Coach’s Corner

This section is a recap of the skills and techiniques learned in our coaching sessions on Wednesdays courtesy of Alex and the PTR Coaching qualification course.

Grips
The Forehand Lesson
The Backhand Lesson
Double-Handed Backhand
The Service Lesson
Volleys
Forehand Volley
Backhand Volley
Games & Drills
Lesson Plan

Grips

Eastern Forehand Grip

Hold the racket with the non-playing hand. Place the playing hand flat on the racket face, draw the hand down to the grip and “shake hands” with the racket

Eastern Backhand Grip

Holding the racket with an easternforehand grip. Hold the racket across the front of the body “on edge”. Turn the hand inwards quarter of a turn until the index finger knuckle is on top of the racket.

Continental Forehand Grip

Hold the racket like a hammer, with the index finger knuckle on the 45 degree bevel on the outside of the racket.

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The Forehand Lesson

The forehand is a potential weapon. The forehand drive is the basis for all other strokes hit on the forehand side.

Forehand Drive Progressions

1. Stance, Ready position.

2. Grip. Eastern Forehand.

Hold the racket at the throat in the non-dominant hand then shake hands with the grip.

3. Turn and pivot.

The hips and the shoulders simultaneously turn as the right foot pivots. The weight is transferred to the right foot; the left heel is off the ground with only the toe touching. The racket is pointed in the direction of the right sideline.

4. Racket back and down.

The racket head is taken back and the arm is lowered, so that the butt of the racket is facing the net. The weight is on the right foot.

5. Adjusting steps.

The student takes three adjusting steps forward.

6. Point of contact.

The point of contact is slightly in front of the left leg. The arm is relaxed, relatively close to the body and the wrist is firm.

7. Follow through.

The follow through is a long, continuous sweeping motion, finishing high and out in front of the body, with the elbow flexed. The weight is on the front foot and the heel of the right foot is raised with only the toe touching.

Forehand Drive Corrective Techniques

FAULT OR ERROR	CORRECTIVE TECHNIQUE
Incorrect grip	place a pencil or pen between the forefinger and the grip.It should lie flat on the side bevel.
Improper point of contact or misjudges the ball	ask the student to catch the ball at the point of contact. toss the student a few balls and ask them to trap the ball on the racket.
Leading with the elbow on back swing	place a ball under the armpit of the hitter. The ball should not fall out until after the live ball is contacted.
Wrist break on back swing	the student stands beside the net with the body and racket on opposite sides. The net will make sure that there is no excessive back swing.
Racket rolls on follow through	have the student catch the racket with the non-playing hand.
Slicing the ball	have the student touch the racket to the ground before swinging forward.
Wristy point of contact	hold racket halfway up.
In adequate follow through	catch the racket with the non-playing hand.
Looks down at the ground	track ball with eyes by touching chin to left shoulder.
Hits off back foot	step on coin.
Scoops or parallel back swing	swing pattern is a ‘C’ or half moon.
No hip and shoulder rotation	back heel should be up with toe on the ground so you can read shoe size or look at tread.

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The Backhand Lesson

Backhand Drive Progressions

1. Stance, Ready position.

2. Grip. Eastern Backhand.

Extend the racket out in front, using an eastern forehand grip. Bend the wrist of the hand holding the racket to the left. This will produce a lump in the wrist.To get rid of the lump, turn the hand a quarter turn so that the index knuckle is resting on the top bevel. Extend the index finger for better control of the racket.

3. Turn, racket back and down.

There is no pause between the turn, racket back and down as is the case with the forehand. It is one continuous motion. The hips and the shoulders simultaneously turn as the left foot pivots. The weight is transferred to the left foot; the right heel is off the ground with only the toe touching. The racket goes back naturally when you turn with the butt of the racket facing the net.

4. Adjusting steps.

The student takes three adjusting steps forward.

5. Point of contact.

The point of contact is slightly in front of the right leg. The arm is relaxed, relatively close to the body and the wrist is firm.

6. Follow through.

The follow through is a long, continuous sweeping motion, finishing high and out in front of the body, with the thumb pointing to the sky. The weight is on the front foot with the hips and shoulders facing the side fence. The heel of the left foot is raised with only the toe touching.

FAULT OR ERROR	CORRECTIVE TECHNIQUE
Incorrect grip	place a pencil or pen between the forefinger and the grip.It should lie flat on the top side bevel.
Improper point of contact or misjudges the ball	ask the student to hold the racket at the point of contact and adjust the feet to learn the correct positioning.
Leading with the elbow	place a ball under the armpit of the hitter on forward swing. The ball should not fall out until after the live ball is contacted.
Excessive Backswing	the student stands besides the net with the body and racket on opposite sides. The net will make sure that there is no excessive back swing.
Racket rolls on follow through	Have the student stop at the point of contact and then slowly add the follow through.
Slicing the ball	have the student drop a ball and brush up the back of it to get the feeling of topspin.
Wristy point of contact	hold racket halfway up.
In adequate follow through	stand with back against the fence and practice swing starting and finishing with the racket touching the fence.
Looks down at the ground	place hat upside down on the student’s head.
Hits off back foot	from behind your student, throw the ball out in front. Your student will have to move forward to hit the ball.
Excessive hip and shoulder rotation	point the non-playing hand at the back fence throughout (one-handed backhand) the stroke.

The Double Handed Backhand

There are three primary variations of the two-handed backhand.

1. The simplest two-handed backhand is one without a grip change. The forehand grip is kept and the player simply adds the support of a forehand grip with the free hand. The hands are close together. This is an ideal grip for beginners who are looking for quick success, but it is rather limited in the variety of strokes that can be produced. The player tends to use more left side to generate power.

2. As soon as possible, the player should be encouraged to change the grip on the dominant hand to a continental grip with the free hand The grip makes it easier to play topspin and to control the racket face to play a variety of strokes. Perhaps the most important benefit is that players can now easily add a one-handed stroke to their repertoire.

3. Another two-handed stroke gaining popularity is one where the right hand presses back against the free hand, in essence ‘loading’ the stroke. Just before contact with the ball, the right hand is relaxed and this causes the left hand to snap through at high speed. Used with trunk and hip rotation, this combined coupling effect produces a stroke of very high speed.

4. A backhand drive using an Eastern backhand grip, with the left hand supporting the racket and mainly coming along for the ride.

Additional Technical Information

The contact point for a two-handed backhand is slightly further back and closer to the body than the contact point for the one-handed backhand.

Both arms must bend onto the racket shoulder on the follow through whereas the arm stays straight in the one-handed backhand.

The hips and the trunk rotate on the follow-through whereas the shoulder remain sideways to the net throughout the one-handed backhand stroke.

Today, many two-handed players are also adding a one-handed stroke to their game for greater versatility.

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The Service Lesson

Service Progressions

1. Stance.

Comfortably stand with your feet about shoulder width apart. The back foot is parallel to the baseline and the front foot is pointed at a 45 degree angle toward the net post.

2. Grip.

A continental grip is important to use for pronation when serving. Hold the racket like a hammer. The index finger knuckle should be placed on the 45 degree angle bevel of the racket handle.

3. Pronation

Pronation is simply the inward rotation of the forearm.To demonstrate this to the class, hold the racket on edge, high in the air and rotate the forearm with the thumb turning in.

4. Swing racket up on edge.

In the serving stance, with the weight back and the racket resting behind the shoulder, demonstrate the upward motion of the racket without pronation.

5. Swing up with pronation.

In the serving stance, with the weight back and the racket resting behind the shoulder, demonstrate the upward motion of the racket with pronation.

6. Weight transfer.

With the weight back and the racket resting behind the shoulder, demonstrate the simultaneous movement: the racket swinging upward with pronation and at the same time the weight transfers from the back foot to the front foot.

7. Point of contact.

Bring the students up from the baseline to a position three steps away from the net. Your weight is back with racket back behind your shoulder. Toss the ball up, simultaneously transferring your weight forward while gently swinging your racket up to meet the ball. The racket should stop at contact point.

8. Follow through.

Your weight is back with racket back behind your shoulder. Toss the ball up, simultaneously transferring your weight forward while gently swinging your racket up to meet the ball. Contact the ball and then slowly add on the follow through so that the racket is touching the outside of the calf.

9. Add the back swing.

Keep your weight on the back leg and hold the ball on the centre of the racket strings. Swing your racket straight back and stop behind your back. The tossing hand does not move.

Toss the ball up, and simultaneously transfer your weight forward while moving the racket up and forward. Contact the ball and add a slow follow through.

10. Rhythm - no toss.

With weight on the back leg, hold the racket and ball together. Swing the racket straight back while moving the tossing arm upward. Do not release the ball and do not transfer the weight.

11. Rhythm with toss and catch.

Same as step 10, but toss the ball up and catch the ball. As is the case with Step 10, there is no weight transfer.

12. Complete serve.

Swing back, toss up, transfer your weight, contact the ball and follow through.

Service Corrective Techniques

FAULT OR ERROR	CORRECTIVE TECHNIQUE
Back foot slides up to front	Place a racket between the front and foot before contact back foot.
Front foot slides forward	Place an object in front of the front before contact foot.
Changes grip in back swing (Improper Grip)	Place a pencil between the index knuckle and the racket, pencil rests at 45 degrees.
Abbreviated back swing	Imagine your swinging arm is like a pendulum on a clock.
Knees dip before toss	Have the student serve with legs locked.
No pronation	Trap the ball against the fence.
Straight arm serve	Touch the back with the racket before starting forward swing.
Lack of continuity	Serve by holding the racket with the thumb and the index finger.
Elbow drops	Have the student toss the ball up and rebound off the top of the elbow.
Improper point of contact	Trap the ball against the fence.
Loss of balance	Have the student serve with feet together facing forward.
Scissors toss	Place tossing arm over the racket arm.
Quick toss	Leave tossing arm in the air for two counts after releasing the ball.
No weight transfer	Back heel should be up, with toe on ground, so you can read shoe size or look at tread.

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Volleys

Forehand Volley Progressions

1. Stance.

The student takes a relaxed stance facing the net with feet about shoulder width apart and knees slightly flexed.

2. Block ball with hand.

The student simply blocks or catches the ball with the hand.

3. Big hand.

The student holds the racket at the throat with three fingers on the strings, the thumb and little finger grasp the sides of the racket. The students arm is slightly bent, but extended in front of the body. The ball is tossed underhand by the partner and the student blocks the ball on the strings.

4. Hand half way.

The student slides the hand half way down the racket. Using an eastern forehand grip, the student blocks the ball on the strings. Contact with the ball is made with the racket out in front and to the right side of the body.

5. Full grip.

Slide the hand all the way down the racket. Using an eastern forehand grip, block the ball on the strings. The ball is contacted out in front and to the right side of the body.

Note

For steps 3, 4 and 5 the angle of the racket is such that the butt of the racket is facing the opposite foot or roughly at a 45 degree angle. The wrist is slightly laid back to ensure the ball will have proper depth. The volley is taught using an eastern forehand grip to provide the student with more initial success. Eventually, with more muscle strength and feel for the ball, a continental grip will be used.

Backhand Volley Progressions

1. Stance.

The student takes a relaxed stance facing the net with feet about shoulder width apart and knees slightly flexed.

2. Thumbs up.

Extend the arm out and to the far left side of the face. Make a ‘thumbs up’ sign and then block the ball with the fist.

3. Big thumb.

Place the thumb on the strings at the throat of the racket. The rest of the hand wraps around the throat to provide proper support. The students arm is slightly bent, but extended in front of the body. The ball is tossed underhand by the partner and the student blocks the ball on the strings.

4. Hand half way.

The student slides the hand half way down the racket. Using an eastern backhand grip, the student blocks the ball on the strings. Contact with the ball is made with the racket out in front and to the left side of the body.

5. Full grip.

Slide the hand all the way down the racket. Using an eastern backhand grip, block the ball on the strings. The ball is contacted out in front and to the left side of the body.

The left hand cradles the racket prior to contact. It provides support and proper racket alignment.

Note

For steps 3,4 and 5 the angle of the racket is such that the butt of the racket is facing the opposite foot or roughly at a 45 degree angle. The racket head is slightly laid back to ensure the ball will have proper depth. The backhand volley is taught using an eastern backhand grip to provide the student with more initial success. Eventually, with more muscle strength and feel for the ball, a continental grip will be used

Volley Corrective Techniques

FAULT OR ERROR	CORRECTIVE TECHNIQUE
Takes a big back swing	block the back swing with the non-playing hand. Use the fence to act as a barrier.
Uses the same side of the racket (Windscreen Wiper)	place a marker on the side of the racket and make sure the marker is always facing up.
Wristy volley	choke up on the racket to stop the wrist from moving.
Racket drops below the wrist	touch knees to ground.
Student moves back	tie a short string to the net and racket.
Contact point is too late	student stands very close to the net and has to play the volley before the ball crosses the net.
Wristy point of contact	hold racket halfway up.
In adequate follow through	catch the racket with the non-playing hand.
Looks down at the ground	track ball with eyes by touching chin to left shoulder.
Hits off back foot	step on coin.
Scoops or parallel back swing	swing pattern is a ‘C’ or half moon.
No hip and shoulder rotation	back heel should be up with toe on the ground so you can read shoe size or look at tread.