TennisOne Lessons

Deliberate Practice – First Serve application

Wayne Elderton

In the last installment of the series (Deliberate Practice – Second Serve Application), we looked at how to set-up and measure the improvement of a specific second serve (Topspin to the Backhand). Following the Deliberate Practice (DP) format, how specifically and purposefully you work at a skill is more important than your innate ‘talent’.

Both the first Serve and second Serve practice will incorporate the key characteristics we identified for DP:

• Highly structured
• Specific and relevant
• Weaknesses are targeted and performance monitored
• Mentally & physically focused
• Reward-less

To engage in DP doesn't mean just to hit a bunch of serves but, which serves (the slice wide, power down the "T," kick to the BH, etc.). Tennis is about mastering the situations one encounters when they play (not just "general" strokes).

In this first serve piece, we are looking at pressuring an opponent through placement and power. A first serve that can be placed with good pace can set-up many advantages for a player. It is critical a player can serve where they want to without slowing the ball down and ‘pushing’ it.

This video lays-out the keys needed for the practice which include:

• Clear tactical intention (technique is only for executing tactics. The idea is to practice in order produce an effect on the opponent and hopefully, gain more points, not look nicer)
• Key technical points to practice (what is really important to make the tactic happen)
• How to set-up measurement (this is required to know if you are improving or not)
• Scoring norms (to gauge improvement based on typical results)

None of the concepts in the video are particularly new. It is the package of how they are put together that makes the practice deliberate.

At my academy, we call this concept, “Performance On Demand” (POD). If you truly ‘own’ a skill you can do it whenever it is demanded of you.

Your comments are welcome. Let us know what you think about Wayne Elderton's article by emailing us here at TennisOne.

Wayne Elderton

WayneElderton isHead Courseof Tennis Canada Coaching Development &Certification in British Columbia. He is a certified Canadian national level 4 coach andcertified by both the PTR and USPTA.For two consecutive years he was runner-up for Canadian national development coach-of-the-year out of nominated coaches from every sport.He has also been named the Tennis Professionals AssociationCoaching Educator of the year and Tennis Professional of the year.

Wayne is currently Tennis Director at the Grant Connell Tennis Center in North Vancouver. He has written coaching articles and materials for Tennis Canada, the PTR, Tennis Australia , and the ITF. He is a national expert on the Game-based Approach.

For more informationvisit Wayne Elderton's website at www.acecoach.com