Focus on ready position, technique, smooth slow arm action, preparation for shot, contact point
Dinking:
- Stand inside the NVZ line and dink softly/slowly into the first half of the kitchen. (squats)
- Stand at the NVZ line and dink softly into the first half of the kitchen. (lunge/reset dink)
- Stand at the NVZ and dink face to face to the back half of the kitchen.
- Locational dinking (1 to 1, 2 to 2, 3 to 3, 1 to 3, 3 to 1)
- Placement dinking / reset – one player dinks to any location – the other resets to 2. Switch
- Cross court dinking (use all locations). Both sides.
- Movement dinking: together back and forth, window wiper
- Dink game
Volleys:
- Two touch drills (dinks, volleys)
- Control volley
- Quick hands – control volleys from inside the NVZ line
- Dink volleys
- Cross court. Both sides
- Block volleys – defend drives from transition and baseline (keep it deep or drop in kitchen
Resets:
- At the NVZ line, one side “attacks”, the other side resets (block volleys and dink volleys)
- 3 dinks – 3 volleys – reset (repeat). Play the same game with no pattern (ie speed up and slow down)
- Resets from the transition zone – drops and dink/reset volleys. Try cross court too.
- Slinky – drop or reset volley and move forward then move back, then forward…….
Third shots:
- From baseline continuous drop shots
- Slinky – move forward from baseline to transition to NVZ line then back, then forward…(repeat)….. Use drops on all shots.
- up/back game: as a team move forward from baseline to NVZ
- Drive and drop. Try some lobs. Make good decisions based on height and location of feed.
Serves – returns:
- Serves from both sides: target specific areas
- Serve-return: deep returns – target specific areas
- Two shot drill: Serve and step back – Return and run (stop at the bounce)
- Three shot drill: serve-return-third shot drop – stop at bounce play a smart 5th shot move to NVZ under control (play out point at net with dink rally)