350 Series: Skills & Drills Lab
ServeĀ &Ā Return Depth Control
Takeaways & Training Tasks
Keep the momentum rolling with these quick steps:
- Refresh your memory with the 2 skills, 2 drills, and training video.
- Knock out the drills 2ā€“3x before we meet again.
- Each time you play, pick one skill and make it your mission to useĀ it often and on purpose.
Serve Types
- Serve variety keeps your opponents guessing
- 1- Drive Serve - low, powerful and deep to jam them and keep them deep
- 2- Mid Pace Loopy - Mid pace and height with top spin gives them less pace to work with. Get it deep to push them back.
- 3- Lob Serve - great to throw off returnerā€™s timing and rhythm. Must be deep
Copy Cat Serves
- PLAYERS MUST VARY SERVE TYPE EACH TURN
- Divide the service boxes into 4 quadrants with cones.
- Players set up cross court from partner at the baseline.
- Player 1 calls out their target quadrant and then attempts to serve a ball intothat target.
- If desired target is made, their partner must copy them. If partner misses the target they get a letter.
- First player to spell the word PICKLE or DILL loses the game.
- If player 1 misses their desired target then player 2 chooses and attempts.
- This is like playing PIG or HORSE with basketball.
Return of Serve
- Contact Point: Focus on contact point out in front
- Weight Transfer: Load and Rotate. Extending forward through the ball. This creates depth which is key for return of serve.
- Hands: Reach out with non paddle hand on forehands. Separate hands
when hitting a 1 handed backhand. - Swing: Short Backswing. Swing plane to the side to initiate kinetic chain.
Return/4th Shot - Depth
- Players set up at the baseline straight on skinny: 1 Server, 1 Returner
- Use court strips to make a depth target in back 3rd of the court opposite the returner.
- Returner will hit 2 balls: 1 return and then moving forward hit a swing volley.
- Both return and volley aimed at the depth target
- Perform both as forehands and backhands
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