Drills for Developing Touch:
Part 1
Dave Hagler
In my last article we looked at the effectiveness of drop shots in pro tennis and at all levels. (Click Here.) it's devastating and underused shot, particularly in junior and club tennis.
But to hit consistent drops shots, you need touch and feel--the ability to control the speed, spin and trajectory of the ball. The first thing you need is the ability to take an incoming ball and take pace off so the shot is slowed.
Some players tend to have more natural touch and feel, but any player can work to improve them. So in this next series of articles, let's look at a wide variety of drills and drill games I use to help my students do this. In this first article, here are four basic drills.
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Racquet Circles Put a ball on the racquet face and rotate it around the perimeter of the frame. Keep the ball touching the edge of the frame all the way around. Make a few circles in each direction, then turn the racquet over and repeat. Since almost everyone has a better “touch side," it's valuable to do this drill on both sides of the racquet until your level of control is the same on both. |
