The Triangle Theory

Tom Downs

I remember once seeing Steffi Graf practice with her hitting coach. The coach had marked a relatively large triangle in the middle of his side of the court and I thought to myself "is there any more to this triangle than the blatant obvious," which is keeping the ball outside the triangle. It turns out the answer is yes.

Years later I ran into Phil Dent at a pro tournament in Los Angeles. Phil and I were both coaching players in the main draw, and we got to talking about the triangle. Phil explained to me that the back of the triangle was four racquet lengths inside the baseline with the corners being two racquet lengths inside the singles sidelines. His player could dictate points if she consistently hit her first two shots outside the triangle. By doing that, she would spread the court, her opponent would be doing all the running, and she would get an opportunity ball to attack by the third or fourth ball of the point. (See Phil Dent's Triangle Drill)

Immediately, my mind flashed back to Graf and that practice session, and I knew that Steffi's thinking would probably be similar to that of Phil. How many shots you have to hit outside the triangle to take control of a point, however, has a lot to do with the kind of player you are. If you work the points more in some kind of counterpunching or controlled aggression baseline manner, you may need to hit four or more consecutive shots outside the triangle before you earn an opportunity ball. And this of course can depend on variables such as the opponent, the pace and penetration of your shots, the environment and court surface, and the quality of your play on a particular day. In this article, we will look at how the triangle theory can work for players of all levels regardless of playing styles.

Mark the Triangle on the Court

I like to use large yellow strips to mark the triangle. The size of the triangle depends on the ability of the player you're coaching. I usually start with the back of the triangle four racquet lengths inside the baseline and three racquet lengths inside the sidelines. I make it smaller for lower level players. I follow the rule of motor learning, which is that players should experience success between 60-80% of the time hitting outside the triangle. If something is too difficult players can lose confidence and if it's too easy they become bored. The triangle can be adjusted as the student progresses.

Drills Using the Triangle and Triangle Theory

I often see matches played at the club level and I wonder to myself if they're maximizing their skills to their full potential. The answer is usually no because too often they're not playing the right game style. To me, the most important thing when coaching a player is to give them a clear understanding of how they should play. In other words, I make them aware of their strengths and weaknesses, and make it very clear as to what type of player they are and how they should maximize what they've got. I call this "getting the playing structure right."

Once we have established the playing structure, we then move on to drills using the triangle. For example, if I'm coaching a dominant forehand, aggressive baseline player, we could run a pattern like this. The practice partner will hit crosscourt. My student will hit two forehands crosscourt outside the triangle then go down the line on his/her third forehand. The practice partner will play crosscourt then my player will hit a down the line backhand. Then the point will be played out.

All four shots in the pattern from my student must be hit outside the triangle, and once the point starts, if my player hits inside the triangle, the point is lost. The reason my dominant forehand player hits his backhand down the line is to increase his chances of getting a ball to his forehand from the opponent, as the percentage shot from the opponent would be to hit crosscourt to his forehand. Club level players of a relatively high level can do pattern drills and point situations similar to the drill mentioned above.

Lower level club players may play baseline games to eleven starting with a drop feed with a triangle marked on one or both sides. Play out normal points, with the first ball after the feed going crosscourt. When a player hits inside the triangle, the point is instantly lost.

My advice to club players is to talk to your coach and make sure that you're playing the right brand of tennis. Too many club players rely on sheer grit and determination and those qualities are important, but getting your playing structure defined is just as important, and will help you win a lot more matches.

Too many players of all levels become obsessed with a particular stroke or some form of technique. In my opinion, technique is important, but largely overrated. Playing smart tennis and being mentally tough are more important, and will get you to the next level, as long as your technique is efficient.

Two on One Triangle Drills

One of the best drills is the two on one drill with the triangle marked on the two side. This drill can be used by club players of all levels. Again, I mark the back of the triangle four racquet lengths inside the baseline and two racquet lengths inside the sideline. The coach is on the two side behind the baseline and feeds a ball to the player on the one side. The player on the one side must hit his first two shots outside the triangle and the players on the two side can only hit crosscourt. If the player on the one side hits inside the triangle, the players on the two side attack his/her shot to any part of the court and rush the net and the point is played out. If the player on the one side hits consecutive shots outside the triangle he has earned himself an opportunity ball and must come to net and play the point out.

Too many times at academies I see intense two on one drills, which are great, but these two on ones often don't include a short ball and a volley. In today's tennis, more so than ever, it is important to do drills that simulate a point.

Progression two on one drills are extremely important. For example, the first drill may be only hitting groundstrokes outside the triangle. The next drill can include a short ball and volley. When I watch club players train, they often practice their shots without putting them into some sort of point situation or pattern drill which simulates a point. So, while strokes are improved, using them to maximum effect in matches often gets forgotten.

Practice Sets With a Marked Triangle on One Side

I often have students play practice sets with the triangle marked on only one side of the court. I don't have it marked on both sides because in a real match there's no marked triangle. But from a visual perspective, in practice, I have found it helps to play a couple games with the triangle marked and then a couple of games without it marked.

Having a visual triangle during competition matches is important, especially with regard to court awareness, ball awareness and opponent awareness. If my players get too passive or defensive during matches, I like them to be able to visualize the triangle, know where it is, and focus on starting off the point on more aggressive terms by hitting their first two shots outside the triangle and building from there. Doing this often solves their problems in matches.

Pros Hit Outside the Triangle

I encourage my players to become better students of the game and the best way of doing that is to watch elite level pro players like Federer, Nadal, Sharapova and Serena Williams and watch how they start and finish points. They hit aggressively outside the triangle, and wait for an opportunity ball so they can force their opponent's into errors or come to net and finish.

On the other hand, if they hit inside the triangle they're not controlling the point. Every time I watched Sharapova practice, there were always live ball drills executed involving groundstrokes, a short ball and then a volley. I use video as confirmation to prove to my students that the pros hit outside the triangle. As coaches, we often get challenged by parents and even students, so proving to students that what we are teaching them is cutting edge stuff, is so important.

I have videoed club level matches and gone over those matches with the player involved. After watching, the player will usually grasp the importance of starting a point hitting outside the triangle. They can identify why they were attacked in certain points in the match.

Use the triangle in your practice sessions and practice sets and try to visualize where it is on the other side of the court during your competitive match play. Watch tennis matches on TV and see how Federer, Nadal other top players build points by hitting outside the triangle.

From a strategic standpoint, understanding the triangle theory has helped my students improve tremendously. Every game plan I give them involves hitting the first couple of shots outside the triangle. I usually find that everyone at any level of tennis hits the ball as well as the other players at their own level, so it comes down to who plays smarter tennis. A big part of playing smarter tennis, is knowing when and how to dictate play and use the strokes you have to maximum effect. Using what you've got and hitting outside the triangle will help you win more matches.

Your comments are welcome. Let us know what you think about Tom Downs' article by emailing us here at TennisOne.

Tom Downs

Tom has and extensive coaching background, and has been a member of the Institute team for several years. He has served as our Head Staff Professional, and is currently the Traveling Coach for Institute players. He has traveled with several of our Tour players including Laura Granville and Carly Gullickson, who won the US Open Mixed Doubles title in 2009.

Tom has worked with junior and other professional players, including Sam Stosur and Rennae Stubbs, at all 4 Grand Slam events, as well as other major tournaments around the world. Tom graduated from the University of South Florida in 2005 with a degree in communications. As a successful junior player, Tom represented Australia, and was consistently ranked in the top 10 in all age groups in Australia. He played college tennis at South Carolina State University and was a member of their conference championship team in 2004.