Tennis Technology Tuesday
Last week, the Fiend at Court household shared a video of an excellent drill for developing touch volleys. Today we are sharing another drill that is good for that purpose that was made during the same practice session.
As a refresher, we were in a very narrow window between the conclusion of persistent rain showers and other obligations. That is why we found ourselves playing on a damp court. These two drills were among the things that enabled us to safely use the limited dry surface to still have an effective practice.
The “Double Tap” drill is good for developing and improving touch volleys. Rather than hitting conventional volleys back and forth, each player has to first tap the ball to themselves before hitting the ball back to their drill partner.
As a final observation, I would highlight that soft hands starts with soft feet. Active and relaxed feet are the key to getting the body to the right location so the soft hands can take over. While my footwork isn’t always the best in this clip, there is a perceptible difference in the footwork between myself and the Fiend at Court Spousal Unit.
The Double Touch drill as well as the Catch drill shared last week are two examples of techniques to improve tennis play that are not legal to use in an actual match. Occasionally I receive pushback when suggesting one of these drills to a practice partner.
I know that it is possible for a player to gradually improve their level of play by simply by playing the game. However, there is a wealth of non-match training activities that can greatly accelerate the process. The two volley drills shared over the past two weeks are examples of a way to make larger strides in tennis improvement.
