DRILLS BASIC BALL SENSE

REQUIRED Tennis racquet Tennis ball(s) A large wall and space A partner Water to ensure you drink fluids

BALL SENSE

Judging the flight of the ball as it comes toward you is an essential skill, and one that you can improve with a series of simple exercises.

EXERCISEThrow a ball back and forth with a partner, catching it before it bounces. Also, bounce the ball to each other and catch it. Stretch your abilities by throwing two balls back and forth with a partner simultaneously. Use the palm of your hand to hit a ball thrown by a partner. This will develop your basic ground stroke timing of hitting the falling ball between knee and waist height.

DID YOU KNOW

Richard Krajicek, in 1996, became only the second unseeded player in the history of Wimbledon to became a champion in this prestigious tennis tournament. Going to the finals, he also beat Pete Sampras, becoming the only player to beat Sampras in a Wimbledon singles match in the eight-year period from 1993-2000.

DRILLS -TOSSING THE BALL

REQUIRED

Tennis balls Partner to assist Paper discs for marking

STEP ONE Often a beginner doesn’t have enough control to hit the ball with sufficient precision for his partner to return it. So, to start with, set up the ball for your partner (vice-versa) by simply tossing the ball to him underarm. If you hold the ball in your fingertips with the palm uppermost, you’ll be able to release the ball easily and keep maximum control of it.

STEP TWO Your partner should catch the ball with his right hand, keeping his forearm outside and in front of his right leg. Tossing the ball between you and catching it in this position will give both of you a feeling for the timing and rhythm of a bouncing ball, which will help you later when you first start to use a racquet.

STEP THREE Toss the ball in a high arc so it bounces in front of your partner. Use a paper disc on the floor to mark the spot where the ball is going to bounce. Your partner should catch the ball just after it has reached the top of its bounce. You should stand square on to each other with your feet shoulder width apart and knees slightly bent. This is called “open stance” and both of you should retain this position through out the exercise.

STEP FOUR Retaining the open stance, stand square on to each other with your throwing and catching arms opposite one another. Toss the ball to your partner so he doesn’t have to move to catch it.

PURPOSE OF THE DRILL

The aim of this exercise is to get you to set the ball up in the right place for your partner and vice-versa. How well you/he will be able to play your/his strokes using the racquet will depend on the accuracy with which you/he can toss the ball. Once you/he have achieved consistent accuracy, toss the ball deliberately to the left or right so your partner has to move to catch it correctly.

DID YOU KNOW

In tennis, the ad court is the left side of the court for each player, and the deuce court is the right side of the court for each player.