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The Secrets of Spanish Tennis

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by Chris Lewit

Foreword by Lluis Bruguera

What makes Spanish tennis so unique and successful? What exactly are those Spanish coaches doing so differently to develop superstars like Rafael Nadal and David Ferrer that other systems are not doing? These and other questions are answered in The Secrets of Spanish Tennis, the culmination of five years of study on the Spanish way of training by USTA High Performance Coach Chris Lewit. He visited many of the top Spanish academies and studied and interviewed some of the leading coaches in Spain to discern and distill this unique and special training methodology.

167 pages. 2014.


Training Footwork the Spanish Way

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with Chris Lewit, certified USTA High Performance Coach;
former nationally ranked junior and #1 player at Cornell University;
competed on USTA and ITF professional circuit;
studied under Lluis Bruguera (former Spanish Davis Cup coach), Pato Alvarez (former top 10 player and Spanish coach) and Gilad Bloom (former Israeli ATP player and elite junior coach)

Eight years spent traveling and studying tennis instructors in Spain has left Chris Lewit with a wealth of coaching knowledge that he's eager to share. In this video, the certified USTA High Performance Coach explains the philosophies and terminologies that Spanish coaches use to train the footwork of their tennis players. You'll also get drills used by Spanish coaches designed to create world-class tennis players. Once you've seen and heard how footwork is taught in Spain, you'll know why the country produces so many elite players!

Philosophies and Terminology

Coach Lewit discusses the different terms and theories that he's learned from observing some of Spain's best tennis coaches. You'll learn about receiving and sending the ball, what the "support system" is, as well as how the Spanish train balance, footwork, agility and more!

In Spain, footwork is integrated while working on the rest of the body and is rarely isolated. Coach Lewit debunks the myth that Spanish teachings focus on the open stance. Instead, he explains that a closed stance is more common. Coach Lewit has learned that Spanish players are taught to "suffer," or in other words, run and try to hit every ball. Getting behind the ball (getting the body set up to hit) is stressed, making it crucial that players sprint to receive every shot.

Drills

Coach Lewit includes nine of the most common footwork drills that he's seen used by Spanish tennis coaches. Many of the drills force players to move all over the court, improving their conditioning while working on making solid contact with the ball. Being set for every shot and "suffering" in every drill will train your players to dig deep and play at their maximum level on the court.

Resistance belts are introduced for advanced players who have worked a lot on their movement and need an additional challenge. Coach Lewit warns against using bands that are too heavy for younger players, as they'll only hurt the athlete's ability to learn the proper technique. When used properly, these drills will improve the quickness, agility, reaction time and coordination of your players.

Coach Lewit's instruction is both clear and informative. If you or the athletes you coach are looking to improve your footwork and have it mirror some of the best Spanish players in the world, then this is the video for you.

68 minutes. 2016.

Building the Spanish Forehand

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with Chris Lewit, certified USTA High Performance Coach;
former nationally ranked junior and #1 player at Cornell University;
competed on USTA and ITF professional circuit;
studied under Lluis Bruguera (former Spanish Davis Cup coach), Pato Alvarez (former top 10 player and Spanish coach) and Gilad Bloom (former Israeli ATP player and elite junior coach)

Spanish players are known worldwide for hitting a powerful ball, and a large part of that stems from the way Spanish instructors have coached athletes for many decades. Chris Lewit, certified USTA High Performance Coach, has spent time traveling all over Spain to observe how Spanish coaches teach the techniques, theory and exercises that go into a forehand. Now, Coach Lewit is here to pass his knowledge on to you, so you or your pupils can hit forehands the Spanish way.

Drills

Coach Lewit includes six drills that will help you perfect the Spanish forehand: the Racket Acceleration Drill, the Front Racket Speed Drill, the Advanced Acceleration Drill, the Alternating Sides Acceleration Drill, the Low Ball Drill and the Swinging Volley Drill.

The Racket Acceleration Drill is designed to help players accelerate and work the ball as deep as possible to their target. You'll see how keeping a solid base and firing your hip can help the ball jump off your racket and cause problems for your opponent.

As Coach Lewit runs through the steps behind each drill, he also presents common technique mistakes that players make while practicing each shot. An example of this is having the ball drop short while working on racket speed. It's important to hit the ball with great depth on every forehand to make it more difficult for your opponent to complete a return.

Forehand Lessons

Two forehand lessons are included in the second half of the video. The first lesson is with a more experienced player, while the second lesson features a younger, intermediate-level athlete.

In each lesson, Coach Lewit works to analyze where the player's forehand is at. Once he's determined what the athlete needs to work on, he begins to incorporate any of the previous six drills that will help the player improve. Posture, balance, stability, level changing, hitting for depth and spin generation are among the skills taught by Coach Lewit in these lessons.

Everything you need to know about the Spanish forehand is included in this video. This is a great resource for both coaches and players who desire to add some tenacity to their forehand.

63 minutes. 2016.

Building World Class Serving Fundamentals

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with Chris Lewit, certified USTA High Performance Coach;
former nationally ranked junior and #1 player at Cornell University;
competed on USTA and ITF professional circuit;
studied under Lluis Bruguera (former Spanish Davis Cup coach), Pato Alvarez (former top 10 player and Spanish coach) and Gilad Bloom (former Israeli ATP player and elite junior coach)

Certified USTA High Performance Coach and former nationally ranked junior player, Chris Lewit, considers the serve to be the most difficult shot to teach in the game of tennis. Despite the degree of difficulty, Coach Lewit has become a master at instructing the serve, and has included the important concepts, technical aspects and myth busting you need to become a great server in this video. You'll learn Coach Lewit's four favorite drills for teaching the serve in addition to seeing them put into action during two live serving lessons.

Technical Reference Points and Drills

To perfect the serve, you must first understand the mechanics that are behind it. Coach Lewit breaks down the stance and grip that are commonly used, and points out the "L shape" position that players need to be in after they've tossed the ball. Every phase of the serve is covered step-by-step, from the initial stance to the landing after hitting the ball, to ensure that athletes can pinpoint which steps they need to work on to make improvements.

Once every step has been explained, Coach Lewit goes into his four favorite drills for developing the serve: the L Shape Drill, the 5-5-5 Drill, Toss & Check and Jumping Drills. The drills will help you or your athletes improve muscle memory, rhythm of the toss, movement without the ball, balance, coordination, stability and body awareness.

Serve Lessons

Coach Lewit instructs a young boy and a young girl through two separate individual serving lessons. In the first lesson, the player works on driving the back leg and landing after the serve. The second lesson focuses on loading the back leg and trying to get full body extension so that more power can be produced.

No matter what level of athlete he's coaching, Coach Lewit believes in refining the technique until it's as perfect as possible. By introducing simple methods and exercises and treating the serve as a biomechanical movement, you'll quickly be able to teach your students to serve well.

This video is a great resource for a coach or athlete who wants to learn every step of the serve. Coach Lewit's instruction is easy to follow and perfect for all skill levels.

58 minutes. 2016.

Keys to the Kick Serve

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with Chris Lewit, certified USTA High Performance Coach;
former nationally ranked junior and #1 player at Cornell University;
competed on USTA and ITF professional circuit;
studied under Lluis Bruguera (former Spanish Davis Cup coach), Pato Alvarez (former top 10 player and Spanish coach) and Gilad Bloom (former Israeli ATP player and elite junior coach)

Chris Lewit, certified USTA High Performance Coach, presents a video packed with skills and drills designed to help athletes learn the difficult kick serve. Coach Lewit's three keys to a successful kick serve are the angle, height and spin sound generated by the player. Through a series of three individual lessons, you'll see how Coach Lewit teaches this technique to his athletes, transitioning from a beginning-level player who's never done a kick serve before, to an experienced player that only needs to fine tune the details.

Lesson 1: Starting the Kick Serve

For a beginning player, Coach Lewit begins by moving the athlete closer to the net for the Mini Tennis Serve drill. One of the first points instructed is the importance of tossing the ball slightly to the left (for a right hander), which will put it into the correct spot needed for solid contact.

A challenge for beginning kick servers is learning not to slice. Spin should be put on the ball, but it should be primarily downward, not to the side. Key aspects of the serve include extending the tricep on contact, turning the shoulders and keeping an exaggerated sideways position. Coach Lewit believes that if the player is struggling with the full motion, then breaking the serve down into different steps can help them learn more effectively.

Lesson 2: Technique

Once players have graduated from the beginning phase, then you can begin to teach them more advanced techniques. In this lesson, Coach Lewit teaches an athlete how to add more height to the serve by changing the racket face angle and pushing up more on the contact with the ball. He also goes over how staying sideways can help create the proper angle and maximize spin.

Keeping the lower back straight when executing the kick serve is necessary to prevent a stress injury. Coach Lewit explains how to keep the lower back straight while bending the neck and pushing out the chest to create a slight curve in the upper back. The resulting body position is perfect for players as they execute the kick serve.

Lesson 3: Fine Tuning the Serve

The final phase of the kick serve is working on the small details that can be the difference between a good and great serve. In this lesson, Coach Lewit reinforces keeping an L shape with the elbow on the toss in addition to keeping the head up on the serve. When athletes are consistently hitting good kick serves, Coach Lewit has them begin to work on a "surprise serve" to break out when their opponent begins to cheat too far to one side.

The instruction in this video is perfect for beginning, intermediate or advanced athletes. Coach Lewit's skills and drills are sure to help you or your players improve the kick serve.

84 minutes. 2016.

Chris Lewit Coaching Tennis 4-Pack

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TND-04927A: with Chris Lewit, certified USTA High Performance Coach;
former nationally ranked junior and #1 player at Cornell University;
competed on USTA and ITF professional circuit;
studied under Lluis Bruguera (former Spanish Davis Cup coach), Pato Alvarez (former top 10 player and Spanish coach) and Gilad Bloom (former Israeli ATP player and elite junior coach)

Certified USTA High Performance Coach and former nationally ranked junior player, Chris Lewit, considers the serve to be the most difficult shot to teach in the game of tennis. Despite the degree of difficulty, Coach Lewit has become a master at instructing the serve, and has included the important concepts, technical aspects and myth busting you need to become a great server in this video. You'll learn Coach Lewit's four favorite drills for teaching the serve in addition to seeing them put into action during two live serving lessons.

Technical Reference Points and Drills

To perfect the serve, you must first understand the mechanics that are behind it. Coach Lewit breaks down the stance and grip that are commonly used, and points out the "L shape" position that players need to be in after they've tossed the ball. Every phase of the serve is covered step-by-step, from the initial stance to the landing after hitting the ball, to ensure that athletes can pinpoint which steps they need to work on to make improvements.

Once every step has been explained, Coach Lewit goes into his four favorite drills for developing the serve: the L Shape Drill, the 5-5-5 Drill, Toss & Check and Jumping Drills. The drills will help you or your athletes improve muscle memory, rhythm of the toss, movement without the ball, balance, coordination, stability and body awareness.

Serve Lessons

Coach Lewit instructs a young boy and a young girl through two separate individual serving lessons. In the first lesson, the player works on driving the back leg and landing after the serve. The second lesson focuses on loading the back leg and trying to get full body extension so that more power can be produced.

No matter what level of athlete he's coaching, Coach Lewit believes in refining the technique until it's as perfect as possible. By introducing simple methods and exercises and treating the serve as a biomechanical movement, you'll quickly be able to teach your students to serve well.

This video is a great resource for a coach or athlete who wants to learn every step of the serve. Coach Lewit's instruction is easy to follow and perfect for all skill levels.

58 minutes. 2016.



TND-04927B: with Chris Lewit, certified USTA High Performance Coach;
former nationally ranked junior and #1 player at Cornell University;
competed on USTA and ITF professional circuit;
studied under Lluis Bruguera (former Spanish Davis Cup coach), Pato Alvarez (former top 10 player and Spanish coach) and Gilad Bloom (former Israeli ATP player and elite junior coach)

Chris Lewit, certified USTA High Performance Coach, presents a video packed with skills and drills designed to help athletes learn the difficult kick serve. Coach Lewit's three keys to a successful kick serve are the angle, height and spin sound generated by the player. Through a series of three individual lessons, you'll see how Coach Lewit teaches this technique to his athletes, transitioning from a beginning-level player who's never done a kick serve before, to an experienced player that only needs to fine tune the details.

Lesson 1: Starting the Kick Serve

For a beginning player, Coach Lewit begins by moving the athlete closer to the net for the Mini Tennis Serve drill. One of the first points instructed is the importance of tossing the ball slightly to the left (for a right hander), which will put it into the correct spot needed for solid contact.

A challenge for beginning kick servers is learning not to slice. Spin should be put on the ball, but it should be primarily downward, not to the side. Key aspects of the serve include extending the tricep on contact, turning the shoulders and keeping an exaggerated sideways position. Coach Lewit believes that if the player is struggling with the full motion, then breaking the serve down into different steps can help them learn more effectively.

Lesson 2: Technique

Once players have graduated from the beginning phase, then you can begin to teach them more advanced techniques. In this lesson, Coach Lewit teaches an athlete how to add more height to the serve by changing the racket face angle and pushing up more on the contact with the ball. He also goes over how staying sideways can help create the proper angle and maximize spin.

Keeping the lower back straight when executing the kick serve is necessary to prevent a stress injury. Coach Lewit explains how to keep the lower back straight while bending the neck and pushing out the chest to create a slight curve in the upper back. The resulting body position is perfect for players as they execute the kick serve.

Lesson 3: Fine Tuning the Serve

The final phase of the kick serve is working on the small details that can be the difference between a good and great serve. In this lesson, Coach Lewit reinforces keeping an L shape with the elbow on the toss in addition to keeping the head up on the serve. When athletes are consistently hitting good kick serves, Coach Lewit has them begin to work on a "surprise serve" to break out when their opponent begins to cheat too far to one side.

The instruction in this video is perfect for beginning, intermediate or advanced athletes. Coach Lewit's skills and drills are sure to help you or your players improve the kick serve.

84 minutes. 2016.



TND-04927C: with Chris Lewit, certified USTA High Performance Coach;
former nationally ranked junior and #1 player at Cornell University;
competed on USTA and ITF professional circuit;
studied under Lluis Bruguera (former Spanish Davis Cup coach), Pato Alvarez (former top 10 player and Spanish coach) and Gilad Bloom (former Israeli ATP player and elite junior coach)

Eight years spent traveling and studying tennis instructors in Spain has left Chris Lewit with a wealth of coaching knowledge that he's eager to share. In this video, the certified USTA High Performance Coach explains the philosophies and terminologies that Spanish coaches use to train the footwork of their tennis players. You'll also get drills used by Spanish coaches designed to create world-class tennis players. Once you've seen and heard how footwork is taught in Spain, you'll know why the country produces so many elite players!

Philosophies and Terminology

Coach Lewit discusses the different terms and theories that he's learned from observing some of Spain's best tennis coaches. You'll learn about receiving and sending the ball, what the "support system" is, as well as how the Spanish train balance, footwork, agility and more!

In Spain, footwork is integrated while working on the rest of the body and is rarely isolated. Coach Lewit debunks the myth that Spanish teachings focus on the open stance. Instead, he explains that a closed stance is more common. Coach Lewit has learned that Spanish players are taught to "suffer," or in other words, run and try to hit every ball. Getting behind the ball (getting the body set up to hit) is stressed, making it crucial that players sprint to receive every shot.

Drills

Coach Lewit includes nine of the most common footwork drills that he's seen used by Spanish tennis coaches. Many of the drills force players to move all over the court, improving their conditioning while working on making solid contact with the ball. Being set for every shot and "suffering" in every drill will train your players to dig deep and play at their maximum level on the court.

Resistance belts are introduced for advanced players who have worked a lot on their movement and need an additional challenge. Coach Lewit warns against using bands that are too heavy for younger players, as they'll only hurt the athlete's ability to learn the proper technique. When used properly, these drills will improve the quickness, agility, reaction time and coordination of your players.

Coach Lewit's instruction is both clear and informative. If you or the athletes you coach are looking to improve your footwork and have it mirror some of the best Spanish players in the world, then this is the video for you.

68 minutes. 2016.



TND-04927D: with Chris Lewit, certified USTA High Performance Coach;
former nationally ranked junior and #1 player at Cornell University;
competed on USTA and ITF professional circuit;
studied under Lluis Bruguera (former Spanish Davis Cup coach), Pato Alvarez (former top 10 player and Spanish coach) and Gilad Bloom (former Israeli ATP player and elite junior coach)

Spanish players are known worldwide for hitting a powerful ball, and a large part of that stems from the way Spanish instructors have coached athletes for many decades. Chris Lewit, certified USTA High Performance Coach, has spent time traveling all over Spain to observe how Spanish coaches teach the techniques, theory and exercises that go into a forehand. Now, Coach Lewit is here to pass his knowledge on to you, so you or your pupils can hit forehands the Spanish way.

Drills

Coach Lewit includes six drills that will help you perfect the Spanish forehand: the Racket Acceleration Drill, the Front Racket Speed Drill, the Advanced Acceleration Drill, the Alternating Sides Acceleration Drill, the Low Ball Drill and the Swinging Volley Drill.

The Racket Acceleration Drill is designed to help players accelerate and work the ball as deep as possible to their target. You'll see how keeping a solid base and firing your hip can help the ball jump off your racket and cause problems for your opponent.

As Coach Lewit runs through the steps behind each drill, he also presents common technique mistakes that players make while practicing each shot. An example of this is having the ball drop short while working on racket speed. It's important to hit the ball with great depth on every forehand to make it more difficult for your opponent to complete a return.

Forehand Lessons

Two forehand lessons are included in the second half of the video. The first lesson is with a more experienced player, while the second lesson features a younger, intermediate-level athlete.

In each lesson, Coach Lewit works to analyze where the player's forehand is at. Once he's determined what the athlete needs to work on, he begins to incorporate any of the previous six drills that will help the player improve. Posture, balance, stability, level changing, hitting for depth and spin generation are among the skills taught by Coach Lewit in these lessons.

Everything you need to know about the Spanish forehand is included in this video. This is a great resource for both coaches and players who desire to add some tenacity to their forehand.

63 minutes. 2016.



Explosive Movement Training for Tennis Players

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with Richard Woodroof,
ITPA-CTPS, USPTA, NESTA-SAQ / Director Impact Sports Performance

Tennis players change direction every 1.1 seconds. As the speed of tennis has increased, so has the need for efficient pre-shot movements. Using exercises incorporating speed as an element of direction change, ITPA-certified Tennis Performance Trainer Richard Woodroof breaks down a training sequence beneficial to tennis players and coaches of all skill levels.

Movement Exercises

Concentrating on hip muscles, balance and the first step, Coach Woodroof leads you through a progression of stretch band, plyometric and cone workouts that put the body into proper hitting positions. Coach Woodroof explains correct and incorrect posture and procedure for numerous exercises. It's evident during the seven, five and three cone workouts why previous exercises must be done correctly for maximum benefit.

All of these exercises can be done on court during good weather or inside during inclement weather.

Footwork Drills

The Ladder Groundstrokes drill puts a new twist on using a footwork ladder for drills. Emphasizing his focus on hip strength, the drill uses a footwork ladder to move a player forward through the shot with quick explosive movements.

Primarily targeting intermediate players who want to fine tune their footwork to take their game to the next level, many of these exercises and progressions will benefit players of all skill levels.

For coaches of beginning players, this video helps players understand that there's an approach to the game beyond "hit, prepare and hit again" while also being a good general fitness workout. If you have players striving for the next level, you'll be able to show them technical aspects of training footwork that can be the difference between crushing a winner or hitting an off-balance shot into the net.

Whether you are a beginner or a more seasoned player looking to gain an edge, everyone can improve their footwork and become a better player using Coach Woodroof's teachings.

68 minutes. 2016.

Building Point-Play Skills: Dynamic Small Group Workouts

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featuring Brian Boland,
Head of Men's Tennis for USTA Player Development;
former University of Virginia Head Coach;
Back-to-Back-Back NCAA Champions (2015-17) - four championships in five seasons (2013 National Champions);
Back-to-back (2011-12) NCAA Team Championship Runner-up;
2016 Wilson/ITA National Coach of the Year - also named 2008 ITA National Coach of the Year';
10x ACC Coach of the Year; 9 straight ACC Conference Championships (2007-15)

All tennis players and teams want to achieve their maximum potential, but it's often a challenge to design practices that will help achieve that elusive goal.

In this video, University of Virginia head coach Brian Boland, the 2016 Wilson/ITA National Coach of the Year, shows the type of drills his top-ranked NCAA teams have utilized to prepare for match play at the highest levels. Coach Boland shows a complete practice from start to finish that works on every aspect of a tennis player's game in order to be prepared for singles and doubles matches.

While Boland's individual instruction sessions emphasize techniques to improve ball striking mechanics and movement on court, his small group workouts help players build point-play skills through a series of challenging situational games and drills that repeatedly require real-time decision making and dynamic court positioning.

Hitting Warm-Ups

By limiting their singles warm-ups to the center third of the court, Coach Boland's players focus less on movement and more on positioning themselves for effective ball-striking, hitting with depth and varying net clearance. In the "Roll and Rip" drill, for example, two players challenge each other by alternating high topspin shots (defender) versus flatter drives (aggressor).

'Situational Strait-Jackets'

This series of exercises helps you expand your players' arsenal of singles skills by placing them in a series of 'situational strait-jackets'. In these, Coach Boland allows one player to hit shots anywhere on court during points, but requires their workout partner to hit every ball to the ad court. This simultaneously challenges - and strengthens - both players' consistency and versatility.

Situational Games

This segment helps you improve your players' decision-making skills and doubles court positioning during point play by repeatedly challenging them to play all the roles in short situational games:

  • Where should the server send the first volley?
  • Who covers the ball down the middle?
  • How can we prevent getting burned down the line?

Coach Boland helps his players discover the answers to these questions as they play out in dynamic, real-time practice scenarios.

The 12 situational games and drills in this video readily lend themselves to variation based on your players' skill levels. The games and drills are fun, competitive, and simple to teach - creating a win/win scenario for coaches and players alike.

Coach Boland deliberately fills his small group sessions with repeated situational point-play to 'program' strategically sound shot-making and positioning choices into his players' brains. His players' sustained national success becomes less of a surprise when you see that how they perform on the Championship stage year after year, with uncommon poise and intuitive decision-making (coupled with incredible talent), is what is reinforced at practice day after day!

72 minutes. 2017.


The D1 Tennis Player Workout: Individual Workouts for Player Success

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featuring Brian Boland,
Head of Men's Tennis for USTA Player Development;
former University of Virginia Head Coach;
Back-to-Back-Back NCAA Champions (2015-17) - four championships in five seasons (2013 National Champions);
Back-to-back (2011-12) NCAA Team Championship Runner-up;
2016 Wilson/ITA National Coach of the Year - also named 2008 ITA National Coach of the Year';
10x ACC Coach of the Year; 9 straight ACC Conference Championships (2007-15)

Team practices often don't provide the individual attention a player needs to supply the inner confidence that breeds success.

In a live practice setting, Brian Boland demonstrates how to focus on the individual player while managing an entire team at the same time. Coach Boland does this through high-quality live ball drills that maintain the focus of his players through the entire practice. His progression of drills will provide your players with the ability to own every shot and hit with a purpose.

Coach Boland uses two players to show how his style of positive coaching gets the most out of each of their individual talents on the court. The first workout consists of forehand, backhand, volley, transition, and serve drills with a heavy emphasis on the ground stroke portion. The second segment takes a more hands-on approach, giving consistent feedback relating to the areas of positioning, technical proficiency, and shot selection.

Through the drills demonstrated, players will learn:

  • Core stroke drills to help make a more powerful tennis player
  • How to manipulate time and space to establish rhythm and take time away from the opponent
  • How to develop quick hands at the net
  • How to have a better weight shift into the ball, better contact point (between waist and shoulders) and better body balance
  • How to hit with a purpose within a small space and stretch the court
  • When to change direction and how to transition effectively
  • Why a player volleys better when they stand closer to the net
  • The difference between "good misses" and "bad misses"

Coach Boland infuses each of his drills with sophisticated analysis and purpose. His progressions will demonstrate many common mistakes coaches make when choosing the timing of drills during individual practice. This fresh approach from a legendary coach will be a welcome tool for players and coaches of all levels.

This is an amazing opportunity to see the amount of work and focus it takes to rise to the top of collegiate tennis. Coach Boland allows you to have an intimate view of his player development inside of a practice setting so you can learn how to get the most out of your players when you get the opportunity to work with them individually.

96 minutes. 2017.

Best Tennis Practice Ever: Getting Maximum Benefit Out of Every Practice

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0
featuring Brian Boland,
Head of Men's Tennis for USTA Player Development;
former University of Virginia Head Coach;
Back-to-Back-Back NCAA Champions (2015-17) - four championships in five seasons (2013 National Champions);
Back-to-back (2011-12) NCAA Team Championship Runner-up;
2016 Wilson/ITA National Coach of the Year - also named 2008 ITA National Coach of the Year';
10x ACC Coach of the Year; 9 straight ACC Conference Championships (2007-15)

2016 Wilson/ITA National Coach of the Year Brian Boland demonstrates how to run a team practice that maximizes the time you spend on the court. From extensive dynamic stretching and warm-up routines to competitive match play drills, Boland shares the time-tested practice formula he has used year after year to turn Virginia Tennis into a perennial national powerhouse.

Dynamic Stretch/Band Routine

Learn how to get your athletes ready for a great practice by implementing the extensive dynamic stretching and band routine used at the University of Virginia. This series of exercises will elevate the heart rate of your athletes and have them ready to go when it's time to hit tennis balls.

Full Warm-Up

Attention to detail is a must at a UVA team practice. Listen in as Coach Boland speaks to his team about the importance of `owning every shot' and `hitting with a purpose.' Coach Boland's team is comprised of highly skilled athletes, and yet, throughout the sessions, you'll see him interjecting advice oozing with a reinforcement of fundamentals; every practice begins with a 10-minute warm-up that stresses quantity and repetition.

Serves & Returns

Boland stresses the importance of the `first four' shots in a tennis match. The serve, return, and the subsequent two shots require a high amount of focus, concentration, and as Coach Boland states, repetition. He believes beginning all practices with serving and returning drills is a core ingredient to the consistent success of the UVA program.

Cross-Court Baseline Game - Slice & Dice Game

Learn how to teach your athletes how to move the ball within a tight space with Coach Boland's cross court baseline games. Coach Boland instructs his players to hit a variety of shots within a confined space to maximize results. Interjecting fundamentals and shot selection within a game that stresses competition allows not a second wasted at any practice.

Boland's team practice video is a must for any coach who is looking to get everything out of their team during practice time. By implementing the techniques and ideas demonstrated in this video, your team is poised to show consistent, steady improvement.

73 minutes. 2017.

Brian Boland's Championship Tennis Workout 3-pack

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0
TND-05104A: featuring Brian Boland,
Head of Men's Tennis for USTA Player Development;
former University of Virginia Head Coach;
Back-to-Back-Back NCAA Champions (2015-17) - four championships in five seasons (2013 National Champions);
Back-to-back (2011-12) NCAA Team Championship Runner-up;
2016 Wilson/ITA National Coach of the Year - also named 2008 ITA National Coach of the Year';
10x ACC Coach of the Year; 9 straight ACC Conference Championships (2007-15)

Team practices often don't provide the individual attention a player needs to supply the inner confidence that breeds success.

In a live practice setting, Brian Boland demonstrates how to focus on the individual player while managing an entire team at the same time. Coach Boland does this through high-quality live ball drills that maintain the focus of his players through the entire practice. His progression of drills will provide your players with the ability to own every shot and hit with a purpose.

Coach Boland uses two players to show how his style of positive coaching gets the most out of each of their individual talents on the court. The first workout consists of forehand, backhand, volley, transition, and serve drills with a heavy emphasis on the ground stroke portion. The second segment takes a more hands-on approach, giving consistent feedback relating to the areas of positioning, technical proficiency, and shot selection.

Through the drills demonstrated, players will learn:

  • Core stroke drills to help make a more powerful tennis player
  • How to manipulate time and space to establish rhythm and take time away from the opponent
  • How to develop quick hands at the net
  • How to have a better weight shift into the ball, better contact point (between waist and shoulders) and better body balance
  • How to hit with a purpose within a small space and stretch the court
  • When to change direction and how to transition effectively
  • Why a player volleys better when they stand closer to the net
  • The difference between "good misses" and "bad misses"

Coach Boland infuses each of his drills with sophisticated analysis and purpose. His progressions will demonstrate many common mistakes coaches make when choosing the timing of drills during individual practice. This fresh approach from a legendary coach will be a welcome tool for players and coaches of all levels.

This is an amazing opportunity to see the amount of work and focus it takes to rise to the top of collegiate tennis. Coach Boland allows you to have an intimate view of his player development inside of a practice setting so you can learn how to get the most out of your players when you get the opportunity to work with them individually.

96 minutes. 2017.



TND-05104B: featuring Brian Boland,
Head of Men's Tennis for USTA Player Development;
former University of Virginia Head Coach;
Back-to-Back-Back NCAA Champions (2015-17) - four championships in five seasons (2013 National Champions);
Back-to-back (2011-12) NCAA Team Championship Runner-up;
2016 Wilson/ITA National Coach of the Year - also named 2008 ITA National Coach of the Year';
10x ACC Coach of the Year; 9 straight ACC Conference Championships (2007-15)

All tennis players and teams want to achieve their maximum potential, but it's often a challenge to design practices that will help achieve that elusive goal.

In this video, University of Virginia head coach Brian Boland, the 2016 Wilson/ITA National Coach of the Year, shows the type of drills his top-ranked NCAA teams have utilized to prepare for match play at the highest levels. Coach Boland shows a complete practice from start to finish that works on every aspect of a tennis player's game in order to be prepared for singles and doubles matches.

While Boland's individual instruction sessions emphasize techniques to improve ball striking mechanics and movement on court, his small group workouts help players build point-play skills through a series of challenging situational games and drills that repeatedly require real-time decision making and dynamic court positioning.

Hitting Warm-Ups

By limiting their singles warm-ups to the center third of the court, Coach Boland's players focus less on movement and more on positioning themselves for effective ball-striking, hitting with depth and varying net clearance. In the "Roll and Rip" drill, for example, two players challenge each other by alternating high topspin shots (defender) versus flatter drives (aggressor).

'Situational Strait-Jackets'

This series of exercises helps you expand your players' arsenal of singles skills by placing them in a series of 'situational strait-jackets'. In these, Coach Boland allows one player to hit shots anywhere on court during points, but requires their workout partner to hit every ball to the ad court. This simultaneously challenges - and strengthens - both players' consistency and versatility.

Situational Games

This segment helps you improve your players' decision-making skills and doubles court positioning during point play by repeatedly challenging them to play all the roles in short situational games:

  • Where should the server send the first volley?
  • Who covers the ball down the middle?
  • How can we prevent getting burned down the line?

Coach Boland helps his players discover the answers to these questions as they play out in dynamic, real-time practice scenarios.

The 12 situational games and drills in this video readily lend themselves to variation based on your players' skill levels. The games and drills are fun, competitive, and simple to teach - creating a win/win scenario for coaches and players alike.

Coach Boland deliberately fills his small group sessions with repeated situational point-play to 'program' strategically sound shot-making and positioning choices into his players' brains. His players' sustained national success becomes less of a surprise when you see that how they perform on the Championship stage year after year, with uncommon poise and intuitive decision-making (coupled with incredible talent), is what is reinforced at practice day after day!

72 minutes. 2017.



TND-05104C: featuring Brian Boland,
Head of Men's Tennis for USTA Player Development;
former University of Virginia Head Coach;
Back-to-Back-Back NCAA Champions (2015-17) - four championships in five seasons (2013 National Champions);
Back-to-back (2011-12) NCAA Team Championship Runner-up;
2016 Wilson/ITA National Coach of the Year - also named 2008 ITA National Coach of the Year';
10x ACC Coach of the Year; 9 straight ACC Conference Championships (2007-15)

2016 Wilson/ITA National Coach of the Year Brian Boland demonstrates how to run a team practice that maximizes the time you spend on the court. From extensive dynamic stretching and warm-up routines to competitive match play drills, Boland shares the time-tested practice formula he has used year after year to turn Virginia Tennis into a perennial national powerhouse.

Dynamic Stretch/Band Routine

Learn how to get your athletes ready for a great practice by implementing the extensive dynamic stretching and band routine used at the University of Virginia. This series of exercises will elevate the heart rate of your athletes and have them ready to go when it's time to hit tennis balls.

Full Warm-Up

Attention to detail is a must at a UVA team practice. Listen in as Coach Boland speaks to his team about the importance of `owning every shot' and `hitting with a purpose.' Coach Boland's team is comprised of highly skilled athletes, and yet, throughout the sessions, you'll see him interjecting advice oozing with a reinforcement of fundamentals; every practice begins with a 10-minute warm-up that stresses quantity and repetition.

Serves & Returns

Boland stresses the importance of the `first four' shots in a tennis match. The serve, return, and the subsequent two shots require a high amount of focus, concentration, and as Coach Boland states, repetition. He believes beginning all practices with serving and returning drills is a core ingredient to the consistent success of the UVA program.

Cross-Court Baseline Game - Slice & Dice Game

Learn how to teach your athletes how to move the ball within a tight space with Coach Boland's cross court baseline games. Coach Boland instructs his players to hit a variety of shots within a confined space to maximize results. Interjecting fundamentals and shot selection within a game that stresses competition allows not a second wasted at any practice.

Boland's team practice video is a must for any coach who is looking to get everything out of their team during practice time. By implementing the techniques and ideas demonstrated in this video, your team is poised to show consistent, steady improvement.

73 minutes. 2017.



How to Run Effective Co-Ed Tennis Practice Sessions

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0

with Mike Perez,
Lynn University Men's & Women's Head Coach;
7x National Championship Coach; over 1,000 career wins;
3x NAIA National Coach of the Year; 2006 ITA National Coach of the Year (Men's);
14x Sunshine State Conference Champions; 10x Sunshine State Conference Coach of the Year;
Named the NAIA Coach of the Decade (1990-2000)

Often, tennis coaches at all levels must conduct team practice with a mixture of male and female players. A common challenge is learning how to conduct an effective practice that challenges all players of varying abilities. As head coach of both the men's and women's teams at Lynn University, Mike Perez has developed a method to solve this challenge. Using a variety of fitness, dead ball, and soft ball drills, the Lynn University tennis teams shows how a co-ed practice that is challenging and fun for everyone can be conducted.

In this video, both the men's and women's teams cooperate in a short, intense practice focused on fitness and agility. Coach Perez brings the intensity in a focused, disciplined one hour practice, where players get the most out of individualized coaching and coaches get max effort from players.

Fitness Drills

Lynn University athletes demonstrate a full warm-up and fitness routine. See how Coach Perez combines fitness and skill development to create a high level of energy within a short amount of time. These exercises are an ideal way to begin an on-court session.

Footwork Exercises

Coach Perez is a strong believer in the importance of working on footwork and fitness. He guides his athletes through core footwork exercises, including:

  • Agility ladder exercises with emphasis on good technique
  • Footwork patterns such as figure 8's where Coach Perez gives his tips on maintaining good form

Dead Ball and Hand-Feed Drills

Dead ball drills are vital to build good fundamentals and are a situation where both male and female tennis players can participate together. Coach Perez shows his favorite practice patterns and guides players through utilizing a large variety of spins and ball trajectories. As practice is conducted, Perez gives his thoughts on how to troubleshoot technique.

Serves and Returns Practices

Coach Perez shows his preferred methods for practicing the serve and return of serve. Along the way, he gives great insight on simple fixes and adjustments that can be made when a player is having serve problems.

Soft Ball Competition

Soft ball competition allows men and women to practice together. The emphasis is on utilizing good footwork and prioritizing technique over power. Coach Perez guides players through a variety of competitive drills which allow males and females to compete against each other while still giving everyone a valuable practice session.

Coach Perez gives you the tools to conduct an effective co-ed practice. Additionally, you'll gain great insight into his coaching techniques, which have led to great success for Lynn University tennis.

53 minutes. 2017.

Attacking Tennis in the Modern Game

0
0

with Mike Perez,
Lynn University Men's & Women's Head Coach;
7x National Championship Coach; over 1,000 career wins;
3x NAIA National Coach of the Year; 2006 ITA National Coach of the Year (Men's);
14x Sunshine State Conference Champions; 10x Sunshine State Conference Coach of the Year;
Named the NAIA Coach of the Decade (1990-2000)

In today's tennis, most of the points are won from the baseline, often after long and energy-demanding rallies. The serious and highly competitive player knows that to increase their chance of success, they must have a complete arsenal and the ability to play well in any area of the court.

In this video, seven-time National Championship coach Mike Perez explains drills and patterns through which to play attacking tennis in the modern game, and the benefits that result from this style of play. He divides the video into three main sections, with each section filmed on court:

  • Approach Shot / Passing Shot
  • Set Plays
  • Team Tennis

Coach Perez presents clear ideas on the vulnerability that players have to being attacked and pressured, including tall players, players who have exceptional quickness and players who have a weaker groundstroke or extreme grip on the racquet. You'll have the chance to learn the coaching strategies that prove most effective in both live ball drills and in competitive tiebreakers within team practice.

Approach Shot / Passing Shot

Under the supervision of Coach Perez, players execute approach patterns designed to exploit the opponent's weaknesses and build the opportunity to finish the point with a solid and efficient net game. This includes:

  • How to approach the net, where to hit the first volley and where to hit the second and definitive volley
  • Knowing how and where to direct the approach shot and the subsequent volley to successfully end points sooner

Set Plays

To win the decisive points and become a stronger player, you must execute a plan already trained several times previously. Coach Perez gives you pre-planned ideas on what to do in pressure situations. This gives your athletes a clear decision-making process and eliminates doubt in crucial situations. You'll see six set plays where six possible scenarios of crucial points are shown. These drills are useful to train a player's mindset and technique and get used to playing decisive points with more consistent success.

Team Tennis

In this part of the video, all the concepts explained in previous sections are applied together in realistic points played while Coach Perez offers more insights and strategies.

Fitness and Strength Drills

See a structured way to implement footwork drills at the beginning of your practice sessions to prepare athletes to move well and stay injury-free on the tennis court. The use of agility ladders and cones to enhance player movement warms up both the body and the mind in preparation for a practice session. Coach Perez also provides a series of core exercises, including many variations of planks and crunches, in order to keep your players strong and fit in the vital trunk area of the body.

Coach Perez does an excellent job of showing how you can adapt attacking tennis into today's game. His positivity and attention to detail within points and drills brings the best out in his players and will help you do the same for yours as well!

50 minutes. 2017.

Mike Perez' Tennis Training & Strategy Series

0
0
TND-05105A:

with Mike Perez,
Lynn University Men's & Women's Head Coach;
7x National Championship Coach; over 1,000 career wins;
3x NAIA National Coach of the Year; 2006 ITA National Coach of the Year (Men's);
14x Sunshine State Conference Champions; 10x Sunshine State Conference Coach of the Year;
Named the NAIA Coach of the Decade (1990-2000)

Tennis players are becoming more athletic and more aggressive in their play. Coaches need to develop aggressive match play strategies that take advantage of this change in mindset and player ability to reflect the more modern game.

Coach Perez welcomes you into one of his practices where after a dynamic and match style warm-up, he runs his players through six competitive match play drills for developing an aggressive mindset. The practice includes 2-on-2 and 2-on-1 offense/defense doubles drills, 1-on-1 and 2-on-1 ground sequence drills, first serve competitions, and live points. Coach Perez demonstrates how he incorporates each of these drills into a practice 1-2 days before a match and gives detailed instruction into the purpose of each drill, as well as strategy tips for each technique as he coaches his own players.

Competitive Doubles Drills

Learn two offense/defense drills that will help you attack your opponents more frequently and effectively, while also improving your defense against similar attacking teams. Coach Perez explains his philosophy behind this style of play and demonstrates how he works to accomplish this through competitive practice drills, such as:

  • 2-on-2 offense/defense drill that allows you to work on both doubles partners playing the net at the same time.
  • A progression of the 2-on-2 offense/defense drill that's a 2-on-1 drill with two players at the net and one at the baseline.
  • Attacking the net 35-40% of the time.

Ground Sequence

Learn a sequence of two partner drills on the baseline that focuses on identifying your opponent's weakness and exploiting it. Coach Perez explains his philosophy on singles play from the baseline, which include:

  • Every player has a weak side and players need to look to exploit that weak side on every shot.
  • Players must look to move their opponent around the court.
  • Players must be able to develop accuracy and always look to get balls in play to become a more consistent baseline player.
  • Playing balls that are out in practice to allow players to get more reps and improve their ability to return tough shots.

First Serve Competition Drill

Coach Perez ties everything together in the last third of his practice with live points from solid ground play to aggressively attacking the net. He modifies the rules to his live points, only allowing one serve, to emphasize specific areas of match play for his players:

  • Putting more pressure on their 2nd serve ability, as Coach Perez believes a player is only as good as their second serve.
  • Attacking weak second serves and getting to the net with regularity.
  • Attacking an opponent's weakness from the baseline.
  • Utilizing "sudden victory" scoring to put more pressure and a sense of urgency on his players.

Coach Perez gives you an extensive look at how to run a competitive practice that allows you to develop your players while teaching them an aggressive attacking style of play. This video gives you a practice that can be utilized at any time during your season, and is great as you prepare for match play.

57 minutes. 2017.



TND-05105B:

with Mike Perez,
Lynn University Men's & Women's Head Coach;
7x National Championship Coach; over 1,000 career wins;
3x NAIA National Coach of the Year; 2006 ITA National Coach of the Year (Men's);
14x Sunshine State Conference Champions; 10x Sunshine State Conference Coach of the Year;
Named the NAIA Coach of the Decade (1990-2000)

In today's tennis, most of the points are won from the baseline, often after long and energy-demanding rallies. The serious and highly competitive player knows that to increase their chance of success, they must have a complete arsenal and the ability to play well in any area of the court.

In this video, seven-time National Championship coach Mike Perez explains drills and patterns through which to play attacking tennis in the modern game, and the benefits that result from this style of play. He divides the video into three main sections, with each section filmed on court:

  • Approach Shot / Passing Shot
  • Set Plays
  • Team Tennis

Coach Perez presents clear ideas on the vulnerability that players have to being attacked and pressured, including tall players, players who have exceptional quickness and players who have a weaker groundstroke or extreme grip on the racquet. You'll have the chance to learn the coaching strategies that prove most effective in both live ball drills and in competitive tiebreakers within team practice.

Approach Shot / Passing Shot

Under the supervision of Coach Perez, players execute approach patterns designed to exploit the opponent's weaknesses and build the opportunity to finish the point with a solid and efficient net game. This includes:

  • How to approach the net, where to hit the first volley and where to hit the second and definitive volley
  • Knowing how and where to direct the approach shot and the subsequent volley to successfully end points sooner

Set Plays

To win the decisive points and become a stronger player, you must execute a plan already trained several times previously. Coach Perez gives you pre-planned ideas on what to do in pressure situations. This gives your athletes a clear decision-making process and eliminates doubt in crucial situations. You'll see six set plays where six possible scenarios of crucial points are shown. These drills are useful to train a player's mindset and technique and get used to playing decisive points with more consistent success.

Team Tennis

In this part of the video, all the concepts explained in previous sections are applied together in realistic points played while Coach Perez offers more insights and strategies.

Fitness and Strength Drills

See a structured way to implement footwork drills at the beginning of your practice sessions to prepare athletes to move well and stay injury-free on the tennis court. The use of agility ladders and cones to enhance player movement warms up both the body and the mind in preparation for a practice session. Coach Perez also provides a series of core exercises, including many variations of planks and crunches, in order to keep your players strong and fit in the vital trunk area of the body.

Coach Perez does an excellent job of showing how you can adapt attacking tennis into today's game. His positivity and attention to detail within points and drills brings the best out in his players and will help you do the same for yours as well!

50 minutes. 2017.



TND-05105C:

with Mike Perez,
Lynn University Men's & Women's Head Coach;
7x National Championship Coach; over 1,000 career wins;
3x NAIA National Coach of the Year; 2006 ITA National Coach of the Year (Men's);
14x Sunshine State Conference Champions; 10x Sunshine State Conference Coach of the Year;
Named the NAIA Coach of the Decade (1990-2000)

Often, tennis coaches at all levels must conduct team practice with a mixture of male and female players. A common challenge is learning how to conduct an effective practice that challenges all players of varying abilities. As head coach of both the men's and women's teams at Lynn University, Mike Perez has developed a method to solve this challenge. Using a variety of fitness, dead ball, and soft ball drills, the Lynn University tennis teams shows how a co-ed practice that is challenging and fun for everyone can be conducted.

In this video, both the men's and women's teams cooperate in a short, intense practice focused on fitness and agility. Coach Perez brings the intensity in a focused, disciplined one hour practice, where players get the most out of individualized coaching and coaches get max effort from players.

Fitness Drills

Lynn University athletes demonstrate a full warm-up and fitness routine. See how Coach Perez combines fitness and skill development to create a high level of energy within a short amount of time. These exercises are an ideal way to begin an on-court session.

Footwork Exercises

Coach Perez is a strong believer in the importance of working on footwork and fitness. He guides his athletes through core footwork exercises, including:

  • Agility ladder exercises with emphasis on good technique
  • Footwork patterns such as figure 8's where Coach Perez gives his tips on maintaining good form

Dead Ball and Hand-Feed Drills

Dead ball drills are vital to build good fundamentals and are a situation where both male and female tennis players can participate together. Coach Perez shows his favorite practice patterns and guides players through utilizing a large variety of spins and ball trajectories. As practice is conducted, Perez gives his thoughts on how to troubleshoot technique.

Serves and Returns Practices

Coach Perez shows his preferred methods for practicing the serve and return of serve. Along the way, he gives great insight on simple fixes and adjustments that can be made when a player is having serve problems.

Soft Ball Competition

Soft ball competition allows men and women to practice together. The emphasis is on utilizing good footwork and prioritizing technique over power. Coach Perez guides players through a variety of competitive drills which allow males and females to compete against each other while still giving everyone a valuable practice session.

Coach Perez gives you the tools to conduct an effective co-ed practice. Additionally, you'll gain great insight into his coaching techniques, which have led to great success for Lynn University tennis.

53 minutes. 2017.



Competitive Match Play Drills and Strategy

0
0

with Mike Perez,
Lynn University Men's & Women's Head Coach;
7x National Championship Coach; over 1,000 career wins;
3x NAIA National Coach of the Year; 2006 ITA National Coach of the Year (Men's);
14x Sunshine State Conference Champions; 10x Sunshine State Conference Coach of the Year;
Named the NAIA Coach of the Decade (1990-2000)

Tennis players are becoming more athletic and more aggressive in their play. Coaches need to develop aggressive match play strategies that take advantage of this change in mindset and player ability to reflect the more modern game.

Coach Perez welcomes you into one of his practices where after a dynamic and match style warm-up, he runs his players through six competitive match play drills for developing an aggressive mindset. The practice includes 2-on-2 and 2-on-1 offense/defense doubles drills, 1-on-1 and 2-on-1 ground sequence drills, first serve competitions, and live points. Coach Perez demonstrates how he incorporates each of these drills into a practice 1-2 days before a match and gives detailed instruction into the purpose of each drill, as well as strategy tips for each technique as he coaches his own players.

Competitive Doubles Drills

Learn two offense/defense drills that will help you attack your opponents more frequently and effectively, while also improving your defense against similar attacking teams. Coach Perez explains his philosophy behind this style of play and demonstrates how he works to accomplish this through competitive practice drills, such as:

  • 2-on-2 offense/defense drill that allows you to work on both doubles partners playing the net at the same time.
  • A progression of the 2-on-2 offense/defense drill that's a 2-on-1 drill with two players at the net and one at the baseline.
  • Attacking the net 35-40% of the time.

Ground Sequence

Learn a sequence of two partner drills on the baseline that focuses on identifying your opponent's weakness and exploiting it. Coach Perez explains his philosophy on singles play from the baseline, which include:

  • Every player has a weak side and players need to look to exploit that weak side on every shot.
  • Players must look to move their opponent around the court.
  • Players must be able to develop accuracy and always look to get balls in play to become a more consistent baseline player.
  • Playing balls that are out in practice to allow players to get more reps and improve their ability to return tough shots.

First Serve Competition Drill

Coach Perez ties everything together in the last third of his practice with live points from solid ground play to aggressively attacking the net. He modifies the rules to his live points, only allowing one serve, to emphasize specific areas of match play for his players:

  • Putting more pressure on their 2nd serve ability, as Coach Perez believes a player is only as good as their second serve.
  • Attacking weak second serves and getting to the net with regularity.
  • Attacking an opponent's weakness from the baseline.
  • Utilizing "sudden victory" scoring to put more pressure and a sense of urgency on his players.

Coach Perez gives you an extensive look at how to run a competitive practice that allows you to develop your players while teaching them an aggressive attacking style of play. This video gives you a practice that can be utilized at any time during your season, and is great as you prepare for match play.

57 minutes. 2017.


Peter Smith: Games & Drills for Tennis 2-Pack

0
0
TND-05132A:

with Peter Smith,
University of Southern California Men's Tennis Coach; over 500 career wins;
2014 NCAA Champions; 5x NCAA Champions, including Back-to-Back-to-Back-to-Back (2009/2010/2011/2012) titles;
5x Pac-10 Coach of the Year; 2011 USPTA National College "Coach of the Year"; 2x Intercollegiate Tennis Association (ITA) "Coach of the Year" (2010 & 2012)

Teaching doubles technique and strategy has become a vital component for team success, from high school up through college. In this video, five-time NCAA championship coach Peter Smith demonstrates the same progression of competitive drills and match play situations that he uses with his team that have allowed them to continue their dominance of the Pac-12.

Coach Smith walks through a warm up, doubles-specific drills, and three-player drills. Each of these drills have variations and progressions to improve doubles play tactically and technically. The video focuses on isolating parts of the court to help players develop skills of serving, returning, volleying and ground strokes. Using a combination of instruction, competition and repetition, Coach Smith's methods will help players at all levels improve their game.

Dynamic Warm-Up

Coach Smith stresses the importance of getting the body warm with a sequence of dynamic stretches that target the legs, hips, and shoulders. Special attention is given to warming up the shoulders and rotator cuff using a resistance band to reduce the chance of injury. This dynamic routine will ensure that your team is prepared physically to hit the court running.

The USC Warm-Up

In this segment, Coach Smith reinforces the importance of shot selection and the smaller details in doubles tennis during their warm-up. He puts his team through a sequence of the following shots:

  • Bounce overheads
  • Defensive lobs
  • Offensive top spin lobs
  • Slice backhands
  • Volleys

Coach Smith stresses hitting a variety of shots as a doubles player, noting that this sequence has helped his players throughout the years learn how to mix it up during match play. Each shot is only hit for 1-2 minutes.

Doubles Drills Series

Practice progresses into a 2-on-2 doubles series - the same series Coach Smith uses with his team immediately before they begin match play. Continually stressing the importance of making each drill competitive (games to 5 or 7), Coach Smith puts his team through the following drills:

  • Poaching - With all four players at the service line, Coach Smith feeds through the middle to emphasize the importance of stepping in. Coach Smith prioritizes moving with the feet (not lunging with the arms) and the importance of keeping the ball out of the net.
  • Poaching, Crossing - This drill simulates the return and the returner's partner crossing. Coach Smith feeds the return to the oncoming server, who returns cross court to get Coach Smith's partner to poach. Coach Smith stresses the importance of moving on an `L', not on a diagonal.
  • Two Up, Two Back - This drill stresses the importance of closing the net and taking away the middle.

Match Play Drills

Moving from the Doubles Drills Series, Coach Smith takes you through a series of drills that help isolate, focus, and emphasize the importance of the first four shots in a doubles point. As Coach Smith states, 80% or more of doubles points will be decided in these first shots. Each drill gives opportunity for team work, communication, poaching, defending and attacking the ball.

  • Serve and Volley Cross Court - This drill isolates the serve, the return, and the third ball. Every ball is played cross court in a 1-on-1 situation. Coach Smith emphasizes the importance of serving to the body in doubles. Learn the signaling system Coach Smith incorporates with his doubles teams to stress the importance of serve placement and net movement.
  • One Up, One Back - This drill focuses on the importance of, again, stepping in and through the middle. It alternates from the coach feeding the serve to the coach feeding the return.
  • Offense, Defense - This 1-on-1 competitive drill emphasizes the importance of closing the net, as points can only be won at the net.

Group Games

Most tennis coaches deal with managing a large amount of players on one court at the same time. Coach Smith takes you through drills he uses at his academy and during practice play that can help you through large-number situations:

  • Overheads
  • Overheads/Poach
  • Poach Drill
  • Forehand Poaches
  • Approach Shots
  • Live Ball

Three Man Doubles Drills

Learn an innovative approach to working with your doubles teams. By taking away the fourth player, Coach Smith shows you a sequence of drills that again focus on the first shots, which are crucial to doubles success:

  • Serve and Volley
  • Straight Up
  • Modern I
  • Traditional I
  • Straight Up with a Poach or Fake
  • Coach is the Returner
  • Isolation Drill

Tennis coaches of all levels are always looking for new and innovative methods for teaching doubles play. After viewing this video, you will have more than enough tools to help take your doubles teams to the next level!

"I have been looking for a doubles video that gives an intense and efficient way to focus on what really matters in doubles match play, this video is it. Players keep pace and challenge each other to make it pay off on match day." - Customer Review

69 minutes. 2017.



TND-05132B:

with Kris Kwinta,
University of Southern California Associate Head Men's Tennis Coach;
2x ITA Southwest Region Assistant Coach of the Year; All-American player at UCLA;
former member of the Polish National Team; represented Poland at the Davis Cup in doubles

At USC, a key component of tennis practice is having drills that are competitive in nature. When drills are competitive and pressure situations are created, tennis players will be more serious and more intense in their approach.

In this video, USC Associate Head Coach Kris Kwinta shows his favorite drills for tennis practice. You'll get 16 competitive warm-up, fed, and live ball drills that will add variety to your practices while building skills within a highly competitive structure.

Warm-Up Drills with Competitive Focus

Coach Kwinta guides USC players through a series of unique games and drills that emphasize balance, footwork and touch - all with a competitive angle - that will have your players laughing and sweating at the same time. These drills require the honing of tennis-specific movements out of context, which engages and motivates players. Kwinta includes several non-traditional methods, such as:

  • Utilizing medicine balls in competitive games, which simulates good stroke production
  • A soccer-style game on the court that emphasizes control, balance, movement, and getting behind the ball

By using these drills, players develop good footwork, movement and touch.

Tennis Practice Drills

Coach Kwinta introduces a series of drills using cones and targets to improve accuracy with the ball. Again, all drills are competitive and will keep your players engaged while providing specific objectives. Drills include:

  • Short court drills that develop movement
  • Full court drills for both two and four players that focus on movement and maintaining high intensity
  • Cross-court and down the line cone drills to train court positioning and contact points
  • Game-play drills that simulate pressure situations in a real match
  • Serve and return of serve drills that are fun and competitive

Additionally, Kwinta provides you with different end-of practice set and game scenarios in which players will be placed under pressure and required to use and develop decision-making skills while fatigued.

Coach Kwinta will help you install a competitive focus in your tennis drills. This video is sure to help your players be more focused when the match is on the line.

81 minutes. 2017.



Peter Smith: Competitive Doubles Tennis Drills & Games

0
0

with Peter Smith,
University of Southern California Men's Tennis Coach; over 500 career wins;
2014 NCAA Champions; 5x NCAA Champions, including Back-to-Back-to-Back-to-Back (2009/2010/2011/2012) titles;
5x Pac-10 Coach of the Year; 2011 USPTA National College "Coach of the Year"; 2x Intercollegiate Tennis Association (ITA) "Coach of the Year" (2010 & 2012)

Teaching doubles technique and strategy has become a vital component for team success, from high school up through college. In this video, five-time NCAA championship coach Peter Smith demonstrates the same progression of competitive drills and match play situations that he uses with his team that have allowed them to continue their dominance of the Pac-12.

Coach Smith walks through a warm up, doubles-specific drills, and three-player drills. Each of these drills have variations and progressions to improve doubles play tactically and technically. The video focuses on isolating parts of the court to help players develop skills of serving, returning, volleying and ground strokes. Using a combination of instruction, competition and repetition, Coach Smith's methods will help players at all levels improve their game.

Dynamic Warm-Up

Coach Smith stresses the importance of getting the body warm with a sequence of dynamic stretches that target the legs, hips, and shoulders. Special attention is given to warming up the shoulders and rotator cuff using a resistance band to reduce the chance of injury. This dynamic routine will ensure that your team is prepared physically to hit the court running.

The USC Warm-Up

In this segment, Coach Smith reinforces the importance of shot selection and the smaller details in doubles tennis during their warm-up. He puts his team through a sequence of the following shots:

  • Bounce overheads
  • Defensive lobs
  • Offensive top spin lobs
  • Slice backhands
  • Volleys

Coach Smith stresses hitting a variety of shots as a doubles player, noting that this sequence has helped his players throughout the years learn how to mix it up during match play. Each shot is only hit for 1-2 minutes.

Doubles Drills Series

Practice progresses into a 2-on-2 doubles series - the same series Coach Smith uses with his team immediately before they begin match play. Continually stressing the importance of making each drill competitive (games to 5 or 7), Coach Smith puts his team through the following drills:

  • Poaching - With all four players at the service line, Coach Smith feeds through the middle to emphasize the importance of stepping in. Coach Smith prioritizes moving with the feet (not lunging with the arms) and the importance of keeping the ball out of the net.
  • Poaching, Crossing - This drill simulates the return and the returner's partner crossing. Coach Smith feeds the return to the oncoming server, who returns cross court to get Coach Smith's partner to poach. Coach Smith stresses the importance of moving on an `L', not on a diagonal.
  • Two Up, Two Back - This drill stresses the importance of closing the net and taking away the middle.

Match Play Drills

Moving from the Doubles Drills Series, Coach Smith takes you through a series of drills that help isolate, focus, and emphasize the importance of the first four shots in a doubles point. As Coach Smith states, 80% or more of doubles points will be decided in these first shots. Each drill gives opportunity for team work, communication, poaching, defending and attacking the ball.

  • Serve and Volley Cross Court - This drill isolates the serve, the return, and the third ball. Every ball is played cross court in a 1-on-1 situation. Coach Smith emphasizes the importance of serving to the body in doubles. Learn the signaling system Coach Smith incorporates with his doubles teams to stress the importance of serve placement and net movement.
  • One Up, One Back - This drill focuses on the importance of, again, stepping in and through the middle. It alternates from the coach feeding the serve to the coach feeding the return.
  • Offense, Defense - This 1-on-1 competitive drill emphasizes the importance of closing the net, as points can only be won at the net.

Group Games

Most tennis coaches deal with managing a large amount of players on one court at the same time. Coach Smith takes you through drills he uses at his academy and during practice play that can help you through large-number situations:

  • Overheads
  • Overheads/Poach
  • Poach Drill
  • Forehand Poaches
  • Approach Shots
  • Live Ball

Three Man Doubles Drills

Learn an innovative approach to working with your doubles teams. By taking away the fourth player, Coach Smith shows you a sequence of drills that again focus on the first shots, which are crucial to doubles success:

  • Serve and Volley
  • Straight Up
  • Modern I
  • Traditional I
  • Straight Up with a Poach or Fake
  • Coach is the Returner
  • Isolation Drill

Tennis coaches of all levels are always looking for new and innovative methods for teaching doubles play. After viewing this video, you will have more than enough tools to help take your doubles teams to the next level!

"I have been looking for a doubles video that gives an intense and efficient way to focus on what really matters in doubles match play, this video is it. Players keep pace and challenge each other to make it pay off on match day." - Customer Review

69 minutes. 2017.

Competition-Based Tennis Games & Drills

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with Kris Kwinta,
University of Southern California Associate Head Men's Tennis Coach;
2x ITA Southwest Region Assistant Coach of the Year; All-American player at UCLA;
former member of the Polish National Team; represented Poland at the Davis Cup in doubles

At USC, a key component of tennis practice is having drills that are competitive in nature. When drills are competitive and pressure situations are created, tennis players will be more serious and more intense in their approach.

In this video, USC Associate Head Coach Kris Kwinta shows his favorite drills for tennis practice. You'll get 16 competitive warm-up, fed, and live ball drills that will add variety to your practices while building skills within a highly competitive structure.

Warm-Up Drills with Competitive Focus

Coach Kwinta guides USC players through a series of unique games and drills that emphasize balance, footwork and touch - all with a competitive angle - that will have your players laughing and sweating at the same time. These drills require the honing of tennis-specific movements out of context, which engages and motivates players. Kwinta includes several non-traditional methods, such as:

  • Utilizing medicine balls in competitive games, which simulates good stroke production
  • A soccer-style game on the court that emphasizes control, balance, movement, and getting behind the ball

By using these drills, players develop good footwork, movement and touch.

Tennis Practice Drills

Coach Kwinta introduces a series of drills using cones and targets to improve accuracy with the ball. Again, all drills are competitive and will keep your players engaged while providing specific objectives. Drills include:

  • Short court drills that develop movement
  • Full court drills for both two and four players that focus on movement and maintaining high intensity
  • Cross-court and down the line cone drills to train court positioning and contact points
  • Game-play drills that simulate pressure situations in a real match
  • Serve and return of serve drills that are fun and competitive

Additionally, Kwinta provides you with different end-of practice set and game scenarios in which players will be placed under pressure and required to use and develop decision-making skills while fatigued.

Coach Kwinta will help you install a competitive focus in your tennis drills. This video is sure to help your players be more focused when the match is on the line.

81 minutes. 2017.

Individual Progression Drills

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with David Roditi,
TCU Head Men's Tennis Coach;
2017 Big 12 Coach of the Year - 3x Big 12 Coach of the Year;
Back-to-Back Big 12 Champions (2016-17);
2015 Wilson/ITA National Coach of the Year;
3x All-American at TCU - holds the school record for combined career victories

Developing an all-court game is more valuable than ever, as today's athletes are becoming stronger and more athletic. Learning the finer points of the fundamentals that are essential for the groundstroke, volley, and serve are vital for today's modern player!

TCU head coach David Roditi shows detailed and easy-to-follow progressions for groundstrokes, volleys, transition shots, and the serve that build solid fundamentals on all strokes. No matter what level a student is at, they can quickly build their skills on the court by following Coach Roditi's progressions. Roditi has developed a practice plan that is fun and has a mix of cooperative and competitive drills.

Along the way, Roditi provides several insightful tips that he has learned both in his playing career and as a coach. He gives valuable instruction on hitting balls with more power and spin, as well as his favorite strategies for match play.

Swing Progression - Groundstrokes

Roditi demonstrates the importance of knowing when to hit the right shot, depending on the shot you get from your opponent. By stressing the values of 'lifting' and 'driving,' Roditi allows his players to learn how to control points during match play. Starting first with simple ball feeds and then progressing to live ball drills, a player works on emphasizing drive and power when the ball is rising and then works on lifting the ball when the ball is falling.

Along the way, Roditi provides several valuable tips on how to adjust stroke technique based on your intent. By emphasizing shot selection, Roditi is able to reinforce proper head and body movement as well. Roditi applies these concepts both in isolation and live ball drills, allowing the player to learn as they play. The structure of the drills is such that there are both cooperative and competitive play.

Hitting Progression - Racket Speed

Coach Roditi explains and shows how to work on racquet head speed. Starting with the key concept to aim for different parts of the ball depending on whether the player gets a high or low ball, Roditi outlines a progressive system to build racquet head speed.

  • Hand feeds - Players start with very simple feeds and work on hitting outside or inside of ball.
  • Cooperative drills - Players work on hitting versus faster paced balls with a variety of spins and heights.
  • Competitive hitting games - Once students have mastered a feel for hitting inside or outside of the ball based on height, they progress to point play to develop more advanced strategy in matches.
  • Teaching your players when to hit outside vs. inside will have them more focused on how the ball is not only coming off their racket, but how it finishes on the other side of the net. Roditi applies these concepts from the baseline and transitions seamlessly into the approach and net game fundamentals as well.

    Volley Progressions

    Coach Roditi shows how to handle two different volley types:

    • Deeper volleys that are typically hit from behind the service line and require more power.
    • Softer volleys when athletes are closer to the net and need to be more focused more on spin, feel, and touch with the hands.

    Roditi explains optimal positioning based on where the ball is on opponent's side, and provides training for the approach shot. You'll see an effective use of the slice as an approach shot to set up an easy volley winner, as well as drills to fix common errors made when hitting approach shots.

    Service Motion

    Are your players using the correct grip? When they miss a serve, is it in the net or deep in the court? In this section, Roditi demonstrates how to get your players to use the appropriate Continental grip, along with emphasizing the 12 o'clock contact point. You will learn the techniques and fundamentals necessary to get your players to hit up (not out) on their motion - ultimately resulting in higher serving percentages for your team. He provides drills to develop more use of the legs and the core to maximize power and spin, which are critical components for the kick serve.

    Coach Roditi provides a framework that allows you to help improve every player's skills from beginners up to your most advanced tennis players. He provides extensive detail with the types of shots necessary for today's modern athlete. You will learn fundamentals, progression teaching, and an overall philosophy for player development that will pay immediate dividends for you and your athletes!

    "I have been to many clinics and seen many instructional videos and can say without hesitation that this was one of the best. As a coach, I am always looking for advanced techniques, drills, and strategies to give to my more advanced players. In this video, Coach Roditi gives me in-depth analysis for all the shots required to be successful in today's game. A must-view for every high school or collegiate coach!" - Karl Buck, Head Boys' & Girls' Tennis Coach, Mountain Range High School

    86 minutes. 2018.

Team Tennis Practice Principles & Drills

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with David Roditi,
TCU Head Men's Tennis Coach;
2017 Big 12 Coach of the Year - 3x Big 12 Coach of the Year;
Back-to-Back Big 12 Champions (2016-17);
2015 Wilson/ITA National Coach of the Year;
3x All-American at TCU - holds the school record for combined career victories

Working with a team or a large group of tennis players can be a challenge for a coach. In this video, David Roditi shows you how to incorporate various warm-up drills and competitive games that can help coaches utilize court space more effectively and efficiently.

Tennis Warm-up

Coach Roditi demonstrates the value of mentally engaging your players as soon as they are on the court. Beginning with slice games, players immediately focus on proper grip and technique as they get their minds and bodies ready for practice. Roditi emphasizes the importance of the Continental grip during both the slice games and volley progression component of the warm-up, as these shots are under-practiced and under-utilized by most coaches.

Tennis Practice Games

After warming up, Roditi continues to engage his players mentally with the Bounce and Hit drill, a drill that requires his players to use their voice and mind to stay mentally engaged with their groundstrokes. Combined with baseline target practice and shot combination sequences, Roditi ensures his athletes are every bit as focused on the mental component as the physical.

Tennis Control Drills

Many times, players are concerned with how hard they hit the ball and not where they hit it. In this section, Coach Roditi shows the value of shot placement with the 2 Cross, 1 Down the Line drill. As his athletes demonstrate the drill, you will learn specific shot selection patterns and techniques - a must for more experienced singles player.

Court Coverage

At the end of the video, you will learn two games - 3 vs. 3 and Speed Singles, both of which will help your athletes understand the value of court coverage, shot selection, and racket speed - all while having fun competing! This is a great way to close practice and will have an immediate impact on the movement and competitive spirit of your team.

Coach Roditi provides a series of drills, technique demonstrations, and games that will allow coaches of all levels the opportunity to improve their team. His energy, enthusiasm, and passion for teaching the game are felt through every second of this video.

70 minutes. 2018.

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