i2c’s 10 Step Rally Video Series will help you to teach tennis beginners of any age the basics of how to rally co-operatively and competitively with a partner.
Each of the 10 progressive steps features cooperative rallies and competitive games to help players to serve, rally and score from the first lesson. Thus, adding simple solutions and great activities to your tennis programme.
This 10 step rally series is produced by inspire2coach and presented by Mark Tennant, an internationally experienced tennis coach and one of the Directors of i2c.
Step 2 of the 10 step rally series
In step 2 players will repeat the activities that we did in step 1 (described below), but they will use their racket in the backhand position. For the backhand exercise, the player’s grip won’t change but the back of the player’s hand will be pointing up and the racket will again be horizontal (flat).
The “self-rally” activity
- Use plastic strips to mark out two 1m x 1m squares in front of your players.
- Ask your players to hold their racket level out in front of themselves.
- Then keeping their racket level horizontally – players will rally with themselves to bounce the ball up and let it bounce inside the square.
The challenge for beginner players is to keep their ball going straight up and down – which can only be done by if the player keeps their racket face nice and flat.
“Self-rally” competition – the longest rally
Each player should count how many times in a row they can keep their ball “rallying” up and down to land in their square. If a player’s ball bounces out of their square the player they will need to start again. If the ball bounces on the line then just like in a match, it’s IN! The player with the highest count wins.
TOP TIPS:
- The racket must remain flat, likewise, the back of the hand pointing up.
- If players struggle to control the ball with one hand, perhaps try two. But, keep the hands together on the grip.
- Bend the legs. Hence, the ball’s height can be followed.
Background of the 10 Step Rally Video Series
This is part one in a series of videos produced by inspire2coach, and endorsed by the ITF (International Tennis Federation). The series is presented by Mark Tennant, one of i2c’s Directors and an internationally experienced tennis coach.
10 Step Rally Video Series
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