TENNIS & Skills Drills JOEY RIVE SCOTT C. WILLIAMS HUMAN KINETICS Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data Rive, Joey. Tennis skills & drills / Joey Rive, Scott C. Williams. p. cm. ISBN-13: 978-0-7360-8308-9 (soft cover) ISBN-10: 0-7360-8308-1 (soft cover) 1. Tennis--Training. I. Williams, Scott C. II. Title. GV1002.9.T7R58 2012 796.342--dc23 2011027132 ISBN-10: 0-7360-8308-1 (print) ISBN-13: 978-0-7360-8308-9 (print) Copyright © 2012 by Joey Rive and Scott C. Williams All rights reserved. Except for use in a review, the reproduction or utilization of this work in any form or by any electronic, mechanical, or other means, now known or hereafter invented, including xerography, photocopying, and recording, and in any information storage and retrieval system, is forbidden without the written permission of the publisher. 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Printed in the United States of America 10 9 8 7 6 5 4 3 2 1 The paper in this book is certified under a sustainable forestry program. Human Kinetics Website: www.HumanKinetics.com United States: Human Kinetics Australia: Human Kinetics P.O. Box 5076 57A Price Avenue Champaign, IL 61825-5076 Lower Mitcham, South Australia 5062 800-747-4457 08 8372 0999 e-mail: [email protected] e-mail: [email protected] Canada: Human Kinetics New Zealand: Human Kinetics 475 Devonshire Road Unit 100 P.O. Box 80 Windsor, ON N8Y 2L5 Torrens Park, South Australia 5062 800-465-7301 (in Canada only) 0800 222 062 e-mail: [email protected] e-mail: [email protected] Europe: Human Kinetics 107 Bradford Road Stanningley Leeds LS28 6AT, United Kingdom +44 (0) 113 255 5665 e-mail: [email protected] E4810 To my father, Julio, and my mother, Gail, for inspiring me, and to my sons Zan and Cameron for inspiring me as well. —Joey Rive To my wife, Candace, and our children, Jasmine and Jaden Williams. To coach Jack Bailey for 20 plus years of service to Scots tennis. —Scott Williams Contents Acknowledgments . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . vi Key to Diagrams . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . vii Chapter 1 Forehand Skills . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1 Chapter 2 Backhand Skills . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 29 Chapter 3 Forehand and Backhand Drills . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 53 Chapter 4 Serve Skills . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 77 Chapter 5 Return Skills . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 95 Chapter 6 Serve and Return Drills . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 111 iv Contents Chapter 7 Net Skills . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 129 Chapter 8 Specialty Skills . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .155 Chapter 9 Net and Specialty Drills . . . . . . . . . . . 167 Chapter 10 Singles Strategy and Drills . . . . . . . . 187 Chapter 11 Doubles Strategy and Drills . . . . . . . 219 Drill Finder . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .253 About the Authors . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .263 v Acknowledgments I would like to thank T BAR M Racquet Club and the entire staff for being so patient with me through this process, especially Glen Agritelly, Darren Boyd, Chris Wade, and Doug Kruger. Thanks to Bobby Bernstein, Dave Licker, Greg Alexander, and Doug Kruger for their technical help. Thanks to Laurel Plotzke Garcia, Heather Healy, and all the folks at Human Kinetics for giving me a chance. Thanks to Scott Williams for his help and for the opportunity to collaborate with him through the fi nal stages of the book. Finally, I would like to thank all my friends and coaching buddies for their interest in the book and their continued support throughout. —Joey Rive Thank you to Joey Rive, Laurel Plotzke Garcia, and Heather Healy for making this book special. A special thanks goes to Cindy Newman and coach Jack Bailey. —Scott Williams vi Key to diagrams X Any player S Server SP Server’s partner R Returner RP Returner’s partner K King CO Coach Path of player Path of ball 1 Shot number • Bounce Cone E4810/Rive/KTD/419096/alw/R2-ke vii 11 chapter Forehand Skills 2 tennis Skills & Drills The forehand has become the weapon of choice for most tennis players today. How well a player hits this shot forecasts the style of play. The forehand is often central to the game plan for both sides of a match; a player can build a game plan around using it or combating it. A good forehand has power, consistency, accuracy, and variety. It enables a player to overpower an opponent, go from defense to offense with a single shot, or put an opponent on the defensive in order to transition to the net. Players with a strong forehand include Andy Roddick, Roger Federer, Rafael Nadal, Venus Williams, and Serena Williams. The forehand plays a large part in the process of a balanced groundstroke attack. Depending on individual strengths and weaknesses, a player can use it offensively to stay in a point until the right opportunity comes around or even to play a strong defense. An effective forehand is not only about power, it is also about the way the player uses it, such as to set up net play or a killer backhand down the line. Over the last 40 years the forehand has evolved from the classic Continental grip into more choices such as the Eastern, semi-Western, and full Western grips. Players have used classic forehand styles within an attack style strategy—flat balls or balls hit on the rise—but they focused on placement and finesse. Today the way players strike the ball is considerably different. Racket technology and advances in proper technique have made hitting the forehand more of a full-body workout designed to deliver a striking blow. This is apparent in the professionals and young juniors of today. The modern-day forehand strategy is more aggressive and designed to hit a winner from the backcourt or take time away from an opponent in an effort to control play. Today’s forehand also depends on a big serve. Modern tennis could be called the serve-and-forehand era. When technology and sport science advanced greatly from the mid- 1980s through the 1990s, the conventional ways of winning points, such as the serve-and-volley, or the Swedish way, of outlasting an opponent on the court, became less effective. The return came back faster and the ball was struck with greater velocity. Thus, the forehand became a weapon. Instead of a chess match, tennis became a power game and, consequently, the emphasis changed toward the first strike. This chapter covers offensive and defensive styles as they relate to the forehand, the various forehand shots, the technique for those shots, and the characteristics of a good forehand. Chapter 3 provides drills needed for developing a great forehand weapon. Choosing a Forehand Today’s game is ruled by the forehand first. Even if a player’s most powerful weapon is the backhand, the forehand must be strong. The player needs to develop the forehand well in order to counter the opponent’s forehand long enough to use the backhand effectively. The quality of the forehand shot determines the player’s offensive and defensive nature and provides the player with the basis for the resulting game style and plan. So, when learning or reviewing technique, it is vital that the player stay current. The goal is to have great technique for every shot, so the player should constantly try to improve. All players must be able to execute a variety of both offensive and defensive forehands. Technique is important in a player’s development, and it dictates what the player’s better shots will be. A player should choose a grip, stance, and stroke (swing path) that correspond to the goals for the forehand and can help the player develop to the highest levels. There are five types of forehands: the Eastern forehand, the semi-Western forehand, the Western forehand, Continental forehand, and the slice forehand. Each shot is charac- terized by its grip and has a different technique for its use. The player should first choose the most comfortable grip, which in turn dictates the type of forehand and the technique