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A Ball Machine Test and Manual for Improving Your Percentage Play By

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Mark Williams has DOUBLES been a tennis professional DOUBLES at the Kingsbury Club (Kingston, MA) for 10 years and is currently the Head Pro. COURT He has been teaching for over 20 years and has been USPTA certified for over 10 years. SENSE A ball machine test and manual for improving your Renting the Playmate Ball Machine The ball machine is available to rent during non prime time only (prime time is Monday through Friday, 5 pm - 9 pm). percentage play The rental fee is the court fee. If you have any questions concerning Doubles Court Sense or need help setting up the ball machine, any of our Pro staff will be happy to assist you. by Mark Williams, USPTA Copyright © 1997 2 11 PERCENTAGE DOUBLES backhand, keep your left hand forward. On the one handed backhand, keep your knuckles forward. Doubles is a game of player positioning and ball placement. Control and consistency are far more important than power. By hitting the ball steadily Volleys crosscourt at your opponent’s feet your team can take control of the net where Prepare early by turning your shoulders slightly sideways. Try to keep the racket any high ball can be spiked down past the opposing volleyer. head up and in line with your eyes. Keep your wrist very firm and aim with your hand. Step with the opposite foot as you move forward to contact the ball. The serving team has the advantage in the game. A deep serve followed by a well controlled crosscourt volley or half volley gives the serving team position at Lift low volleys by bending your knees and pushing up from underneath the ball. the net. Any high ball can now be put away either down the center T or down the On higher volleys hit straight forward, not downwards. You always want to have alley. Low balls, however, need to be patiently played back to the receiver’s feet. good clearance (1-2 feet) over the net. Overheads R Turn sideways immediately so you can back up quickly. Line the ball up as if you were going to catch it in your outstretched left hand. Swing slowly and early, R snapping your wrist to get the racket up to vertical at contact. 2 RP 1 2 While the overhead is like a serve, it is much more difficult to time. Be careful RP 1 not to overhit. Serves To serve efficiently your arm needs to stay loose so it can act like a whip. Rotate your shoulder forward and up but then stop it abruptly before hitting the ball. This will force the wrist to snap upwards, greatly accelerating the racket head. SP SP S You must keep your head up at contact, both to see the ball and to stop the shoulder in the right place. Volley Split Step TOTALS S RETURN MID COURT PUT AWAY DATE OF SERVE LOBS VOLLEYS VOLLEYS OVERHEADS SERVES OVERALL SCORE Gain Position Put Away SUCCESS Server (S) hits a deep first serve to Any high ball to server’s partner PEXRCENTAGE 5=_____% X5=_____% X5=_____% X5=_____% X5=_____% X5=_____% X.83=____% receiver’s (R) backhand 1 . (SP) goes to center T 1 . SCORE O O SUCCESS Server split steps and moves into Server’s high backhand volley PEXRCENTAGE 5=_____% X5=_____% X5=_____% X5=_____% X5=_____% X5=_____% X.83=____% position to volley/half volley safely goes to center T 1 . SCORE O SUCCESS crosscourt 2 . PEXRCENTAGE 5=_____% X5=_____% X5=_____% X5=_____% X5=_____% X5=_____% X.83=____% O Server’s high forehand volley goes to alley 2 . SCORE O SUCCESS PEXRCENTAGE 5=_____% X5=_____% X5=_____% X5=_____% X5=_____% X5=_____% X.83=____% Note how the serving team has shifted to the left in the Put Away illustration. SCORE The server’s partner covers the left third of the court. The server covers the SUCCESS PEXRCENTAGE 5=_____% X5=_____% X5=_____% X5=_____% X5=_____% X5=_____% X.83=____% 10 3 APPROACH AND PUT AWAY DRILL center and right thirds of the court. The server covers the right third by (this drill is not part of the test) moving diagonally forward and cutting off the angle. Crosscourt return of serve Should the server put in a short slow second serve the receiving team gains Crosscourt mid court volley the advantage. A well controlled crosscourt return at the server’s feet allows Down the line put away the receiving team to take the net, reversing the above pattern. The receiver always comes in when the server does not. SETTINGS: You can play a much more effective doubles game with just a little more SPEED 65 attention to ball control and shot selection. By choosing the right type of shot INTERVAL 40 for each stage of the point you greatly increase your chances of sucess. ELEVATION 7 from full minus OSCILLATION full minus White pin in C1 ONLY USING YOUR COURT SENSE Use this drill to practice moving By using this Court Sense booklet as a guide you can easily test your ball through the 3 court zones. control and shot selection. It does not take long and it will pinpoint your There will be a short pause after strengths and weaknesses. the third shot to allow you to Forecourt Zone return to the start, but this drill After you take the test you should continue to use Court Sense as a practice X is best done with a partner. manual. The ball machine is easy and inexpensive to use. It will give you an excellent practice session and you may retest yourself at any time to measure Adjust the machine’s position Midcourt Zone your progress. X to allow you to work on both forehands and backhands (a If you have a mechanical problem with your stroke you should contact a pro. high backhand put away volley Even a half-hour lesson on a particular stroke can give you a focus and greatly Backcourt Zone should be hit down the center). help your control and consistency. X Remember to splitstep before each volley. TAKING THE TEST STROKING TIPS FOR IMPROVING The test is divided into six parts which represent the various stages of a point. You will be hitting a total of 120 shots into well defined target areas. These YOUR SCORE areas may be marked out with cones, polyspots, or the yellow ropes available Return of Serve/Groundstrokes at the desk. Doubles is a much quicker game than singles. Early preparation and short The ball machine settings are spelled out on each page. You may adjust them strokes are a must. Whenever possible move forward inside the baseline to hit the to your level of play. The test may be taken from either the right or the left ball on the rise or at the peak of the bounce. Your reflexes and timing are much side. Consider using the ball maching with a partner who can help you with better when you are stepping in with your front foot. adjustments and alternate in with you. To improve your accuracy you need to have a good sense of where your hand is Good luck and have fun! pointing at contact. On the forehand keep your palm moving forward to the target. Try not to bend your wrist or elbow before or during contact. On the two handed 4 9 DOUBLES RETURN OF SERVE DOUBLES SERVE 20 Crosscourt 10 to right half of Deuce box 10 to right half of Ad box SETTINGS: SPEED 70 INTERVAL 65 ELEVATION 5 from full minus OSCILLATION 15 from full plus White pins in C1 and C2 Your objective is to consis- tently return serve crosscourt with both forehands and backhands. It is helpful to The serve is the most move forward into the return important shot in tennis. with a compact swing. Good placement is more important than speed. You Often a player will just let the need a high percentage of ball come to him and take a first serves deep to the full swing. The result is a backhand corner to force late, wristy hit with too much weak returns. speed. Remember your main X goal is to return serve Remember to hit up on the Move diagonally consistenly, NOT to hit X X ball with quick forearm forward winners. acceleration. Note: To find the elevation setting turn the adjusting wheel all the way to minus. Then turn it 5 full revolutions toward plus. To find the oscillation setting turn the adjusting wheel all the way to plus. Then turn it 15 full revolutions toward minus. DATE DATE SCORE SCORE Total your scores on page 11 Total your scores on page 11 8 5 DOUBLES OVERHEAD DOUBLES LOBS 10 to Center 20 Lobs Down the Line 10 to Alley SETTINGS: SETTINGS: SPEED 70 SPEED 40-45 INTERVAL 40 INTERVAL 45 ELEVATION 5 from full minus ELEVATION full plus OSCILLATION 15 from full plus OSCILLATION 15 from full plus White pins in C1 and C2 White pins in C1 and C2 Your objective is to hit forehand and backhand A short lob can be put away underspin lobs down the line. by hitting your overhead straight past the volleyer. Hit These are effective as a return X from alley to alley, or from of serve, when you are off center to center. balance, or when your opponent is too close to the Remember to keep the ball in net. front of you and to keep your eyes up.
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