Sample school Date: September 03, 2008 Time: 3:22 PM Days until match: 21 Number of courts: 6 Coach: Joe Pro Assistant(s): Jimmy Pro Practice Duration: 3 hour 0 minutes Comments: This is Test plan.. Warm-up - 20 minutes Activity: Foam ball warm-up (video) Court Notes: Warm up drill on all courts for 10 minutes Goals: Drill focuses on touch and feel of the ball. Players should apply underspin to shots to keep them within the service boxes and have them land softly like a drop shot. Organization: Place player at the service line. Using a foam ball, have player hit soft, nderspin forehand and backhand shots at targets. Keypoints: Use a foam ball. Shots should be soft with underspin and land within the service boxes like a drop shot.
Activity: No repeat groundstrokes warm-up (video) Court Notes: Warm up drill on all courts for 10 minutes Warm-up - 20 minutes Goals: A drill that emphasizes all types of groundstrokes during the warm-up. Players cannot repeat a shot/stroke twice in a row. Organization: Players will rally from baseline to baseline. Since this is a warm-up, the speed of the shots should be at a pace to sustain the rally. If Player A has just hit a forehand crosscourt with topspin, if he receives another forehand on the next shot, he must either hit a down-the-line shot or hit a slice forehand crosscourt. Have both players follow this theme for 5 minutes. Variations: Have multiple players rotate in every three to four shots in the rally or use half the court to have four players hitting at the same time. Keypoints: Focus on making good contact and sustaining the rally while never repeating the same shot twice in a row. Players must remain aware of both prior shot and direction. Drill - 1 hour 0 minutes Activity: Around the cone (video) Goals: This drill works on not only the technique of the shot, but also agility and conditioning. Make sure players load on their right foot and use the proper landing techniques for the selected shot. Organization: This drill can be a single or multiple player drill. Have your players start at the intersection of the singles sideline and the baseline. Set up cones a few feet from the center mark along the baseline. Have your players hit a forehand (either crosscourt or inside out) and run around the cone to receive the same shot again. Each player receives 10 feeds and switches to the other line. With a single player, allow proper rest in between each set. Variations: Allow players to hit inside-in forehands from ad court or backhands. Add players at the net hitting angled crosscourt volleys. Keypoints: Focus on loading and landing correctly for shot selected. Feeds should be paced to challenge players so as to work on conditioning also. Make sure players technique does not break down due to rapid-fire, unrealistic feeds.
Activity: Forehand drive (passing shot) (video) Drill - 1 hour 0 minutes Goals: Coach simulates an approach shot and net position so student can practice hitting accurate passing shots. Organization: Player starts at the center line along the baseline. Place players in line behind player A. Coach feeds ball and moves into volleying position at net. Player moves to the right and hits down the line, aiming for the target area. Player moves to back of the line as coach feeds ball to player B. Variations: Have players hit passing shots to crosscourt target area. Have players hit inside-out and -in forehand passing shots. Keypoints: Players should keep passing shot low to the net, not worrying about depth of shot. Activity: Shoulder-high putaways from 3/4 court Goals: Drill focuses on the shoulder-high putaway from three-quarter court and the footwork and spacing involved. Organization: Set up a cone at the center service mark on the baseline. Players start at the cone and move into position on the deuce side to hit a shoulder-high forehand (for right-handed players). Loading should occur and players should attempt to hit the ball while it is still on the rise whenever possible. Players recovery is back around the cone and to the ad side for another shoulder-high putaway forehand (this time an inside-out or inside-in). Players hit a predetermined number of balls based on skill level and number of players in the drill. Keypoints: Important for the players to run around the cone for recovery as it helps with all aspects of the shot footwork, contact point, how much of a backswing, etc. Keep feed high and slow to allow ball to bounce high enough and allow players to make contact in the upper-level strike zone. This feed should also have some topsin on it to simulate a match situation.
Drill - 1 hour 0 minutes Play - 1 hour 30 minutes Activity: Regular play Court Notes: Play sets on all courts Goals: Generally the best type of point play if time is available since it adds realism and pressure to the play situation Conditioning - 10 minutes Activity: Reaction footwork (video) Court Notes: Drill on all courts for 5 Mins. Goals: Improve footwork by having player move up, back and side to side. Organization: Have player start at the baseline. Player must move and adjust to feeds accordingly. Feed balls to both forehand and backhand so that player must adjust up and back on shots. Keypoints: Make player move and adjust for every shot.
Conditioning - 10 minutes Activity: Team sprints with racquets Court Notes: Drill on all courts for 5 Mins. Goals: A conditioning drill that emphasizes explosion, change of direction, agility and quickness. Trains players to run and stay balanced with their racquets. Organization: Players start on the side of the doubles sideline. Players touch lines with racquets. Players must touch singles sideline and come back, then touch center service line and come back, then touch other singles sideline and come back, then touch the far doubles sideline and come back. Competition as individuals and/or doubles teams also recommended. Keypoints: Focus on explosive first step.