6 Ball Drill: Attacking Down the Line + Defending Cross Court with full court (Advanced), by Mariano Peinado

Objective: Develop the proper footwork as you change directions with your shots correctly, while attacking the short balls down the line and defending crosscourt.

Description: This is the second week we have covered the topic of how to best utilize the direction of your ground strokes, while working on the footwork moving in all directions. This week's more advanced drill requires better movement as you will be using the entire court.

On the first two balls you will move laterally working on defending cross court with depth. The third shot is a shorter ball that you will move forward, uncoiling into the short ball as you hit it down the line. Recover by moving backwards with double step footwork. It is crucial that you defend this shot by playing HIGH and CROSS COURT, and start the same sequence in the reverse order.

At the iTUSA Academy we use this drill regularly during preseason training, as well as during competition phases. During preseason we have our players hit as many as 6-10 series in a row with up to 3 minutes rest in between series. The intensity of the series is moderate keeping the heart rate between 120-150 beats per minute. During competition phases we limit our players to one or two series intervals, with a 20-second rest between series. This simulates the duration of a point in a real match situation. We vary the frequency of the heart rate, raising it to about 180. On recovery days during competition phases, do not raise their heart rate above 150 to avoid over-training.

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