INSTRUCTION
A Serious Conversation About Drilling
Want to improve your game? Become your own drill sergeant.
By Alice Tym
Is drilling an integral part of improving your game?
Yes, but only if you drill properly and with a
purpose. Practice does not make perfect; it makes
permanent. Hitting 100 serves a day is an excellent
goal if you are working on pace, height, depth, accuracy,
spin and variation. If you’re mindlessly thumping 100
balls, you are reinforcing a mindless serve. You need to
be serious and structure your drills. Bringing a notebook
to practice is a good idea to help you analyze the efficacy
of your practice.
Here are a few ideas for you to use to improve your
approach to drilling.
One Hundred Serves a Day Practicing by
Yourself
Monday
You work on concentration and repetition. Pick
up the ball with a measured pace and plant your
feet the same distance apart on each serve. Do
your routine of bouncing the ball once or twice
in your own rhythm. No rushing 100 serves to get
out there and play. Maintain an even pace. Decide
where you plan to hit the ball. Breathe. Watch
the ball as you strike it. Keep your head down
throughout the swing so that you don’t shank
the ball. Maintaining your head down will
keep the flight of the ball lower. Be totally in
that moment for all 100 serves.
Tuesday
You need to bring six cones, two for the
wide corners, two for the center, and two
for the short, wide serves. All of them should
be placed a foot inside the lines. Keep track
of your success so that you know what serve
to work on and which serve you can count on
when the score is close or when you are tight.
Serve 20 balls in succession to each cone,
120 serves. Know your
percentages.
Wednesday
It’s pace day.
Hit each serve
using your legs.
Rip that ball like
Tyson McGuffin.
Bart Brannon practicing his topspin serve with his
paddle under the ball so he can come up and over
the ball. Note that his knees are bent and that he
maintains his body low throughout the shot so that
the topspin is heavy and kicks deep into the court.
Body forward and into the ball. 100 deep, heavy
rockets.
Thursday
A key component of serving is
variation. Cones are
back and you
serve one ball
at
each
cone
then
reverse
direction
and repeat.
Keep your feet
stable so you
don’t telegraph
the direction of the
serve. Move that ball
around seamlessly.
Friday
Time to spin. Try to hit 50
topspin serves. Most people think
that topspin is hit with your hand
rolling and your arm coming
up. Topspin is hit with your legs.
Down deep and forward into the
ball is the key. The legs keep
the serve consistent and give
it authority. Then hit 50
slice serves. It is not a
hack or a chop; it is a
smooth, forward slice.
Slice like you are peeling
an orange, all the way
around that orange.
Saturday
Time to change pace. Hit
lob serves, soft serves, hard
serves, and 3/4 pace serves.
Be conscious of how you can
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