 1:30 work / :30 rest One Minute Break Elapsed Time - 14:00 Alternating Groundstrokes [ light lateral movement ] Interval 7 - Alternate sides - Int. / Adv. Players - 1:00 work / :30 rest Beg. Players - :30 work / 1:00 rest Interval 8 - Alternate sides - Int. / Adv. Players - 1:00 work / :30 rest Beg. Players - :30 work / 1:00 rest Interval 9 - Alternate sides - Int. / Adv. Players - 1:00 work / :30 rest Beg. Players - :30 work / 1:00 rest One Minute Break Elapsed Time - 21:00 Volleys Interval 10 - Forehand Volleys - 1:30 work / :30 rest Interval 11 - Backhand Volleys - 1:30 work / :30 rest Interval 12 - Alternate Volleys - Interval 13 - Alternate Volleys - Two Minute Cool Down and Stretch Exercises with a foam roll, working a massage stick over your tired muscles and static stretching are great cool down activities that will reduce the soreness you experience the next day. The most exhilarating cool down exercise that will definitely cool you down and give a big boast to muscle recovery and regeneration. Shocking as it may be it will leave you feeling great after it s over. End of Workout Elapsed Time - 30:00 DAY2 Center on the Balls of your Feet Wide Base of Support

9 For quicker reaction, the optimal reaction footwork base is 1.5 to 3 shoulder widths apart. Establishing a wider base makes it less stressful on the legs when you get lower to the ground. When your footwork base is too narrow, it creates added load on your legs causing them to fatigue more quickly. Another natural by-product of a narrow base is the Step out tendency on 1st step reaction which is slow and inefficient. Many players aren t comfortable establishing a wider footwork base because they feel it slows down their first-step reaction. However, there are specific footwork techniques top players develop to achieve explosive first-step reactions from a wider base. Another habit you must develop is the ability to center your balance on the balls of the feet. Great athletes work on the balls of the feet much of the time and demonstrate the ability to use quick adjustment steps to best position their feet and balance for the stroke. Centering their balance off the heels and on to the balls of the feet provides better power and stability to the stroke mechanics. 30 minute workout for Fed ball or Ball machine Work to maintain all the qualities of your Athletic Foundation, but focus specifically on centering & loading your core body weight on the balls of the feet. To achieve this you want to maintain a little lean forward over your toes with the upper body until the heels slightly elevate through movement and stroke. Try to reduce the amount of tugs by lowering your center of gravity and spreading out your footwork base for reaction, on split steps, and in your hitting stances. Remember to stay very active with your feet and spread out that reaction base. Forehands Interval 1 - Static Fed ball - Interval 2 - Static Fed ball - Interval 3 - Static Fed ball - One Minute Break Elapsed Time - 7:00 Backhands Interval 4 - Static Fed ball - Int. / Adv. players - 1:30 work / :30 rest Interval 5 - Static Fed ball - Int. / Adv. players - 1:30 work / :30 rest Interval 6 - Static Fed ball - Int. / Adv. players - 1:30 work / :30 rest One Minute Break Elapsed Time - 14:00 Alternating Groundstrokes [ light lateral movement ] Interval 7 - Alternate sides - Int. / Adv. Players - 1:00 work / :30 rest Beg. Players - :30 work / 1:00 rest Interval 8 - Alternate sides - Int. / Adv. Players - 1:00 work / :30 rest Beg. Players - :30 work / 1:00 rest Interval 9 - Alternate sides - Int. / Adv. Players - 1:00 work / :30 rest One Minute Break Elapsed Time - 21:00 Volleys Interval 10 - Forehand Volleys - 1:30 work / :30 rest Interval 11 - Backhand Volleys - 1:30 work / :30 rest

10 Interval 12 - Alternate Volleys - Interval 13 - Alternate Volleys - Two Minute Cool Down and Stretch End of Workout Elapsed Time - 30:00 DAY3 Flex your Hips Smooth and Fluid Affect Today, we learn how to flex the muscles that stabilize the hips to create a power bridge. The power bridge efficiently distributes the power and control of the lower body through the hips to generate a pivoting action in the core body that drives the stroke mechanics. To flex the hips, break down into your athletic foundation position. With your feet firmly planted on the ground, press outward with your feet towards the side edges of your shoes, as if you were trying to push your feet out the sides of your shoes. This will activate the muscles on the sides of your hips and pelvis. These are the muscles you flexed and activated throughout movement and stroke. When the hips remain flexed, you ll move more fluidly and hit more powerfully. 30 minute workout for Fed ball or Ball machine Today s workout, we are focus on flexing the muscles around your hips and keeping them activated throughout the intervals. Feel for the quad burn and respond to the tugs of resistance by lowering your center of gravity, working with shorter acceleration strides. Forehands Interval 1 - Static Fed ball - Interval 2 - Static Fed ball - Interval 3 - Static Fed ball - One Minute Break Elapsed Time - 7:00 Backhands Interval 4 - Static Fed ball - Int. / Adv. players - 1:30 work / :30 rest Interval 5 - Static Fed ball - Int. / Adv. players - 1:30 work / :30 rest Interval 6 - Static Fed ball - Int. / Adv. players - 1:30 work / :30 rest One Minute Break Elapsed Time - 14:00 Alternating Groundstrokes [ light lateral movement ] Interval 7 - Alternate sides - Int. / Adv. Players - 1:00 work / :30 rest Beg. Players - :30 work / 1:00 rest

11 Interval 8 - Alternate sides - Int. / Adv. Players - 1:00 work / :30 rest Beg. Players - :30 work / 1:00 rest Interval 9 - Alternate sides - One Minute Break Elapsed Time - 21:00 Volleys Interval 10 - Forehand Volleys - 1:30 work / :30 rest Interval 11 - Backhand Volleys - 1:30 work / :30 rest Interval 12 - Alternate Volleys - Interval 13 - Alternate Volleys - Two Minute Cool Down and Stretch End of Workout Elapsed Time - 30:00 DAY4 Rock Solid Posture Intensely reinforced back posture, efficiently channels the power generated from the lower body, up to the shoulder mechanics to produce powerful, controlled strokes. In addition, strong posture ensures that the shoulders remain level and stabilized during stroke production, especially when combating the forces of movement. Back posture works like the tight suspension in a Formula-1 car. Weak posture poorly distributes the flow of power to the stroke mechanics leading to sluggish reactions and changes of direction. Poor posture results in strokes that easily breakdown and the risk of back injury increases dramatically. 30 minute workout for Fed ball or Ball machine The focus for today is to maintain strong, upright back posture as you move and hit. This should enable your shoulders to remain balanced and level during stroke production. Forehands Interval 1 - Static Fed ball - Interval 2 - Static Fed ball - Interval 3 - Static Fed ball - One Minute Break Elapsed Time - 7:00 Backhands Interval 4 - Static Fed ball - Int. / Adv. players - 1:30 work / :30 rest

12 Interval 5 - Static Fed ball - Int. / Adv. players - 1:30 work / :30 rest Interval 6 - Static Fed ball - Int. / Adv. players - 1:30 work / :30 rest One Minute Break Elapsed Time - 14:00 Alternating Groundstrokes [ light lateral movement ] Interval 7 - Alternate sides - Int. / Adv. Players - 1:00 work / :30 rest Beg. Players - :30 work / 1:00 rest Interval 8 - Alternate sides - Int. / Adv. Players - 1:00 work / :30 rest Beg. Players - :30 work / 1:00 rest Interval 9 - Alternate sides - One Minute Break Elapsed Time - 21:00 Volleys Interval 10 - Forehand Volleys - 1:30 work / :30 rest Interval 11 - Backhand Volleys - 1:30 work / :30 rest Interval 12 - Alternate Volleys - Interval 13 - Alternate Volleys - Two Minute Cool Down and Stretch End of Workout Elapsed Time - 30:00 DAY5 Resistant to Being Forced It s time to put your posture and stability to the test as we add more movement into your regimen. In match play, the player who commits the most forced errors typically determines who loses. That means great competitors will make every effort to break down your strokes by hitting shots that force you. Become more resistant to being forced by learning how to better preserve the qualities of your athletic foundation, especially when forced wide in the court. Court Positioning Your court position will vary in the intervals. For some intervals you will be positioned 3 to 5 feet behind the baseline so you can practice defending against your opponent s wide and deep balls. From this position, you ll need to aim higher over the net and extend your follow-through to achieve depth on your shots. Choose crosscourt targets to reduce the distance required to fully recover when pulled wide in the court. You will also be required to position on or inside the baseline for other intervals. This will allow you to work on simplifying your strokes, minimizing backswings to better manage incoming power. This is great practice to get you more comfortable holding your offensive ground even against deeper balls. You ll have the opportunity to move forward on any short ball and attack down the line 30 minute workout for Fed ball or Ball machine Work to maintain and defend your A.F. as you react, hit and recover. Work hard with your feet to remain smooth and fluid throughout your movement and strokes.

13 Forehands Interval 1 - Wide & Recover - position 3-5 feet behind baseline Interval 2 - Wide & Recover - position 3-5 feet behind baseline Interval 3 - Wide & Recover - position 3-5 feet behind baseline One Minute Break Elapsed Time - 7:00 Backhands Interval 4 - Wide and Recover - position 3-5 feet behind baseline Interval 5 - Wide and Recover - position 3-5 feet behind baseline Interval 6 - Wide and Recover - position 3-5 feet behind baseline One Minute Break Elapsed Time - 14:00 Alternating Groundstrokes [ moderately wide feeds ] Interval 7 - Alternate sides - Int. / Adv. Players - 1:00 work / :30 rest Beg. Players - :30 work / 1:00 rest Interval 8 - Alternate sides - Int. / Adv. Players - 1:00 work / :30 rest Beg. Players - :30 work / 1:00 rest Interval 9 - Alternate sides - One Minute Break Elapsed Time - 21:00 Volleys Interval 10 - Wide Forehand Volley & Recover - 1:30 work / :30 rest Interval 11 - Backhand Volleys - 1:30 work / :30 rest Interval 12 - Alternate Volleys - Interval 13 - Alternate Volleys - Two Minute Cool Down and Stretch End of Workout Elapsed Time - 30:00

14 STROKEHABIT D E V E L O P M E N T Grooving your strokes into habit

15 You have completed your first week of training in the A.P. Belt, so you should be more adjusted to the confines of the process and have a better concept of how to manage your Athletic Foundation. Now, it is time we focus on building the fundamentals for the most efficient stroke habits that can both defend against incoming power and produce offensive weapons. Have you ever heard of a deaf person who is a great dancer? Not to say deaf people aren t equally capable of developing the footwork and movement techniques required of dance, but the magic in great dancing is the synergy of movement to the tempo and timing of the music. If you listen to the sound of two players rallying back and forth, you ll hear a consistent rhythmic beat like the tick/tock tempo of a metronome or clock. Bounce/hit.bounce/ hit and so on. That bounce/hit rhythm sets the tempo for the timing of your movement. Players who are slow to react, fall behind the tempo of the rally which forces them to rush their movement to try to catch up. Late starts limit your range of effective court coverage and result in missed opportunities to play offensively. Slow reactions and sluggish recovery efforts create the look of a player whose timing is out of sync, appears to be always on the defensive and scrambling out of control to keep up with the rally pace. Movement specialists like Roger Federer have mastered the skill of precisely timing their movement to stay slightly ahead of the pace of the rally. Federer s explosive, well timed reactions, agile and smooth footwork, and instantaneous changes of direction on recovery, enable him to look effortless in his work. He makes playing tennis look as fluid and artistic as ballet. It is that combination of technique and timing that makes it happen. We start with the fundamental elements of the ground-strokes that you must have in your technique. DAY1 Racket Preparation and Backswing Both the timing of your racket preparation and the position of your backswing are critical to the footwork setting up correctly for your strokes. You need to have the racket in the correct position prior to the adjustment steps. What are adjustment steps? Adjustment Steps When watching top players, you may not always see the adjustment steps occur, they happen so quickly, but on the hard courts you can definitely hear them. The adjustment steps are what make those chirping, squeak noises as the player sets up the stance to strike the ball. Adjustment steps serve the purpose of decelerating the body s directional momentum and arrange the feet into an optimal hitting stance. It is the position of the racket at the moment the feet adjust that determines how the feet set up. Essentially, the feet adjust and set up automatically, based on the position of the dominant hand in racket preparation. For example on a right-handed forehand, if the right hand reaches out, the right foot will set up beneath it, triggering an open stance. Now, if the right hand goes back behind the body into a deep backswing, the right foot will stay back with the right hand triggering a closed stance. What is a closed stance? Danger!!! The Fully Closed Stance When the feet align parallel to the baseline with the front leg forward and pointing in the direction of the side fence, it is considered a fully closed stance. There are many problems associated with the closed stance specifically on forehands and two-handed backhands. One problem is that the closed stance restricts core rotation required to power those strokes, creating excess torque in the lower body that can lead to injury. In addition, as balance, control and power are compromised by the stance, a fully closed stance limits a player s shot options making them more predictable under pressure. While there are still many players, even top players, hitting from closed stances, but these also happen to be some of the most injury prone players. The closed stance is likely the source responsible for many lower body injuries. Stress fractures of the feet, strained tendons in the ankles, torn ligaments in the knees, even many lower back injuries can be attributed to the

16 increased stress associated with hitting repetitively from a fully closed stance. To break the habit of hitting from the closed stance, you must make changes in your racket preparation to ensure the dominant hand is leading ahead of your body as your feet begin the adjustment steps. Onehanded backhands can be executed effectively from the closed stance because very little core rotation is required to power the stroke. So your racket should be prepared ahead of your body as you move to the ball and before you begin your adjustment steps to allow yourself enough time to set your feet for the shot. When the backswing is too large and gets behind your back, the butt of the racket points towards the side fence, triggering the feet to set up in a closed stance. When your racket preparation positions the racket correctly in front of your body, the butt of the racket will point in the direction of the net, which sends the correct message to set up into an open stance with the option to drive forward towards the target in a neutral stance. 30 minute workout for Fed ball or Ball machine Focus on limiting your backswing to correctly prepare the racket before the ball clears the net on the ground-strokes. On volleys, eliminate the backswing. Forehands Interval 1 - Crosscourt Deep - position 3-5 feet behind baseline Interval 2 - Deep Down the line - position 3-5 feet behind baseline Interval 3 - Alternate crosscourt & down the line - position 3-5 feet behind baseline One Minute Break Elapsed Time - 7:00 Backhands Interval 4 - Crosscourt Deep - position 3-5 feet behind baseline Interval 5 - Deep Down the line - position 3-5 feet behind baseline Interval 6 - Alternate crosscourt and down the line - position 3-5 feet behind baseline One Minute Break Elapsed Time - 14:00 Alternating Groundstrokes [ target area between the service line and baseline light lateral movement ] Interval 7 - Deep Crosscourts - position 3-5 feet behind baseline Interval 8 - Deep Down the line - position 3-5 feet behind baseline

17 Interval 9 - Angles - position 3-5 feet behind baseline One Minute Break Elapsed Time - 21:00 Volleys Interval 10 - Forehand Volleys - 1:30 work / :30 rest Interval 11 - Backhand Volleys - 1:30 work / :30 rest Interval 12 - Alternate Volleys - Interval 13 - Alternate Deep & Angle Volleys - Two Minute Cool Down and Stretch End of Workout Elapsed Time - 30:00 DAY2 Contact Zone The preferred contact point will vary based on the grip. The better the leverage and alignment in your stroke, the bigger your contact zone will be. The greater your contact zone, the more margin of error and ball control. Generally speaking, you want to make contact ahead of your body and the contact point should align with the center of your chest. 30 minute workout for Fed ball or Ball machine Work to maintain your athletic foundation as you concentrate on good timing and consistent contact points out in front of your body. Forehands Interval 1 - Crosscourt Deep - position 3-5 feet behind baseline Interval 2 - Deep Down the line - position 3-5 feet behind baseline Interval 3 - Alternate crosscourt & down the line - position 3-5 feet behind baseline One Minute Break Elapsed Time - 7:00 Backhands Interval 4 - Crosscourt Deep - position 3-5 feet behind baseline

18 Interval 5 - Deep Down the line - position 3-5 feet behind baseline Interval 6 - Alternate crosscourt and down the line - position 3-5 feet behind baseline One Minute Break Elapsed Time - 14:00 Alternating Groundstrokes [ target area between the service line and baseline light lateral movement ] Interval 7 - Deep Crosscourts - position 3-5 feet behind baseline Interval 8 - Deep Down the line - position 3-5 feet behind baseline Interval 9 - Angles - position 3-5 feet behind baseline One Minute Break Elapsed Time - 21:00 Volleys Interval 10 - Forehand Volleys - 1:30 work / :30 rest Interval 11 - Backhand Volleys - 1:30 work / :30 rest Interval 12 - Alternate Volleys - Interval 13 - Alternate Deep & Angle Volleys - Two Minute Cool Down and Stretch End of Workout Elapsed Time - 30:00 DAY3 Follow-through You want full extension of the hitting arm(s) towards the target to achieve a complete followthrough. Make yourself accelerate through contact until you reach full arm extension. 30 minute workout for Fed ball or Ball machine Forehands Interval 1 - Crosscourt Deep - position 3-5 feet behind baseline

19 Interval 2 - Deep Down the line - position 3-5 feet behind baseline Interval 3 - Alternate crosscourt & down the line - position 3-5 feet behind baseline One Minute Break Elapsed Time - 7:00 Backhands Interval 4 - Crosscourt Deep - position 3-5 feet behind baseline Interval 5 - Deep Down the line - position 3-5 feet behind baseline Interval 6 - Alternate crosscourt and down the line - position 3-5 feet behind baseline One Minute Break Elapsed Time - 14:00 Alternating Groundstrokes [ target area between the service line and baseline light lateral movement ] Interval 7 - Deep Crosscourts - position 3-5 feet behind baseline Interval 8 - Deep Down the line - position 3-5 feet behind baseline Interval 9 - Angles - position 3-5 feet behind baseline One Minute Break Elapsed Time - 21:00 Volleys Interval 10 - Forehand Volleys - 1:30 work / :30 rest Interval 11 - Backhand Volleys - 1:30 work / :30 rest Interval 12 - Alternate Volleys - Interval 13 - Alternate Deep & Angle Volleys - Int / Adv Players - 1:30 work / :30 rest Two Minute Cool Down and Stretch End of Workout Elapsed Time - 30:00

20 DAY4 Neutral Stances With the feet aligned perpendicular to the baseline and the front foot points towards the net, it is called a neutral stance. When you have time to set up, the optimal choice is to set up the back foot then drive forward into a neutral stance. It is considered the ideal hitting stance for situations where time permits and you have the opportunity to step forward to hit. The weight transfer in a neutral stance starts on the back foot and as the swing starts forward the weight drives to the front foot before contact. When performed optimally, the weight transfer generates a pivoting turn of the core body to help power the stroke into the ball. It is very important to maintain your athletic foundation to manage the weight transfer into the pivoting action. 30 minute workout for Fed ball or Ball machine Concentrate on early and correct racket preparation to help you set up into neutral stances Forehands Interval 1 - Crosscourt Deep - position 3-5 feet behind baseline Interval 2 - Deep Down the line - position 3-5 feet behind baseline Interval 3 - Alternate crosscourt & down the line - position 3-5 feet behind baseline One Minute Break Elapsed Time - 7:00 Backhands Interval 4 - Crosscourt Deep - position 3-5 feet behind baseline Interval 5 - Deep Down the line - position 3-5 feet behind baseline Interval 6 - Alternate crosscourt and down the line - position 3-5 feet behind baseline One Minute Break Elapsed Time - 14:00 Alternating Groundstrokes [ target area between the service line and baseline light lateral movement ] Interval 7 - Deep Crosscourts - position 3-5 feet behind baseline Interval 8 - Deep Down the line - position 3-5 feet behind baseline

21 Interval 9 - Angles - position 3-5 feet behind baseline One Minute Break Elapsed Time - 21:00 Volleys Interval 10 - Forehand Volleys - 1:30 work / :30 rest Interval 11 - Backhand Volleys - 1:30 work / :30 rest Interval 12 - Alternate Volleys - Interval 13 - Alternate Deep & Angle Volleys - Int / Adv Players - 1:30 work / :30 rest Two Minute Cool Down and Stretch End of Workout Elapsed Time - 30:00 DAY5 Open Stances When the feet are aligned parallel to the baseline similar to a traditional split step, it is called the open stance. In situations where you are under pressure with very little time to set up, the open stance is your best option. Being able to effectively execute from the open stance is a required element in today s fast paced game on both the forehand and backhand sides. To better understand when to use the open stance consider the following analogy. If a baseball batter had to stand outside the batter s box, then enter the box once the pitcher started his forward motion, the batter would enter the batter s box first with the back foot, which would be an open stance if he were to hit from that position. Optimally, the batter would prefer to step into the batter s box with his front foot and drive his weight forward on to the front foot to hit the pitch, which is a neutral stance. In situations when the pitch was coming so fast that he didn t have time to step into it, he would have to resort to hitting from the open stance. The same scenario applies to tennis. We use the open stance in situations where time to set up is very limited, also when pushed very wide in the court. For many players, the open stance is their preferred stance even when there is time to step forward into the neutral. To hit the open stance effectively, you have to load the body weight on the foot closest to the ball and avoid transferring your body weight towards the other foot. Just learn to hold steady with your body weight remaining on the foot nearest to the ball or shift forward into the neutral stance for the finish. 30 minute workout for Fed ball or Ball machine Practice hitting from the Open Stance as often as possible today. Try to keep your chest centered with contact and avoid transferring your weight to the outside foot. Torso Twists - Shoulders square, rotate the hips side-to-side Forehands Interval 1 - Crosscourt Deep - position 3-5 feet behind baseline Interval 2 - Deep Down the line - position 3-5 feet behind baseline

22 Interval 3 - Alternate crosscourt & down the line - position 3-5 feet behind baseline One Minute Break Elapsed Time - 7:00 Backhands Interval 4 - Crosscourt Deep - position 3-5 feet behind baseline Interval 5 - Deep Down the line - position 3-5 feet behind baseline Interval 6 - Alternate crosscourt and down the line - position 3-5 feet behind baseline One Minute Break Elapsed Time - 14:00 Alternating Groundstrokes [ target area between the service line and baseline light lateral movement ] Interval 8 - Deep Down the line - position 3-5 feet behind baseline Interval 9 - Angles - position 3-5 feet behind baseline One Minute Break Elapsed Time - 21:00 Volleys Interval 10 - Forehand Volleys - 1:30 work / :30 rest Interval 11 - Backhand Volleys - 1:30 work / :30 rest Interval 12 - Alternate Volleys - Interval 13 - Alternate Deep & Angle Volleys - Int / Adv Players - 1:30 work / :30 rest Two Minute Cool Down and Stretch End of Workout Elapsed Time - 30:00 Interval 7 - Deep Crosscourts - position 3-5 feet behind baseline

23 REACTION& A C C E L E R A T I O N From at Rest into Motion

24 Now we focus on 1st step reaction, quickness and acceleration. To achieve more explosive quickness you need motivation, intensity, timing and the most efficient technique. The key to quicker movement is learning to use upper body momentum to your advantage. The most common tendency on the first step reaction that slows players down is referred to as the Step-out reaction tendency. How important is the start, when running a very short race? For marathon runners running a 26 mile race, the advantage of getting a quick start is far less important in determining the eventual winner, than for a sprinter running just 40 yards. Explosive reaction time off the gun is critical in a very short race. Tennis could be considered nothing more than a series of short multi-directional sprints ranging from a few feet to less than 10 yards. So, like the sprinter, it is extremely important to react explosively off the opponent s strike of the ball and recover as quickly as possible after each of your shots, if you want to stay ahead of the pace in a high powered rally. Avoid the Step-out reaction tendency A minimal footwork base of approximately shoulder width distance or less along with a high center of gravity tends to produce this inefficient reaction maneuver, very common amongst recreational players. I call it the step out reaction tendency. To better explain this, a player positioned in a narrow footwork base and a high center of gravity, is reacting to his right moving laterally to a forehand. The step-out tendency footwork means the player pushes hard with the left foot as he steps towards the direction he wants to move with his right foot. As a result, this first step reaction move fails to establish upper body momentum and sluggish off the start. The step-out tendency on clay courts often results in the player s left foot slipping, losing traction as their body weight shifts off the left foot, thwarting the 1st step move. We will be working to eliminate the step-out tendency in your game by maintaining the low to the ground with a wider base of support on reaction. Now, we ll explore the techniques you should develop for more explosive movement on all surfaces. DAY1 Explosive 1st Step Reaction The Weight shift, foot pivot and drive maneuver When reacting from a wider footwork base, the foot pivot and drive maneuver is the predominant first step reaction technique top players use. Efficient for hard court and carpet surfaces, where traction is not a problem, this technique works best when the footwork base is no wider than 2 shoulder widths. You'll see this technique commonly used on the return of serve, when reacting on volleys, as well as during ground stroke rallies. From a reaction footwork base equal to approximately 2 shoulder widths, you begin the maneuver with a quick, hard push off the outside foot (the foot furthest from the direction of movement), as the inside foot (the foot nearest to the direction of movement) pivots the toe in the direction of movement. The outside foot essentially drives the body weight towards the inside foot until the body weight is positioned and loaded over the inside foot. From this loaded position, the upper body is prepared to establish momentum and lead the way in the direction of movement. With the body weight centered over the inside foot, the inside foot is in a position to drive hard using the body weight to achieve maximum traction. Warning: You must use added caution when attempting the foot pivot and drive technique on more slippery surfaces. If you drive too hard off the outside foot, you'll risk losing traction as your body weight shifts off the outside foot. Also, be careful not to allow your inside foot to step and reach towards the direction you want to move or it will slow down your 1st step reaction considerably. All you want to do is pivot the inside foot and use it to drive your body into motion. 30 minute workout for Fed ball or Ball machine Working on explosive reactions for clay court and grass surfaces.

25 Drills - Shift/Pivot/Drive Interval 1 - The Weight shift, foot pivot and drive drill - Laterally to the Right - 10 Reps - 1:30 work / :30 rest Interval 2 - The Weight shift, foot pivot and drive drill - Laterally to the Left - 10 Reps - 1:30 work / :30 rest Interval 3 - The Weight shift, foot pivot and drive drill - Alternate Right / Left - 10 Reps - 1:30 work / :30 rest One Minute Break Elapsed Time - 7:00 Drills - Toss & Catch Interval 4 - The Toss and Catch drill - 10 Reps - 1:30 work / :30 rest Standing near the service line, the coach holds a ball in each hand, behind him. Player is positioned in the reaction ready position on the baseline. On the count of 3, the coach starts both arms forward and tosses one of the balls to the right or left of the player. Player must react and catch the ball before the bounce. Recover back and repeat. Interval 5 - The Toss and Catch drill - 10 Reps - 1:30 work / :30 rest Interval 6 - The Toss and Catch drill - 10 Reps - 1:30 work / :30 rest One Minute Break Elapsed Time - 14:00 Forehands [focus on instantaneous reaction to the ball recover sharply after every shot] Interval 7 - Crosscourt Deep - position 3-5 feet behind baseline Interval 8 - Deep Down the line - position 3-5 feet behind baseline Interval 9 - Alternate crosscourt & down the line - position on or inside the baseline One Minute Break Elapsed Time - 21:00 Backhands [focus on instantaneous reaction to the ball recover sharply after every shot] Interval 10 - Crosscourt Deep - position 3-5 feet behind baseline Interval 11 - Deep Down the line - position 3-5 feet behind baseline Interval 12 - Alternate crosscourt and down the line - position on or inside the baseline Two Minute Cool Down and Stretch End of Workout Elapsed Time - 30:00

26 DAY2 Anti-Slip 1st Step Reaction For Clay and Grass surfaces The Drop step and Drive maneuver Many top players are reacting from footwork bases as broad as 3 shoulder widths, especially when playing on clay and grass. From such a wide base, the weight shift, foot pivot and drive technique is not as effective at managing footwork traction or as quick at establishing upper body momentum. The drop step and drive technique is the quickest technique for reacting from a very wide base. It is a preferable maneuver particularly on more slippery surfaces when reacting to very challenging balls that are more than just a few steps away. You ll also see the drop step and drive technique as a primary recovery maneuver when players are pulled wide off the court and must reverse momentum, then cover a significant distance very quickly. The outside foot begins the maneuver by creating a controlled push, shifting the body weight towards the direction of movement as the inside foot slides under the torso, establishing upper body momentum in the direction of movement. With the full weight of the body over the inside foot and the shoulders leading in the direction of movement, the inside foot has maximum traction for a powerful drive into motion. 30 minute workout for Fed ball or Ball machine Working on explosive reactions for clay court and grass surfaces. Drills - Shift/Pivot/Drive Interval 1 - The Drop step and Drive drill - Laterally to the Right - 10 Reps - 1:30 work / :30 rest Interval 2 - The Drop step and Drive drill - Laterally to the Left - 10 Reps - 1:30 work / :30 rest Interval 3 - The Drop step and Drive drill - Alternate Right / Left - 10 Reps - 1:30 work / :30 rest One Minute Break Elapsed Time - 7:00 Drills - Toss & Catch Interval 4 - The Toss and Catch drill - 10 Reps - 1:30 work / :30 rest Standing near the service line, the coach holds a ball in each hand, behind him. Player is positioned in the reaction ready position on the baseline. On the count of 3, the coach starts both arms forward and tosses one of the balls to the right or left of the player. Player must react and catch the ball before the bounce. Recover back and repeat. Interval 5 - The Toss and Catch drill - 10 Reps - 1:30 work / :30 rest Interval 6 - The Toss and Catch drill - 10 Reps - 1:30 work / :30 rest One Minute Break Elapsed Time - 14:00 Forehands [focus on instantaneous reaction to the ball recover sharply after every shot] Interval 7 - Crosscourt Deep - position 3-5 feet behind baseline Interval 8 - Deep Down the line - position 3-5 feet behind baseline

27 Interval 9 - Alternate crosscourt & down the line - position on or inside the baseline One Minute Break Elapsed Time - 21:00 Backhands [focus on instantaneous reaction to the ball recover sharply after every shot] Interval 10 - Crosscourt Deep - position 3-5 feet behind baseline Interval 11 - Deep Down the line - position 3-5 feet behind baseline Interval 12 - Alternate crosscourt and down the line - position on or inside the baseline Two Minute Cool Down and Stretch End of Workout Elapsed Time - 30:00 DAY3 1st Step Reaction Forward 1st Gear Acceleration Strides To become quicker in your forward movement, you want to maintain a low center of gravity with your upper body momentum leading the way and limit the length of you strides. Players who are very quick use what I refer to as first gear footwork. That means they run primarily on the balls of the feet using short, choppy strides where the feet remain spread out approximately shoulder width apart. The concept is to take shorter steps but more of them, pumping the legs very rapidly to drive your body weight forward. It is quite similar to the experience of racing off the start in 1st gear on a ten speed bike which pumps the legs quickly. Traveling the same distance, a quicker player may take 15 push off driving steps where a slower player might only take 10 longer strides. The difference is the RPMs or how quickly you can pump the legs. Avoid Over-striding An over-stride occurs in forward and lateral movement when the stride length becomes too extended in front of the body. It s when the leading foot reaches and extends beyond the knee and the heel of the foot impacts the ground first during acceleration. Over-striding tends to neutralize upper body momentum and slow you down. Players tend to over-stride most often when they feel forced to cover too much ground in too little time. Many players especially taller players, regularly over-stride on purpose, thinking by covering more ground with each step, they are taking better advantage of their height over smaller players. This makes them very slow and sluggish at getting up to speed. The end result is very similar to starting a bike race in 10th gear rather than first, which I refer to as 10th gear footwork. Among the many benefits, A.P. Belt training effectively corrects the over-striding habit by shutting down the over-extending the leading foot tendency through the patented resistance feedback process. Ball Drop Drill Standing near the service line, the coach holds a ball in each hand, arms extended straight out

28 Ball Drop Drill Standing near the service line, the coach holds a ball in each hand, arms extended straight out at shoulder height. Player is position in the reaction ready position on the baseline. On the count of 3, the coach drops one of the balls and the player sprints forward to catch the ball before the bounce. Recover back and repeat. 30 minute workout for Fed ball or Ball machine Working on explosive reactions for clay court and grass surfaces. Drills - Ball Drop Interval 1 - The Ball Drop drill - 10 Reps - 1:30 work / :30 rest Interval 2 - The Ball Drop drill - 10 Reps - 1:30 work / :30 rest Interval 3 - The Ball Drop drill - 10 Reps - 1:30 work / :30 rest One Minute Break Elapsed Time - 7:00 Dog Sled [ doubles sideline to doubles sideline or equivalent distance ] Interval 4 - Dog Sled - Forward Sprint - 5 Reps (Up and back) - :30 rest Interval 5 - Dog Sled - Forward Sprint - 5 Reps (Up and back) - :30 rest Interval 6 - Dog Sled - Forward Sprint - 5 Reps (Up and back) - :30 rest One Minute Break Elapsed Time - 14:00 Forehands [ first ball is fed deep, next ball short ] Interval 7 - Alternate Deep & Drop shot - position 3-5 feet behind baseline - Interval 8 - Alternate Deep & Drop shot - position 3-5 feet behind baseline - Interval 9 - Alternate Deep & Drop shot - position 3-5 feet behind baseline - One Minute Break Elapsed Time - 21:00 Backhands [ first ball is fed deep, next ball short ] Interval 10 - Alternate Deep & Drop shot - position 3-5 feet behind baseline - Interval 11 - Alternate Deep & Drop shot - position 3-5 feet behind baseline - Interval 12 - Alternate Deep & Drop shot - position 3-5 feet behind baseline -

29 Two Minute Cool Down and Stretch End of Workout Elapsed Time - 30:00 DAY4 Multi-Directional Acceleration Today we work on specialty footwork patterns. You ll learn when to use crossover versus shuffle footwork, as well as the cross-behind step. With the hips intensely flexed, try to move more from the knees down in your lateral movement. Specialty Footwork Patterns Though the demands of tennis call for quickness in nearly every direction, the majority of movement required is lateral movement. While it may be quicker just to turn sideways and sprint when running down a wide forehand, tennis players not only need to get to the ball in time, but need to be in optimal position to execute the stroke. In situations where turning and sprinting is the best option to get to the ball, it is important to angle your upper body as you get close to the ball so that your shoulders turn towards the direction of the net as you set up. Lateral movement techniques enable you to flow more smoothly into the optimal hitting stance and execute. Let s look at the various lateral movement footwork patterns. Crossover Crossover footwork is the quickest, most commonly used lateral footwork pattern. This technique involves the opposite foot crossing over in front of the foot nearest to the direction of movement. Think of it as sprinting footwork except the core body remains more aligned towards the direction of the net, rather than totally facing the direction you are running as you would to sprint. Though your shoulders are not completely turned in the direction you are running, you still want the shoulders leading the way to provide upper body momentum as you crossover. The crossover pattern is effective for covering greater distances laterally whether moving to the ball or moving back on recovery. Shuffle Shuffle footwork is a lateral movement technique where the feet come together in the movement but never crossover, used primarily on recovery. There is definitely a time and place for shuffle footwork in everyone s game. When you have to move a greater distance on recovery, you ll should use the crossover pattern for the first couple of strides then transition into the shuffle footwork as they you get closer to recovery position. Using a combination of footwork patterns together enables you to cover ground better initially and as you get nearer to recovery position and reaction, shuffling allows you to neutralize your body momentum as you continue to move and flow seamlessly into the reaction split footwork base. Because it naturally limits body momentum, shuffle footwork is only effective for moving shorter distances. Too many players use shuffle footwork in situations where they should be working with crossover footwork. For instance, from a wide position in the court, they try to shuffle the whole way back on recovery, which is too slow to be effective. Only when the ball is within a 1 or 2 steps from you, would you want to use shuffle footwork to get there. Cross-behind The cross-behind pattern involves the opposite foot crossing behind the foot nearest to the direction of movement. Not as commonly used as a pattern of footwork like the crossover but the cross-behind step is a very versatile technique used in more situations than you might think. This technique is commonly used for the purpose of maintaining sideways alignment to the net when moving back to cover deep balls and on the follow-through when moving forward through slice approach shots. You ll also see the cross-behind step used to move one step laterally, to quickly position and simultaneously load the body weight for the runaround forehand. 30 minute workout for Fed ball or Ball machine Working on explosive reactions for clay court and grass surfaces.

30 Drills - Multi-directional Clock Interval 1 - Multi-directional Clock Drill - 2 Reps - 1:30 work / :30 rest Interval 2 - Multi-directional Clock Drill - 2 Reps - 1:30 work / :30 rest Interval 3 - Multi-directional Clock Drill - 2 Reps - 1:30 work / :30 rest One Minute Break Elapsed Time - 7:00 Dog Sled [ doubles sideline to doubles sideline or equivalent distance ] Interval 4 - Dog Sled - Forward Sprint - 5 Reps (Up and back) - :30 rest Interval 5 - Dog Sled - Crossover Right - 5 Reps (Up and back) - :30 rest Interval 6 - Dog Sled - Crossover Left - 5 Reps (Up and back) - :30 rest One Minute Break Elapsed Time - 14:00 Alternating Groundstrokes [ focus on lateral acceleration to the ball ] Interval 7 - Crosscourt Deep - position 3-5 feet behind baseline Interval 8 - Deep Down the line - position 3-5 feet behind baseline Interval 9 - Alternate crosscourt & down the line - position on or inside the baseline One Minute Break Elapsed Time - 21:00 Volleys [ focus on instantaneous reaction to the ball recover sharply after every shot ] Interval 10 - Forehand Volleys - position 3-5 feet behind baseline Interval 11 - Backhand Volleys - position 3-5 feet behind baseline Interval 12 - Alternate Volleys - position on or inside the baseline Two Minute Cool Down and Stretch End of Workout Elapsed Time - 30:00 DAY5 Elevated Split Step

31 The elevated split step is one of the techniques classified under un-weighting. You ll often see un-weighting used by movement specialists to lighten their load prior to the return of serve and at the moment of the opponent s point of contact during rallies. It is nothing more than a split step that elevates the body off the ground. When perfectly timed to the opponent s contact point, un-weighting elevates the feet off the ground at the same time you determine where the ball is going. By the time the feet hit the ground, they ve already begun to adjust for the 1st step reaction in a given direction, using either the foot pivot and drive or the drop step and drive maneuver. Un-weighting helps you overcome the effects of inertia experienced when both feet are on the ground and the body has no directional momentum. 30 minute workout for Fed ball or Ball machine Working on elevated splits timed with the opponent s contact. Alternating Groundstrokes [ doubles sideline to doubles sideline or equivalent distance ] Interval 1 - Elevated Splits - 1:30 work / :30 rest Interval 2 - Elevated Splits - 1:30 work / :30 rest Interval 3 - Elevated Splits - 1:30 work / :30 rest One Minute Break Elapsed Time - 7:00 Interval 4 - Elevated Splits - 1:30 work / :30 rest Interval 5 - Elevated Splits - 1:30 work / :30 rest Interval 6 - Elevated Splits - 1:30 work / :30 rest One Minute Break Elapsed Time - 14:00 Forehands [ focus on elevating the split step for every shot ] Interval 7 - Crosscourt Deep - position 3-5 feet behind baseline Interval 8 - Deep Down the line - position 3-5 feet behind baseline Interval 9 - Alternate crosscourt and down the line - position on or inside the baseline One Minute Break Elapsed Time - 21:00 Backhands [ focus on elevating the split step for every shot ] Interval 10 - Crosscourt Deep - position 3-5 feet behind baseline Interval 11 - Deep Down the line - position 3-5 feet behind baseline Interval 12 - Alternate crosscourt and down the line - position on or inside the baseline Two Minute Cool Down and Stretch End of Workout Elapsed Time - 30:00

32 POWER CONTROL & C O N S I S T E N C Y

33 You ll learn that better power, control and consistency starts with the alignment of the stroke to the incoming ball. When you align the butt end of the racket more behind and beneath the incoming ball, more of the power you generate in your swing is transferred to the ball. Better alignment to the ball expands the contact zone, which translates into more ball control. Consistency begins with better preparation, consistent timing and good technique. Your ability to execute under pressure is the measure of your stroke confidence. To add a level of pressure to your practice, we will challenge you this week to the game of sharpshooter, where you try to achieve the highest score within the time interval. Keep track of your score each time and as your scores improve, so will your confidence. Sharpshooter Sharpshooter is a game that can be played when working on all parts of your game and can be adjusted for all levels of play. Sharpshooter is a game that rewards you for hitting target areas and penalizes any errors. To create the target zones, we divide the court into 4 quadrants by using markers or chalk to extend the center service line to the baseline. Depending on the drill, the target areas will vary. For balls landing within the target area you receive 1 point. Balls landing elsewhere in the court are worth no points. Balls hit out of play result in a 1point deduction from you score. Players start at zero and try to accumulate as high a score as possible within the interval time. More advanced players are encouraged to reduce the target areas to raise the level of difficulty. DAY1 Leverage Alignment Today, we explore the concept of alignment between the incoming ball and the stroke. To maximize the leverage in our swing, we work to position the butt end of the racket, behind and below the incoming ball. This alignment sets up the stroke to best drive through the ball. The Baseball glove drill One of the best drills to teach players how to properly set up and position to strike the ball is called the baseball glove drill. Essentially, the player wears a baseball glove on their dominant hand (glove optional) and practices moving to the ball and catching it. As you feed wide balls to their forehand, the player must move out to catch, then recover after each ball. You want to encourage them to extend their glove out as they reach to catch the ball. After the catch, the player should get rid of the ball off to the side to prepare for the next ball. What you ll immediately notice is how well the player seems to establish the right distance from the ball. In addition, the corresponding foot (right foot for right-handers) naturally sets up into an open stance, which depending on the situation would give them the option of driving forward into a neutral stance. Once the player has completed about 20 reps of the exercise have them remove the glove and repeat the drill with their racket in hand. In this variation of the exercise the player won t be striking the ball just yet. The challenge is to extend the arm and position so the ball bounces over the butt end of the racket. This teaches them the optimal alignment for producing maximum leverage in the stroke by positioning the butt end of the racket behind the incoming ball and below the height of contact. After several reps of this variation, finish the exercise by allowing the player to experience the feel of striking the ball from this alignment. For many players who have the habit of setting up too far away from the ball, it may take some time for them to adjust their swing to the optimal position and alignment. In time, they will see an improvement in power and control as a result of better leverage. Runaround Forehands For most players, their biggest forehands are the ones where they runaround balls hit to their backhand side and hit a forehand. The reason they experience more power on the runarounds

34 has to do with the alignment of their swing to the incoming ball. The energy they generate in their swing is being more efficiently applied to the ball. 30 minute workout for Fed ball or Ball machine Concentrate on preparing your racket so that the butt end is more in line and below the height of the incoming ball. Forehands Interval 1 - Baseball Glove Drill - position 3 to 5 feet behind baseline - Interval 1 - Butt end below ball Drill - position 3 to 5 feet behind baseline - Interval 3 - Runaround Forehands - position 3 to 5 feet behind baseline - Interval 4 - Wide Forehands - position 3 to 5 feet behind baseline - One Minute Break Elapsed Time - 9:00 Backhands [ scoring - +1 target, 0 elsewhere inside court, -1 errors ] Interval 5 - Baseball Glove Drill - position 3-5 feet behind baseline Interval 6 - Butt end below ball Drill - position 3-5 feet behind baseline Interval 7 - Runaround Forehands - position 3-5 feet behind baseline Interval 8 - Wide Forehands - position 3-5 feet behind baseline One Minute Break Elapsed Time - 18:00 Alternating Groundstrokes [ scoring - +1 target, 0 elsewhere inside court, -1 errors ] Interval 9 - Wider feeds - Sharpshooter target zones deep crosscourt quad - position 3 to 5 feet behind baseline -

35 Interval 10 - Deep Down the Line - Sharpshooter target zones deep crosscourt quad - position 3 to 5 feet behind baseline - Interval 11 - Angles - Sharpshooter target zones deep crosscourt quad - position on or inside the baseline - One Minute Break Elapsed Time - 25:00 Volleys [ scoring - +1 target, 0 elsewhere inside court, -1 errors ] Interval 12 - Forehand Volleys - Target area between the service line and baseline - 1:00 work / :30 rest Interval 12 - Forehand Volleys - Target area between the service line and baseline - 1:00 work / :30 rest Two Minute Cool Down and Stretch End of Workout Elapsed Time - 30:00 DAY2 Loading Open Stances Loading Up The concept of loading up goes beyond merely getting the feet adjusted into the open stance. It s about positioning the body weight properly to power the athletic foundation for the stroke. For an open stance, you want to be low in your athletic foundation and load the body weight over the foot nearest to the ball. With your weight forward over the toes of the foot nearest to the ball, the heel of that foot will naturally elevate slightly off the ground. This sets up the opportunity to drive your weight forward into a neutral stance, when the situation presents itself. Upper Torso Twists In this exercise, the lower body will remain facing forward while the upper body twists 180 degrees from facing right to facing left. Feel the winding of the spring in the core body as the shoulders wind up into the backswing and unwind into the stroke. Hip Torque An advanced movement technique that creates a spring loaded affect to power the pivoting of the shoulder mechanics. When hitting on the run, the player will rotate the hips to face more towards the net as they load up in the open stance, then lunge to contact. This technique adds more power potential to the stroke as the body unwinds and pivots through contact. 30 minute workout for Fed ball or Ball machine Concentrate on setting up as many Open stance opportunities as possible in your workout today. You want to emphasize loading the weight into the foot closest to the ball and try to keep your chest centered over the contact point until you reach follow-through.

36 Forehands [ scoring - +1 target, 0 elsewhere inside court, -1 errors ] Interval 1 - Load Open Stance - Crosscourt Deep - Sharpshooter target zones deep crosscourt quad - position within 3 feet behind baseline - Interval 2 - Load Open Stance - Deep Down the Line - Sharpshooter target zones deep down line quad - position within 3 feet behind baseline - Interval 3 - Alternate Crosscourt & Down the Line - Sharpshooter target zones crosscourt & deep down line quads - position on or inside the baseline - One Minute Break Elapsed Time - 7:00 Backhands [ scoring - +1 target, 0 elsewhere inside court, -1 errors ] Interval 4 - Load Open Stance - Crosscourt Deep - Sharpshooter target zones deep crosscourt quad - position 3 to 5 feet behind baseline - Interval 5 - Load Open Stance - Deep Down the Line - Sharpshooter target zones deep down line quad - position 3 to 5 feet behind baseline - Interval 6 - Alternate crosscourt and down the line - Sharpshooter target zones crosscourt & deep down line quads - position on or inside the baseline - One Minute Break Elapsed Time - 14:00 Alternating Groundstrokes [ scoring - +1 target, 0 elsewhere inside court, -1 errors ] Interval 7 - Wider feeds - Hip Torque Open Stance - Deep Crosscourts - Sharpshooter target zones deep crosscourt quad - position 3 to 5 feet behind baseline - Interval 8 - Wider feeds - Hip Torque Open Stance - Deep Down the Line - Sharpshooter target zones deep down line quad - position 3 to 5 feet behind baseline -

37 Interval 9 - Wider feeds - Angles - Sharpshooter targets both service boxes - position on or inside the basline - One Minute Break Elapsed Time - 21:00 Volleys [ scoring - +1 target, 0 elsewhere inside court, -1 errors ] Interval 10 - Forehand Volleys - Target area between the service line and baseline - 1:30 work / :30 rest Interval 11 - Backhand Volleys - Target area between the service line and baseline - 1:30 work / :30 rest Interval 12 - Alternate Deep Volleys - Target area between the service line and baseline - Interval 13 - Alternate Angle Volleys - Target areas both service boxes - Two Minute Cool Down and Stretch End of Workout Elapsed Time - 30:00 DAY3 Driving the Neutral Stances Pivot Power Many players hit from the neutral stance but don t always drive their weight forward when the opportunity presents itself. The added power you achieve by driving forward comes from the pivoting action of the hips and shoulders into contact. Today, we work on driving the weight forward, planting the toe of the front foot into the ground first, not landing on the heel of the front foot. This toe plant should stabilize the knee better and generate more pivoting power from the core body. 30 minute workout for Fed ball or Ball machine Concentrate on early and correct racket preparation to help you set up into neutral stances Forehands [ target area between the service line and baseline. ] [ shorter feeds to enable the drive to neutral situation. ] [ scoring - +1 target, 0 elsewhere inside court, -1 errors ] Interval 1 - Crosscourt Deep - Sharpshooter target zones deep crosscourt quad - position 3 to 5 feet behind baseline - Interval 2 - Deep Down the Line - Sharpshooter target zones deep down line quad - position 3 to 5 feet behind baseline -

38 Interval 3 - Alternate crosscourt & Down the Line - Sharpshooter target zones deep crosscourt quad - position on or inside the baseline - One Minute Break Elapsed Time - 7:00 Backhands [ scoring - +1 target, 0 elsewhere inside court, -1 errors ] Interval 4 - Crosscourt Deep - position 3 to 5 feet behind baseline - Sharpshooter target zones deep crosscourt quad - Interval 5 - Deep Down the Line - position 3 to 5 feet behind baseline - Sharpshooter target zones deep down line quad - Interval 6 - Alternate crosscourt & Down the Line - position on or inside the baseline - Sharpshooter target zones deep crosscourt & deep down line quads - One Minute Break Elapsed Time - 14:00 Alternating Groundstrokes [ scoring - +1 target, 0 elsewhere inside court, -1 errors ] Interval 7 - Wider feeds - Deep Crosscourts - Sharpshooter target zones deep crosscourt quad - position 3 to 5 feet behind baseline - Interval 8 - Wider feeds - Deep Down the Line - Sharpshooter target zones deep down line quad - position 3 to 5 feet behind baseline - Interval 9 - Wider feeds - Angles - Sharpshooter targets both service boxes - position on or inside the basline - One Minute Break Elapsed Time - 21:00 Volleys [ scoring - +1 target, 0 elsewhere inside court, -1 errors ] Interval 10 - Forehand Volleys - Target area between the service line and baseline - 1:30 work / :30 rest Interval 11 - Backhand Volleys - Target area between the service line and baseline - 1:30 work / :30 rest

39 Interval 12 - Alternate Deep Volleys - Target area between the service line and baseline - Interval 13 - Alternate Angle Volleys - Target areas both service boxes - Two Minute Cool Down and Stretch End of Workout Elapsed Time - 30:00 DAY4 Opposite Arm Anchor Arm An intensely flexed opposite arm can effectively stabilize the shoulder mechanics, counter-balancing the forces generated by the dominant arm during the stroke. In defensive situations where you are forced to stretch and reach, the opposite arm counter-balances and anchors the shoulder mechanics in an open position facing the net, focusing all the energy to the pulling action of the dominant arm. Helicopter Arm In more offensive situations where you are looking to maximize controlled power, the opposite arm can work in a pivoting action, sweeping across the body to generate rotation of the shoulders into the stroke. This working counter-balance technique incorporates the opposite arm similar to how a baseball pitcher uses the glove arm to incorporate both arms in the pitch. 30 minute workout for Fed ball or Ball machine Concentrate on using the opposite arm to anchor your swing when pulled wide and on the short putaways, practice the helicopter rotation of the opposite arm to help drive your shoulders into the swing. Forehands [ target area between the service line and baseline. ] [ shorter feeds to enable the drive to neutral situation. ] [ scoring - +1 target, 0 elsewhere inside court, -1 errors ] Interval 1 - Wider feed - Anchor Arm - Crosscourt Deep - Sharpshooter target zones deep crosscourt quad - position 3 to 5 feet behind baseline - Interval 2 - Wider feed - Anchor Arm - Deep Down the Line - Sharpshooter target zones deep down line quad - position 3 to 5 feet behind baseline - Interval 3 - Anchor Arm - Crosscourt Angles - Sharpshooter target zones deep crosscourt quad - position 3 to 5 feet behind baseline - One Minute Break Elapsed Time - 7:00

40 Interval 4 - Helicopter Arm - Runaround Forehands - position on or inside the baseline - Sharpshooter target zones crosscourt & deep down line quads - Interval 5 - Helicopter Arm - Short Putaways - position on or inside the baseline - Sharpshooter target zones crosscourt & deep down line quads - Interval 6 - Helicopter Arm - Short Putaways - position on or inside the baseline - Sharpshooter target zones crosscourt & deep down line quads - One Minute Break Elapsed Time - 14:00 Backhands [ scoring - +1 target, 0 elsewhere inside court, -1 errors ] One-Handed Backhands practice anchoring the opposite arm to resist the shoulders rotating open in the forward swing. Two-handers work on driving backhands with a balanced contribution from the opposite arm. Interval 7 - Crosscourt Deep - Sharpshooter target zones deep crosscourt quad - position 3 to 5 feet behind baseline - Interval 8 - Deep Down the Line - Sharpshooter target zones deep down line quad - position 3 to 5 feet behind baseline - Interval 9 - Crosscourt Angles - Sharpshooter target zones deep crosscourt quad - position 3 to 5 feet behind baseline - One Minute Break Elapsed Time - 21:00 Volleys [ opposite arm intensity to anchor and counter-balance dominant arm action ] [ scoring - +1 target, 0 elsewhere inside court, -1 errors ] Interval 10 - Forehand Volleys - Target area between the service line and baseline - 1:30 work / :30 rest Interval 11 - Backhand Volleys - Target area between the service line and baseline - 1:30 work / :30 rest Interval 12 - Alternate Deep Volleys - Target area between the service line and baseline -

41 Interval 13 - Alternate Angle Volleys - Target areas both service boxes - Two Minute Cool Down and Stretch End of Workout Elapsed Time - 30:00 DAY5 Hitting on the rise The best way to generate more power in your offensive weapons is to learn to play closer to the baseline and drive forward into the neutral stance, timing make contact with the ball before it rises to the top of the bounce. This enables you to benefit from the power of the incoming ball to hit more penetrating shots and reduce recovery time for your opponent. Today we ll position closer to the baseline and hit every ball on the rise. Building Depth While more power does contribute, increasing net clearance is the key to achieving better depth. Work on producing a little topspin on your ground-strokes as you increase your clearance to at least 2 feet above the net. Bend your knees, get lower to the ground and resist launching up in the stroke to improve net clearance. 30 minute workout for Fed ball or Ball machine Concentrate on driving forward into a neutral stance making contact with the ball as it rises up to the top of the bounce. Forehands [ target area between the service line and baseline. ] [ scoring - +1 target, 0 elsewhere inside court, -1 errors ] Interval 1 - Crosscourt Deep - position within 3 feet behind baseline - Sharpshooter target zones deep crosscourt quad - Interval 2 - Deep Down the Line - position within 3 feet behind baseline - Sharpshooter target zones deep down line quad - Interval 3 - Half -Volleys - position on or inside the baseline - One Minute Break Elapsed Time - 7:00 Backhands [ scoring - +1 target, 0 elsewhere inside court, -1 errors ] Interval 4 - Crosscourt Deep - position within 3 feet behind baseline - Sharpshooter target zones deep crosscourt quad - Interval 5 - Deep Down the Line - position within 3 feet behind baseline -

42 Sharpshooter target zones deep down line quad - Interval 6 - Half -Volleys - position on or inside the baseline - One Minute Break Elapsed Time - 14:00 Alternating Groundstrokes [ scoring - +1 target, 0 elsewhere inside court, -1 errors ] Interval 7 - Wider Feeds - Deep Crosscourts - Sharpshooter target zones deep crosscourt quad - position within 3 feet behind baseline - Interval 8 - Wider Feeds - Deep Down the Line - Sharpshooter target zones deep down line quad - position within 3 feet behind baseline - Interval 9 - Wider Feeds - Angles - Sharpshooter targets both service boxes - position on or inside the baseline - One Minute Break Elapsed Time - 21:00 Volleys [ scoring - +1 target, 0 elsewhere inside court, -1 errors ] Interval 10 - Forehand Volleys - Target area between the service line and baseline - 1:30 work / :30 rest Interval 11 - Backhand Volleys - Target area between the service line and baseline - 1:30 work / :30 rest Interval 12 - Alternate Deep Volleys - Target area between the service line and baseline - Interval 13 - Alternate Angle Volleys - Target areas both service boxes - Two Minute Cool Down and Stretch End of Workout Elapsed Time - 30:00

43 RANGEOFCOVERAGE & R E C O V E R Y

44 The greatest tennis players are movement specialists able to assert their movement strengths as weapons to dominate the opposition. They perform with high octane intensity required to generate explosive reaction time and quick acceleration. They use quickness to maximize offensive opportunities, covering every inch of court. Fluid and agile footwork enables them to efficiently track down balls and smoothly execute their strokes, even on the run and slide. Instantaneous changes of direction and sharp recovery skills are their weapons for defending the court, minimizing open court opportunities for the opponent. Players who aren t motivated or capable of moving quickly, fall behind the pace of play, resulting in stroke breakdown and errors. How wide does an opponent have to stretch you before you resort to popping up defensive lobs or you go for broke and your stroke breaks down on the run? We are going to show you how to expand your range of coverage and strike offensively on the run and on the slide. Timing of the Ball Exchange At an average rally speed, the ball travels from baseline to baseline in less than 2 seconds. That means on recovery, you have less than 2 seconds to fully recover before the ball is on it s way back to you. To fully recover, you must position yourself at the midpoint or halfway between the opponent s potential shot options before they execute their next shot. However, the location of that halfway, midpoint varies based on the direction and depth of your shots. So, your shot selection impacts the time of recovery and the distance you must travel to fully recover. That s why you ll often see players when pulled wide in a rally, hit back crosscourt to continue the point, because it provides the shortest distance to fully recover. Hitting down the line in the same scenario, unless it is an outright winner, often leaves you out of position to defend your court against crosscourt shots. DAY1 Shot Selection and Recovery Positioning Knowing how to correctly position on recovery based on your shot selection is essential to defending your turf against attack. 30 minute workout for Fed ball or Ball machine Concentrate on achieving the correct recovery position based on the shot direction you hit. Forehands [ target area between the service line and baseline. ] [ scoring - +1 target, 0 elsewhere inside court, -1 errors ] Interval 1 - Crosscourt Deep & Recover - position within 3 feet behind baseline - Sharpshooter target zones deep crosscourt quad - Interval 2 - Down the Line Deep & Recover - position within 3 feet behind baseline - Sharpshooter target zones deep down line quad - Interval 3 - Alternate Crosscourt / Down the Line & Recover - position within 3 feet behind baseline -

45 One Minute Break Elapsed Time - 7:00 Backhands [ scoring - +1 target, 0 elsewhere inside court, -1 errors ] Interval 4 - Crosscourt Deep & Recover - position within 3 feet behind baseline - Sharpshooter target zones deep crosscourt quad - Interval 5 - Down the Line Deep & Recover - position within 3 feet behind baseline - Sharpshooter target zones deep down line quad - Interval 6 - Alternate Crosscourt / Down the Line & Recover - position within 3 feet behind baseline - One Minute Break Elapsed Time - 14:00 Alternating Groundstrokes [ scoring - +1 target, 0 elsewhere inside court, -1 errors ] Interval 7 - Crosscourt Deep & Recover - Sharpshooter target zones deep crosscourt quad - position within 3 feet behind baseline - Interval 8 - Down the Line Deep & Recover - Sharpshooter target zones deep down line quad - position within 3 feet behind baseline - Interval 9 - Alternate Crosscourt / Down the Line & Recover - position within 3 feet behind baseline - One Minute Break Elapsed Time - 21:00 Volleys [ scoring - +1 target, 0 elsewhere inside court, -1 errors ] Positioning correctly is vital to defending the net effectively. Work on positioning to cover down-the-line, sharp angle and defend against the lob. Interval 10 - Forehand Volley & Recover - Target area between the service line and baseline - 1:30 work / :30 rest Interval 11 - Backhand Volley & Recover - Target area between the service line and baseline - 1:30 work / :30 rest Interval 12 - Alternate Deep & Angle Volleys & Recover - 1:30 work / :30 rest

46 Two Minute Cool Down and Stretch End of Workout Elapsed Time - 30:00 DAY2 Defend your Turf Today, we focus on the skills you need to best defend your court against attack. Lateral Recovery Movement Shoulder alignment to the net is the key to protecting against your opponent hitting behind you. While still establishing upper body momentum in the first move on recovery, as we do on reaction, rather than facing your shoulders in the direction you are moving, work to keep your shoulders facing towards the net. Move as quickly as possible using crossover and shuffle footwork until you reach recovery position or until the opponent is about to make contact. Whether you reach full recovery position in time or not, you need to split step at the opponent s contact to react on time to the next shot. If you fail to spilt step on time, you will be late on reacting to the next shot. Crossover vs Shuffle footwork Shuffling naturally limits body momentum so it is only practical for moving shorter distances. Too many players use shuffle footwork in situations where they should be working with crossover and at times, cross-behind footwork. For instance, from a wide position in the court, trying to shuffle the whole way back on recovery is too slow to be effective. Crossover footwork enables you to benefit from your upper body momentum. When top players are recovering from a wide position in the court, they most commonly use crossover footwork for the first step or two then transition into shuffle steps. 30 minute workout for Fed ball or Ball machine Work on achieving full recovery position after every shot but be sure to pay attention to your shoulders facing forward as you recover. Quick Shuffle Interval 1 - Quick Shuffle Footwork - Alley to Alley - 5 Reps each direction - 1:30 work / :30 rest Interval 2 - Quick Shuffle Footwork - Alley to Alley - 5 Reps each direction - 1:30 work / :30 rest Interval 3 - Quick Shuffle Footwork - Alley to Alley - 5 Reps each direction - 1:30 work / :30 rest One Minute Break Elapsed Time - 7:00 Dog Sled Interval 4 - Dog Sled - Crossover Footwork - Alley to Alley - 5 Reps each direction - 1:30 work / :30 rest Interval 5 - Dog Sled - Crossover Footwork - Alley to Alley - 5 Reps each direction - 1:30 work / :30 rest Interval 6 - Dog Sled - Crossover Footwork - Alley to Alley - 5 Reps each direction - 1:30 work / :30 rest One Minute Break Elapsed Time - 14:00

47 Forehands Interval 7 - Crosscourt Deep w/ Full Recovery - Interval 8 - Deep to the Middle w/ Full Recovery - Interval 9 - Down the Line w/ Full Recovery - One Minute Break Elapsed Time - 21:00 Backhands Interval 7 - Crosscourt Deep w/ Full Recovery - Interval 8 - Deep to the Middle w/ Full Recovery - Interval 9 - Down the Line w/ Full Recovery - Two Minute Cool Down and Stretch End of Workout Elapsed Time - 30:00 DAY3 Expand your Attack Zone How far does your opponent have to stretch you before you are forced to play defensively? Today we work on the techniques that will enable you to play more offensively, when pulled wide off the court. When you can punish balls that stretch you, you discourage the opponent from trying to run you corner to corner and wide in the court. Load and Lunge (with Dog Sled) While you can develop the Load and Lunge technique without the Dog Sled, it is a very powerful tool for accelerating the technique into a powerful habit. The concept is to position the player inside the front end of the Dog Sled and create a little resistance to begin with. The ball should be fed approximately 1 or 2 steps away. The player must adjust and position their feet to load the body weight on the toes of the foot closest to the ball in an Open Stance. As the ball approaches, the player lunges towards contact, stretching the dog Sled in an effort to drive the center of their chest towards contact. The result will be an offensive stroke powered by upper body momentum. 30 minute workout for Fed ball or Ball machine Work on sharply timed reactions to the fed balls to maximize the time you have to set up the Load and Lunge correctly. We will also incorporate shadow tennis drills that will train your feet how to quickly set up correctly for the stroke. Forehands Interval 1 - Load & Lunge w/ Dog Sled - 1:30 work / :30 rest Interval 2 - Load & Lunge w/ Dog Sled - 1:30 work / :30 rest

48 Interval 3 - Load & Lunge NO Dog Sled - 1:30 work / :30 rest One Minute Break Elapsed Time - 7:00 Backhands Interval 4 - Load & Lunge w/ Dog Sled - 1:30 work / :30 rest Interval 5 - Load & Lunge w/ Dog Sled - 1:30 work / :30 rest Interval 6 - Load & Lunge NO Dog Sled - 1:30 work / :30 rest One Minute Break Elapsed Time - 14:00 Shadow Tennis Drills When on-court use the doubles alleys or set up markers at a similar distance for off-court training. Interval 7 - Forehand Alley Crossover Lunges - 1:30 work / :30 rest Interval 8 - Backhand Alley Crossover Lunges w/ Recovery - 1:30 work / :30 rest Interval 9 - Runaround Forehand Alley Cross-behind w/ Recovery - 1:30 work / :30 rest One Minute Break Elapsed Time - 21:00 Volleys [ work on full reach lunge volleys and recover ] Interval 10 - Lunge Forehand Volley & Recover - 1:30 work / :30 rest Interval 11 - Lunge Backhand Volley & Recover - 1:30 work / :30 rest Interval 12 - Alternate Deep & Angle Lunge Volleys & Recover - 1:30 work / :30 rest Two Minute Cool Down and Stretch End of Workout Elapsed Time - 30:00 DAY4 Built-in Recovery A technique that will make you quicker on recovery is called the built in recovery. That means when you are stretched wide where you have along way to travel back on recovery and have very little time, you learn to build a lower body change of direction maneuver that occurs in the follow-through. Depending on the situation and surface, there are a few common variations. Open Stance Slalom Recovery on hard courts Like a skier changing directions in the turn around the slalom flag, the lower body shifts underneath the core to reverse directional momentum. By the time you complete the follow-through, your upper body is positioned to lead the way back on recovery. Open Stance Kick Step Recovery on hard courts Another Open Stance technique that works like anti-lock brakes in a car involves a kick out extra half step with the outside foot after contact.

49 Neutral Stance Pivot Recovery As the body weight drives forward into the neutral stance, the weight should jam into the front leg forcing the dominant side to pivot around so the body is facing the net on the finish. The end result swings the back leg around into a split step ready position to begin recovery Drop Step Slide Recovery for Clay Courts You ll see the top clay court players begin shifting the upper body back towards the middle of the court, even while still sliding after contact, beginning the recovery. As the push back off the outside foot, at the same time the inside foot tucks underneath the core body to set up the drop step maneuver for recovery. 30 minute workout for Fed ball or Ball machine Work on sharply timed reactions to the fed balls to maximize the time you have to set up the Load and Lunge correctly. If playing on Clay, work on the Drop Step Slide Recovery for Clay Courts in place of the hard court techniques. Forehands [ work on building the specified recovery technique into every stroke ] Interval 1 - Slalom Recovery Technique - 1:30 work / :30 rest Interval 2 - Slalom Recovery Technique - 1:30 work / :30 rest Interval 3 - Kick Step Recovery Technique - 1:30 work / :30 rest One Minute Break Elapsed Time - 7:00 Interval 4 - Kick Step Recovery Technique - 1:30 work / :30 rest Interval 5 - Neutral Stance Pivot Recovery Technique - 1:30 work / :30 rest Interval 6 - Neutral Stance Pivot Recovery Technique - 1:30 work / :30 rest One Minute Break Elapsed Time - 14:00 Backhands [ work on building the specified recovery technique into every stroke ] Interval 7 - Slalom Recovery Technique - 1:30 work / :30 rest Interval 8 - Slalom Recovery Technique - 1:30 work / :30 rest Interval 9 - Kick Step Recovery Technique - 1:30 work / :30 rest One Minute Break Elapsed Time - 21:00 Interval 4 - Kick Step Recovery Technique - 1:30 work / :30 rest Interval 5 - Neutral Stance Pivot Recovery Technique - 1:30 work / :30 rest Interval 6 - Neutral Stance Pivot Recovery Technique - 1:30 work / :30 rest Two Minute Cool Down and Stretch End of Workout Elapsed Time - 30:00 DAY5 Change of Direction Change of direction can be one of the most physically demanding maneuvers as you work against the forces of movement to reverse directional momentum. The correct use of well timed split steps will reduce the amount of sudden, rigorous changes of direction. Today, we ll work on techniques that can improve your ability to reverse direction more quickly. The most commonly used maneuver for changing direction is very similar to the slalom recovery technique.

50 Lower Torso Twists This an interesting variation of the upper torso twists. In this exercise you try to keep the upper body still to anchor the pivoting of the lower body from facing one direction pivoting a full 180 degrees where the legs now face in the opposite direction. Lateral Clap Drill In this drill, the coach stands behind the player(s) out of site. The player(s) line up in one alley and with the first clap, the player move laterally across the court until the next clap signals instant change of direction. Lateral Zig-Zags This is a slalom style drill where you work on changing directions laterally while keep the head centered over the line. As you shift back and forth, work to maintain the same athletic height Change of Direction Ball Drop Drill The coach stands on the service line with his arms out stretched and a ball in each hand. The player starts in front of him and begins backpeddling towards the baseline. When the player gets up to speed the coach drops one of the balls and the player tries to reverse momentum from backwards to forwards and make the catch before the 2nd bounce. 30 minute workout for Fed ball or Ball machine Interval 1 - Lower Torso Twists - 1:30 work / :30 rest Interval 2 - Lateral Clap Drill - 1:30 work / :30 rest Interval 3 - Lateral Clap Drill - 1:30 work / :30 rest One Minute Break Elapsed Time - 7:00 Groundstroke Combinations [ the following interval titles are descriptive of how the drill should be fed ] Interval 7 - Deep Forehand / Short Backhand - 1:30 work / :30 rest Interval 8 - Deep Forehand / Short Backhand - 1:30 work / :30 rest Interval 9 - Random Alternating Feed - 1:30 work / :30 rest (feed to each side in a random pattern occasionally feeding behind the player) One Minute Break Elapsed Time - 21:00 Volleys [ work on full reach lunge volleys and recover. ] Interval 7 - Random Quick Volleys - 1:30 work / :30 rest Interval 8 - Random Quick Volleys - 1:30 work / :30 rest Interval 9 - Random Quick Volleys - 1:30 work / :30 rest Two Minute Cool Down and Stretch End of Workout Elapsed Time - 30:00 Interval 4 - Lateral Zig-Zags - 1:30 work / :30 rest Interval 5 - Lateral Zig-Zags - 1:30 work / :30 rest Interval 6 - Change of Direction Ball Drop Drill - 1:30 work / :30 rest One Minute Break Elapsed Time - 14:00

51 EXPANDINGYOUR W E A P O N A R S E N A L Approach shots, slice, chip, drop shots, lobs, angles

52 DAY1 Return of Serve The return of serve should become your biggest defensive weapon. You must develop the skills to drive, block and chip/slice your returns. Against powerful first serves, typically you prepare to block the ball using a very condensed groundstroke technique. On second serve, you have more of an opportunity to drive the ball using an abbreviated backswing ground-stroke. As a change of pace and against serve and volleyers, a chip or slice return keeps the ball low and is an effective even when it lands short in the opponents in the court.. At times, you ll even see the top players use their volleys skills to block return against huge serves. We will show you the Full Reach Return technique that will enable you to extend and lunge to wide serves and drive the ball. Today s workout will include practicing all the varieties of return on both sides. Full Reach Returns To effectively expand your range of offense on return, you need to be able to set up the feet and lunge towards contact. At the same time, you must reach out in efforts to get your racket prepared behind the incoming ball. This sets up for a stroke that will travel back towards the center of the court on followthrough. 30 minute workout for Fed ball or Ball machine Work on sharply timed reactions to the fed balls to maximize the time you have to set up the Load and Lunge correctly. Forehands Interval 2 - Drive Returns - 1:30 work / :30 rest Interval 3 - Slice / Chip Returns - 1:30 work / :30 rest One Minute Break Elapsed Time - 7:00 Interval 4 - Full Reach Return w/ Dog Sled - 1:30 work / :30 rest Interval 5 - Full Reach Return w/ Dog Sled - 1:30 work / :30 rest Interval 6 - Full Reach Return w/ Dog Sled - 1:30 work / :30 rest One Minute Break Elapsed Time - 14:00 Backhands Interval 7 - Block Returns - 1:30 work / :30 rest Interval 8 - Drive Returns - 1:30 work / :30 rest Interval 9 - Slice / Chip Returns - 1:30 work / :30 rest One Minute Break Elapsed Time - 21:00 Interval 4 - Full Reach Return w/ Dog Sled - 1:30 work / :30 rest Interval 5 - Full Reach Return w/ Dog Sled - 1:30 work / :30 rest Interval 6 - Full Reach Return w/ Dog Sled - 1:30 work / :30 rest Two Minute Cool Down and Stretch End of Workout Elapsed Time - 30:00 Interval 1 - Block Returns - 1:30 work / :30 rest

53 DAY2 Approach Shots, Volleys & Overheads Today we work on the transition and moving forward to close points as we develop the skills of the attacking game. 30 minute workout for Fed ball or Ball machine Work on sharply timed reactions to the fed balls to maximize the time you have to set up the Load and Lunge correctly. Forehands Interval 1 - Down Line Approach + Volley - position on or inside baseline - 1:30 work / :30 rest Interval 2 - Down Line Approach + Volley - position on or inside baseline - 1:30 work / :30 rest Interval 3 - Low First Volley + Angle Volley - position 3 feet inside baseline - 1:30 work / :30 rest One Minute Break Elapsed Time - 7:00 Interval 4 - Low First Volley + Angle Volley - position 3 feet inside baseline - 1:30 work / :30 rest Interval 5 - Volley & Overhead Drill - position 3 feet inside service line - 1:30 work / :30 rest Interval 6 - Volley & Overhead Drill - position 3 feet inside service line - 1:30 work / :30 rest One Minute Break Elapsed Time - 14:00 Backhands Interval 7 - Down Line Approach + Volley - position on or inside baseline - 1:30 work / :30 rest Interval 8 - Down Line Approach + Volley - position on or inside baseline - 1:30 work / :30 rest Interval 9 - Low First Volley + Angle Volley - position 3 feet inside baseline - 1:30 work / :30 rest One Minute Break Elapsed Time - 21:00 Interval 10 - Low First Volley + Angle Volley - position 3 feet inside baseline - 1:30 work / :30 rest Interval 11 - Volley & Overhead Drill - position 3 feet inside service line - 1:30 work / :30 rest Interval 12 - Volley & Overhead Drill - position 3 feet inside service line - 1:30 work / :30 rest Two Minute Cool Down and Stretch End of Workout Elapsed Time - 30:00

54 DAY3 Slice & Chip The Slice backhand and Chip forehand are two valuable tools for every player to develop. They are versatile under-spin skills that enable you to work with very low balls, throw change of pace at the opponent and most of all, allow you to better set up and disguise the drop shot. 30 minute workout for Fed ball or Ball machine Work on sharply timed reactions to the fed balls to maximize the time you have to set up the Load and Lunge correctly. Forehands Interval 1 - Down Line Approach + Volley - position on or inside baseline - 1:30 work / :30 rest Interval 2 - Down Line Approach + Volley - position on or inside baseline - 1:30 work / :30 rest Interval 3 - Low First Volley + Angle Volley - position 3 feet inside baseline - 1:30 work / :30 rest One Minute Break Elapsed Time - 7:00 Interval 4 - Low First Volley + Angle Volley - position 3 feet inside baseline - 1:30 work / :30 rest Interval 5 - Volley & Overhead Drill - position 3 feet inside service line - 1:30 work / :30 rest Interval 6 - Volley & Overhead Drill - position 3 feet inside service line - 1:30 work / :30 rest One Minute Break Elapsed Time - 14:00 Interval 7 - Down Line Approach + Volley - position on or inside baseline - 1:30 work / :30 rest Interval 8 - Down Line Approach + Volley - position on or inside baseline - 1:30 work / :30 rest Interval 9 - Low First Volley + Angle Volley - position 3 feet inside baseline - 1:30 work / :30 rest One Minute Break Elapsed Time - 21:00 Interval 10 - Low First Volley + Angle Volley - position 3 feet inside baseline - 1:30 work / :30 rest Interval 11 - Volley & Overhead Drill - position 3 feet inside service line - 1:30 work / :30 rest Interval 12 - Volley & Overhead Drill - position 3 feet inside service line - 1:30 work / :30 rest Two Minute Cool Down and Stretch End of Workout Elapsed Time - 30:00 DAY4 Lobs, Drop Shots & Drop Volleys

55 Forehands Interval 1 - Drop Shots - position on or inside baseline - 1:30 work / :30 rest Interval 2 - Alternate Deep Chip Forehand & Drop Shot - position on or inside baseline - 1:30 work / :30 rest Interval 3 - Alternate Deep Chip Forehand & Drop Shot - position on or inside baseline - 1:30 work / :30 rest One Minute Break Elapsed Time - 7:00 Interval 4 - Lobs - position 3 to 5 feet behind baseline - 1:30 work / :30 rest Interval 5 - Alternate Lobs & Drop Shots - position 3 to 5 feet behind baseline - 1:30 work / :30 rest Interval 6 - Alternate Lobs & Drop Shots - position 3 to 5 feet behind baseline - 1:30 work / :30 rest One Minute Break Elapsed Time - 14:00 Backhands Interval 7 - Drop Shots - position on or inside baseline - 1:30 work / :30 rest Interval 8 - Alternate Slice Backhand & Drop Shot - position on or inside baseline - 1:30 work / :30 rest Interval 9 - Alternate Slice Backhand & Drop Shot - position 3 feet inside baseline - 1:30 work / :30 rest Interval 10 - Lobs - position 3 to 5 feet behind baseline - 1:30 work / :30 rest Interval 11 - Alternate Lobs & Drop Shots - Feed Both Sides position 3 to 5 feet behind baseline - 1:30 work / :30 rest Interval 12 - Alternate Lobs & Drop Shots - Feed Both Sides position 3 to 5 feet behind baseline - 1:30 work / :30 rest Two Minute Cool Down and Stretch End of Workout Elapsed Time - 30:00 DAY5 Heavy Topspins Topspin is an essential quality you must be able to produce for more controlled power and to maximize shot selection options. Applying topspin builds in elements that increase your ability to keep the ball in play. You can hit higher over the net and the spin action creates an effect that forces the ball down into the court. It creates opportunities to hit offensive lobs and sharp angles more effectively. Where many players hit a much loftier ball when they hit topspin, the technique for generating heavy topspin makes the ball spin fast but the ball travels more on a straight line over the net. As it reaches the backcourt, the heavy spin makes it dive down to the court, then the spin makes the ball feel heavier on the opponent s racket. It s time to work with the leverage band to help you enhance topspin production. The trick to this challenge is to learn how to pull the racket head along the path that creates a waving motion in

56 the wrist through contact to apply heavy topspin. Remember, to drive through the ball to full followthrough as you apply the spin. 30 minute workout for Fed ball or Ball machine Focus on limiting your backswing to correctly prepare the racket before the ball clears the net on the ground-strokes. On volleys, eliminate the backswing. Forehands Interval 1 - Heavy Topspin - Crosscourt Deep - position 3 to 5 feet behind baseline - 1:30 work / :30 rest Interval 2 - Heavy Topspin - Deep Down the Line - position 3 to 5 feet behind baseline - 1:30 work / :30 rest Interval 3 - Heavy Topspin - 3/4 Depth Crosscourts - position on or inside the baseline - 1:30 work / :30 rest One Minute Break Elapsed Time - 7:00 Interval 4 - Heavy Topspin - Sharp Angles Crosscourt - position on or inside the baseline - 1:30 work / :30 rest Interval 5 - Heavy Topspin - Lobs - position on or inside the baseline - 1:30 work / :30 rest Interval 6 - Heavy Topspin - Alternate Crosscourt / Down the Line - position on or inside the baseline - Int. / Adv. - 1:30 work / :30 rest Beg. - 1:00 work / 1:00 rest One Minute Break Elapsed Time - 14:00 Backhands Interval 7 - Heavy Topspin - Crosscourt Deep - position 3 to 5 feet behind baseline - 1:30 work / :30 rest Interval 8 - Heavy Topspin - Deep Down the Line - position 3 to 5 feet behind baseline - 1:30 work / :30 rest Interval 9 - Heavy Topspin - 3/4 Depth Crosscourts - position on or inside the baseline - 1:30 work / :30 rest One Minute Break Elapsed Time - 21:00 Interval 10 - Heavy Topspin - Sharp Angles Crosscourt - position on or inside the baseline - 1:30 work / :30 rest Interval 11 - Heavy Topspin - Lobs - position on or inside the baseline - 1:30 work / :30 rest Interval 12 - Heavy Topspin - Alternate Crosscourt / Down the Line - position on or inside the baseline - Int. / Adv. - 1:30 work / :30 rest Beg. - 1:00 work / 1:00 rest Two Minute Cool Down and Stretch End of Workout Elapsed Time - 30:00

57 BACKBOARD WORKOUTS On days when you have to train by yourself with no one to feed balls and no access to a ball machine, you can substitute working on the backboard in 1:30 intervals for 30 minutes. Below, we show you how to get the most out of working on the backboard. You can work on specialty shots, play sharpshooter and follow right along with the workout schedule for the day. Crank up your IPOD to some high intensity tunes and find the fun in working against the wall. It really is a great training resource! Creating Target Areas To make your time spent on the backboard most productive, we highly recommend the use of targets. If there are no target zones on your wall of choice, we suggest using sidewalk chalk to draw temporary target circles. It is also helpful to create a line horizontally across the wall representing the height of the net. Make the net line approximately 3 feet from the ground. (NOTE: The chalk targets and line will wash away with the first rain, causing no permanent damage, but if necessary, get permission before marking the wall) Draw two circles near the center of the wall, approximately 4 to 5 feet apart. Your target areas should be small enough to be challenging for your level of play, yet big enough to avoid getting you frustrated and discouraged. For novice players, draw the circles about the size of a hula-hoop. Intermediate to advanced players may want slightly smaller target zones. These will be utilized when working on the shot patterns, footwork and for cardio training. For the exercises that require making boundaries on the court surface, you can use the sidewalk chalk or flat rubber strips as markers. Avoid Becoming a Backboard Hack Position yourself close enough to the wall so the ball doesn t bounce more than once on the way back. Always practice with clear objectives in mind. Know exactly what you hope to accomplish in each exercise. That s what practice with purpose is all about. Find ways to challenge yourself with specific goals to achieve and you ll experience much better results Reinforcing a Stroke or Grip Change To work on a change in a particular stroke, the process is much like building a stroke from scratch. However, because you are changing an existing stroke habit, you have to take a slightly different approach. First, you must realize you ll be working against the grain in terms of habit building, as you attempt to eliminate the old skill and build the new one. Especially under pressure and as you get tired, your mind and body will want to fall back into the old habits. Take more frequent breaks during your hitting sessions, so you can concentrate on the adjustment and maintain high quality reps. You ll need to be very patient and allow yourself lots of time to develop your new stroke. Developing Your Hitting Stances You can develop the skills of hitting from the neutral, open and semi-open stances by positioning at different distances from the wall. The closer you position to the wall the more necessary and natural it becomes to hit from semi-open and open stances, quite similar to returning serve and playing inside the baseline. Today s game requires players to hit from the open and semi-open stances to reach higher levels of play. Determine how close to position from the wall based on your rally speed. The closer you are to the wall the more you ll need to condense your backswings as well. Practice rallying on the forehand from the open stance, then the backhand, then alternate sides. When hitting open and semi-open stances, try to sink down and load up with your legs, while keeping most of your body weight positioned on the outside foot through the shots. Training to Play Inside the Baseline To begin, use flat targets or chalk to make an imaginary baseline approximately 20 feet from the wall. You cannot backup beyond that marker as you rally. This will force you to hit on the rise, manage half-volleys, etc. Once you get comfortable at that distance move the line even closer to the wall to a distance of about 15 feet away and continue. Progress forward in your position until you are getting a combination of half-volleys and volleys. This exercise will make you more comfortable and effective playing tight to the baseline in competition. center of the court in match play. While there are times playing the ball down the center of the court is advisable, all too often this ploy leads to the opponent striking towards a corner, taking control of the point. To progress to higher levels of play, you must have enough control to move the ball around, and maintain shot patterns.

58 Grooving Your Shot Patterns A tendency of many players is to hit too many shots down the center of the court in match play. While there are times playing the ball down the center of the court is advisable, all too often this ploy leads to the opponent striking towards a corner, taking control of the point. To progress to higher levels of play, you must have enough control to move the ball around, and maintain shot patterns. { This exercise includes both target areas on the wall } Start the rally with your forehand. Aim your first shot to the down-the-line target and hit the 2nd ball to the crosscourt target. This will direct the ball to your backhand side where you will hit down-the-line, followed by the 2nd backhand hit crosscourt. Keep this pattern going as long as you can and you ll quickly see how great it is for your footwork. Mix in your slice and chip groundstrokes to add variety. Intermediate to Advanced Time how long you can maintain the pattern before breaking down. Keep track of how many balls you hit within the target area within 3 minutes Super-Advanced Variation Following the same 4 ball pattern, work to run around as many backhands as possible and hit a forehand. This will RE- ALLY test your footwork. Instead of hitting backhands, you run around and hit forehands. Developing Your Specialty Shots The following exercises isolate and focus on your various specialty shots: Intermediate to Advanced Angle Shots - To work your forehand and backhand angle shots, follow the same 4 ball shot pattern with the two targets used in the previous exercise. Hit the first forehand straight ahead, followed by a forehand crosscourt angle to the other target, followed by a backhand down the line and a backhand angle crosscourt. Maintain this zigzag pattern, focusing on your forehand and backhand angles. Experiment with varying degrees of spin and working the outer edges of the targets. Again, this will be a challenging footwork exercise. Topspin Lobs and Heavy Spins - In the course of rallying against the wall, mix in topspin lobs and experiment with producing heavier spins on the ball. Watch for the amount of spin on the ball as it rebounds off the wall to measure the effectiveness of your spins. You may find it to be a little more difficult to sustain long rallies when exaggerating spins on the ball. Slice-Approach Combination - The slice & approach drill begins out of a normal groundstroke rally against the wall. Within the first few shots, work in a slice groundstroke, then follow it with an approach shot, move in and volley the point out. The underspin you apply on your slice will produce more topspin on the ball coming back, giving you an approach ball similar to what you contend with in match play. Practice moving through your approach with your footwork on the attack. Slice-Drop Shot Combination - The Slice-drop shot drill reinforces a very effective backcourt shot combination, where the use of your deep slice groundstroke sets up disguise for the drop shot attack. Start the rally with flat groundstrokes. Mix in a few deep slices in a row, then with the same look and set up as your deep slice, throw in the drop shot. Try to make the backswing and preparation look identical for both the deep slice and the drop shot, to build in better disguise. Overheads - To practice your overheads, find a position approximately 20 to 25 feet from the wall. Start the drill with a serve type motion, hitting the ball down in to the ground so that it bounces 5 to 10 feet short of the wall. This will pop up a lob. Aim your overhead so that it hits the wall above the level of the net. Backhand Overheads - To produce a lob to your backhand side, follow the same routine but serve the ball more at an angle to the wall. A creative way of mastering what many consider to be the toughest shot in tennis.

59 Games You Can Play By Yourself Rock Steady The objective of this game is to see how long you can maintain a rally without breaking down. If you hit the ball below the height of the net or allow the ball to bounce twice, the game ends. Time yourself and chart your progress. This exercise will raise your level of confidence, as you see your rally time increase from day to day. Rock Steady can be applied to many of the previous exercises. Sharpshooter In a 3 minute period, see how many times you can hit the ball within the target area. This game not only tests consistency but accuracy under the pressure. Sharpshooter can also be applied to many of the previous exercises. Again, keep track of your progress over time and as the numbers increase, so too will your confidence. Sharpshooter can also be applied to many of the previous exercises. Cardio Workouts Almost any backboard exercise, if performed with enough intensity and for extended lengths of time, will benefit your cardiovascular system. However, to receive the cardiovascular workout that s ideal for you, you ll need to factor your target training zone. This is a range dependent on your age and is determined by the following formula. Subtract your age from 220. Take this number and multiply it by.6 and you have your lower exercise range. Multiply it by.8 and there's your higher exercise range. Maintaining your pulse rate within that range for 20 minutes or so will give you the cardio workout your body needs for the day. A.P. Belt Training beyond 30 Days In the first 30 days, you will begin the process of replacing less efficient habits and tendencies with more efficient technique. To fully engrain the new techniques into habit, you ll need to continue working in your training belt beyond 30 days. You can repeat the modules that focus most on your areas of need or the skills you want to master. Wearing the belt as you practice your strokes against the backboard or during fed-ball and live-ball drilling is very beneficial as well. You may be able to taper down to every other day as your skills improve.