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Video Training Series, 10 Step Rally – Part 3

Tennis 24/7 Coach Academy: 10 Step Rally Series Part 3

Part 3 of the 10 Step Rally Video Series introduces an exercise to build player’s racket control. As with parts 1 and 2, part 3 features a cooperative rally and a competitive game to help players to serve, rally and score from the first lesson. Thus, adding simple solutions and great activities to your tennis programme.

Step 3 of the 10 step rally series

  • Now, players will take turns to tap the ball up, but in the SAME square.
  • Start by holding the racket palm-up. This, therefore, assists with forehand taps.
  • The second player adopts a nice ready position.
  • Switch to backhand rallies between the pair for subsequent variation.
  • During rallies, have players count the consecutive number of times the ball lands in the square. This subsequently makes the exercise more competitive.

TOP TIPS:

  • Contact the falling ball, rather than the rising ball.
  • Let the ball fall down to a comfortable height to hit – keeping control of the racket face.
  • Feed the ball without a bounce. For this purpose, it rises straight off the strings.

10 Step Rally Video Series

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More Tennis(24/7) articles and videos on working with red ball players

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Video Training Series, 10 Step Rally – Part 2

10 Step Rally - Part 2

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

  1. Use plastic strips to mark out two 1m x 1m squares in front of your players.
  2. Ask your players to hold their racket level out in front of themselves.
  3. 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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More Tennis(24/7) articles and videos on working with red ball players

[display-posts category=”red-ball”]

Video Training Series: 10 Step Rally

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 steps includes cooperative rallies and competitive games that will help players learn to serve, rally and score right from the first lesson. So these steps will add simple solutions and great activities to your regular tennis coaching programme.

First video in the Series

The “self-rally” activity

  1. Use plastic strips to mark out two 1m x 1m squares in front of your players.
  2. Ask your players to hold their racket level out in front of themselves.
  3. Then keeping their racket level – 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.

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.

Watch the rest of the 10 Step Rally Video Series (coming soon)

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More Tennis(24/7) articles and videos on working with red ball players

[display-posts category=”red-ball”]

Developing Rally Skills – Walk the Dog Activity

Walk the Dog is a great exercise for young children to start to develop racket and hand control and to understand the relationship between the racket and the ball; skills kids will need to rally.

Walk the Dog can be done in any space, with almost any equipment, and can be done as an individual or group activity. It’s fun and an ideal exercise for pre-red level players.

Note – I filmed this while working with children and coaches in Finland!

Setting up the “Walk the Dog” Activity

  1. Set up an obstacle course with cones and markers:
    • Cones map out a zig-zag course
    • Markers make a “trail” to follow
  2. Have the children guide a ball (“walk the dog”) through the course (around cones and along the marker trail) using their racket.

Simple!

More on Developing Rally Skills

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More activities for red players

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MEMBERS ONLY: Make learning to rally fun with our 10 Step Rally (Video series)

Getting beginner tennis players to rally is a challenge to many tennis coaches and teachers.

This series of videos produced by inspire2coach, and endorsed by the ITF (International Tennis Federation), is presented by Mark Tennant, an internationally experienced tennis coach i2c’s Director. The series gives you our great 10 Step Rally progressions which will help beginners of any age learn to rally with a partner in double-quick time.

Each of the 10 progressive steps features cooperative rallies and competitive games to help players to serve, rally and score from the first lesson, adding simple solutions and great activities to your tennis programme.

Introduction

Step 1 (re-posted)

Step 2

Step 3

Step 4

Step 5

Step 6

Step 7

Step 8

Step 9

Step 10

Conclusion