Drill One On clay it is important to be able to hit with consistently good depth in order to keep your opponent pinned back. So you must practise hitting with top spin and clearing the net by two to three feet. In this first drill, the coach feeds one ball to the forehand, then one to the backhand, then back to the forehand again. The player should make sure you 'check-step' around the centre of the baseline between shots. Basket drills of 10 balls (equivalent to a 20 stroke rally) will help consistency, concentration and endurance. Take a 15-20 second break between each set of 10. This is similar to the rest time allowed between points in a match. This drill can be done hitting straight and hitting cross-court. Drill Two On clay you must also be able to hit quality angled shots to take your opponent off court both with the forehand and backhand, and then expose the space that you have created. For this drill the coach first feeds two balls to the forehand. The player aims for shorter-angled target each time, in order to take the opponent up and off the court. The coach then feeds the third ball to the forehand and the player hits down the line deep in behind the opponent. Hit three to four sets of this drill (9-12 balls) then rest. There are other variations for this drill that you can try: Switch the drill to backhand side of court. The coach feeds ball three to the opposite side of court and the player hits an inside out forehand or a backhand cross-court. Drill Three As well as making your opponent run the width of the court, you should also try to expose the length of the court. For this drill, the coach feeds three balls deep to forehand. For all three, the player aims for a high net clearance and the target deep cross-court. Then the coach feeds ball four shorter to simulate a weak reply from opponent. The player should then play a straight drop shot or a short cross-court angle. This drill can also be done on the backhand side.
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