It is important to have a intention on your return of serve whether it is first or a second serve. You may know you opponent and have a idea how they serve whether for example a weak second serve or they serve outwide a lot.
1- Have a goal / intention.
You need to have a general game plan whether return safe and make them play or be aggresseive on the weakers serve’s. You may need to change you game plan if it is not working i.e. chip and charge to ruin their rythm. On each return you may say to your self ‘return deep’ or ‘return to backhand ‘ or yo may retrn on reaction. Exercise – Say (or write) to yourself or partner what your return goal is e.g. return deep or attack to backhand
2 – Athletic Ready Position & Focus
Often return errors or aces are becasuse the returner is day dreaming or not in an athletic ready position. So have a wide stance and get 6 inches lower than your height. Exercise – Squats with a reistance band. Progess to squat jump for explosive power
3 – Read the serve
Watch the server throw the ball up and splt step before the contact point. Remember to watch the contact point to be able to read the serve. Exercise – With a partner shout where the ball is going before the bounce i.e. forehand or backhand
4 – Prepare before the bounce
Once you know where the ball is going turn you shoudlers and ‘step out’ with the foot nearest to the ball and get into behind the ball. Oftern players get get jammed so turn and move to find the space from body to ball. exercise – Shout ‘set’ before the bounces , play the point
5 – Hit out infront
Once you have stepps out transfer your body weight from bacl to front foot asnd as the hips turn contact the ball out infront. The upper body will turn from sideways to facing the net in which the contact is hit nearer inline with the front foot (depending on your stacne). Exercise – stand with you back to the waall / fence and have a partner feed a ball , the wall will stop your contact point from being behind you
6 – Follow thorugh and recover
Imagine yourself hitting 3 balls in a row to keep the swing going in the correct direction and allow the racket to accelerate thorugh the contact and for the racket to finsh in the correct position. After the shot if out f position recover to the middel before the ball bounces on teh other side. Exercise – Play points ensure you recover before the ball bounces on the other side (use a marker for your recvoery position )
