Tennis: Back Fence Follow-Through Drill
It's common practice to teach novice tennis players to follow-through on their ground strokes. Unfortunately, some beginners can't grasp the concept and their shots usually lack power and accuracy.
But the follow-through itself adds little to a good tennis shot. It's really a by-product of your players having accelerated their racquet through the contact zone. It's this acceleration that produces a complete follow-through and hard accurate shots.
So, if your players are hitting weak shots and not following-through, you might focus on the acceleration itself. Here's a sneaky way to do that.
Back Fence Drill
Have your players hit a number of balls past the opposing baseline into the fence. They can't accomplish this without accelerating through the contact zone, and you'll notice that as a result, they are following-through.
After 10 minutes of this, instruct them to lower their trajectory so the ball lands within the court. They should continue to hit with the same amount of force.
You'll find that your players suddenly hit the ball with greater force and accuracy…and with a good follow-through!
References:
1. Bill Patton, The Art of Coaching High School Tennis: Planning for Success, Jetlaunch, 2014.
2. Ajay Pant (PTR Master Pro), "Go through the back for for a good finish." Tennis.com website, March 20, 2006.
http://www.tennis.com/yourgame/tipoftheweek/tipoftheweek.aspx?id=972
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