i
INSTRUCTION by ALICE TYM
FIVE BALL MACHINE DRILLS TO IMPROVE YOUR ACCURACY
Remember that success comes from the way one drills, not from the time spent drilling. Your drilling must be purposeful, and you must work on basics throughout. Plan to bend your knees, watch the ball, move your feet, and extend your follow-through— or stay home.
Drill 1: Crosscourt Bread and Butter
You need a shot that you can count on and one that you can develop into a weapon. Your best bet is probably going to be your forehand crosscourt. As you gain confidence, you can add a strong down-the-line forehand.
Set the ball machine in the forehand corner of the opponent’ s court to hit crosscourt 2 feet inside your baseline and 2 feet inside the sideline. This will force you to prepare early. Your target is to hit within 2 feet of the opposite baseline, i. e., deep.
Begin by hitting wide to the forehand then work on going down the middle like you would return a serve. Practice alternating wide and middle. The catch is to move back to the center of the baseline each time after you stroke the ball. Paddle back, move to the ball, hit and follow through, then back to center.
Get low. Think starting blocks for sprinters. Paddle back, move, etc. Get a rhythm. Work hard to get a comfortable rhythm so that you can go there during a match. Have a go-to smooth rhythm to your drilling patterns.
Now add a down-the-line forehand. Keep it deep to the backhand corner.
As you drill, make each shot a production. Pretend you are being videoed. Be conscious of self-correction so that when you play a match, you can correct yourself before you repeat an error. Self-diagnose— did you fail to watch the ball? Prepared late? Stood straight up? Do not make the same mistake twice.
Now move the ball machine to the backhand corner and do the same workout on your backhand!
Drill 2: Control Volleys
Align the ball machine in the opposing forehand corner and aim it crosscourt to your forehand corner. Make the trajectory relatively low, but you can vary it each day. Begin by volleying crosscourt deep to the forehand corner. Put a hula hoop in the corner for a target.
If you have a drill partner, she can practice forehands down the line off of your shot.
Now is the time to get down and stay down. Practice having your paddle out in front to meet the ball early. Practice hitting the corners and down the middle.
Now center the ball machine and work on poaching. Emphasize meeting the ball in front and early. Get down for better depth. Study what shots you can successfully poach. Make this drill a Know Thyself moment to avoid delusions of grandeur. Learn how far you can extend and still poach effectively.
Now do the reverse for the backhand crosscourt and a forehand poach. Remember to get back into position. And focus on depth. Volley deep. Depth gives you time to recover and reset.
Drill 3: Lob Offensively and Defensively
The lob is both an offensive and a defensive shot. Certainly in the older age groups, it is offensive in more ways than one. Using a ball machine gives you a chance to develop a deep lob with good follow-through technique. Drilling gives you confidence in your depth and your accuracy.
Lob to the backhand corner. Lob over the weaker player. So set the ball machine to hit deep to your backhand corner. You need to practice taking your paddle back early and moving to extend forward as you
24 TO SUBSCRIBE, CALL 412.914.8294 OR GO TO PICKLEBALLMAGAZINE. COM