Traffic Light

Suggested by Oliver Stephens in his article for TennisPro Magazine. Players should be able to rally

from the baseline.

As soon as a ball is struck by the opponent, the other player calls out either Red, Yellow or Green depending on how he/she evaluates the incoming ball. Red is for a deep difficult ball, meaning they 'stop' whatever offensive intentions they may have had and just hit the ball to stay in the point. Yellow is for a mid court or transitional, neutral ball. Green is a ball they feel they can or should attack offensively, probably a softly hit ball, or short, or both.

In addition to recognizing what ball is coming their way, players should respond accordingly and hit the correct type of ball back.

Forehand-Backhand

I love it when my students suggest tennis activities. Thanks Will C. for sharing this one. I used it recently in an adult beginner clinic focusing on backhands and loved how it dovetailed with the backhand lesson. It's simple, which I also love. You will need at least two players.

One player is bounce feeding; the other is returning. Feeding player calls out 'forehand' or 'backhand' quickly, before fed ball crosses net. Returning player must hit whatever stroke was just called by feeding player. When we played this we played mini tennis (service line) but it could also work well from the baseline.

Scoring strategies: Will suggested scoring first to 7 points, then switch. If the point continues past the feed, EVERY ball hit must be accompanied by a stroke command (Forehand or Backhand), so the returning player can get in on the fun as well even though they don't get to feed (yet).

When I used this in the adult class, I didn't do it by points earned. Instead I gave every player 5 balls and rotated them around, giving everyone equal opportunities to feed as well as return.

At first this game may seem to be more of a learning opportunity for the returning player, to work on tracking the ball quickly and improving their footwork. It is, but as you play this, you may find it is equally a challenge for the feeding player. You will see their mental wheels spinning as the plot where to feed the ball and what stroke to require from their opponent. It's a win-win!

Send A Message - To Yourself

I honestly don't remember where I stole this idea from. It's so simple, anyone could have come up with it. I do recall that I have been using it for years.

Recall the blog post about Faisal Hassan's mental buzzwords? Take it one step further and create some visual cues from your favorites. Journal, index cards, post-it notes, on your bag tag, get a Sharpie and write them on your arm, anything handy will do. Keep them somewhere you can access them easily during the match. I have mine taped to my racquet. I see them every time I adjust my grip, which is often. When I first started using this, I was having trouble staying calm and needed to settle down. It has really helped my mental game. Now I have a new boomstick and a couple of new but equally inspiring messages to ponder while I am on court.

What's on your racquet??

Ball Call

More from Doug Eng! Ball Call is a fun warm-up and a great way to encourage focus.

Mark several balls with different colored markers. For example one might be a red 2; another might be a blue 8. Random colors and numbers are fine. Coach tosses one of these marked balls into the air. First player to correctly identify number and color earns one point.

Variation
For larger groups, divide into teams or pairs with players doing both the tossing and the calling.