Notes & Homework

Skill: Ready Position

• Paddle Up and out in front of you. Approx. net height.
• Elbow out in front of you - not tucked into your body.
• Feet shoulder width apart.
• Light bend in the knees
• Slight hinge forward from the hips- don’t get chest facing the ground
• Square up to the ball with toes, hips, shoulders and paddle.

Skill: Ball Control/Dinking

• Contact Point:  Contact Point out in front, approx 12-15” in front of toes.  Push forward through the ball with a guiding motion.
• Weight Transfer: Allow weight to flow into your shot.  This will look more like a speed skater shifting side to side than a jack in the box bouncing up and down.  Up weight transfer will pop the ball up.
• Body Positioning:  Square up to the ball:  point your toes, hips, shoulders and paddle towards the ball.
• Hands: Soft relaxed hand with continental grip, soft stable wrist, lay back your wrist.
• Swing: Smooth even swing tempo with no backswing behind the body. Follow through pointing your paddle out in front directed at where you placed the ball

Drill: Ball to Paddle Dink

• Players stand straight on skinny to each other at the NVZ.
• One player underhand tosses a ball to partner that will hit a dink back to them.
• Tossing player emphasis on good ready position to receive the ball after dink and good release forward when tossing. 
• Hitting player emphasis on good dink mechanic.
• Do this straight on and cross court. 
• Tactical Takeaways:
  • Improved ready position.
  • Improved dink control.

Drill:  Dink Grinder

• Players can perform this cross court or straight on skinny at NVZ.
• Engage in a cooperative dink rally with the intent to see how long they can keep the rally going.
• Set timer for 1 min round and see how many they can do without messing up.  Repeat and try to beat your score.
• Tactical Takeaways:
  • Improved dink consistency and ball control.

Skill: Serve

• Contact Point: Too in front = high shallow ball, contact just in front of front leg.
• Weight Transfer: Load and rotate transferring forward into your shot.
• Hands: Soft loose continental grip.
• Swing: Low to high swing plane extending forward through the ball. Follow through attarget.

Drill: Partner to Partner Serves

• Place a line of cones 3 feet inside the baseline to create a depth target.
• Players set up crosscourt from each other at the baseline.
• Players take turns serving to their partner who catches ball and then serves it back.
• Focus is on consistency, form and hitting the service box.
• Use depth targets as you get more proficient.