Read The Deep Ball and Attack with a Lob

By Ken Andriano USPTA Elite Professional

Round #1 30 minutes

10 minutes of Mini tennis with players working on half volleys and volley

Feeding drill- two lines feeding three balls, Neutral/deep ball for the player to hit deep cross court, second feed is a high deep ball for the player to hit a lob and step back up just inside the baseline, third feed is a and shorter ball they can step in and be aggressive down the line.

Second feeding drill – first and second feed are the same, but the third feed will be a lob that the player must move in and take in the air and come forward. First option is to have them hit straight ahead and attack the net player.

Round #2 40 minutes

Live ball drill: court 1- 1 up and 1 back (ad side back), court 2 - 1 up and 1 back (deuce side back), court 3- 1 up and 1 back (ad side back) vs. 2 back (feed from behind the 2 back team)

Feed to the back player a mix of neutral and deep balls. We want them to recognize the ball so that they can either play defense (stay away from the net player), neutral (cross court middle to set up their partner). On the deep lob feeds have the receiving player back up and lob the return. Feed mix of low balls, hard balls, and semi-deep lobs to the net player to keep them engaged in the drill.

Players on the feeding side: Net player moves up on a drive feed and holds neutral on a high feed to help defend the lob. Baseline player holds on a drive feed to opponent and moves in on a high feed to take the lob in the air! Make sure they recognize their opponent moving back on the deep ball is an opportunity to move in and attack.

Focus on the players shot selection

Round #3 20 minutes

Serve and return practice with a focus on location of serve and movement of net player

Have the serving team try to use the Australian formation on the add side a few times. Trying different formations in practice help them to use it in matches