High Performance Tennis Practice: Bridging, Bonding, Building

with Steve Bender,
Saint Joseph High School (IN) Head Boys Coach;
NFHSCA 2020 Indiana Boys Tennis Coach of the Year;
2x IHSTECA District 1 Coach of the Year;
3x NIC Coach of the Year;
former Holy Cross at Notre Dame College Head Men's and Women's Coach;
2017 Women's College Tennis Conference Coach of the Year;
former Buchanan High School (MI) Head Boys Coach;
2003 Michigan High School State Title;
2x Michigan High School Tennis Coach of the Year (1995, 2002);
member of the Buchanan High School Athletic Hall of Fame (2015), Michigan High School Coaches Hall of Fame (2011), Michigan High School Tennis Coaches Hall of Fame (2010), and Albion College Athletics Hall of Fame (1998)

Over the course of his career, veteran tennis coach Steve Bender has identified the best ways to build a tennis program that not only contains good players, but also features a tight-knit culture where athletes enjoy being part of the team. In this video, you'll learn the philosophy that's at the center of Bender's coaching beliefs, while also adding great practice drills and exercises to your own 'bag of tricks.'

Bridging, Bonding, Building

Coach Bender begins by explaining the philosophy that helped his team build a family atmosphere: Bridging, Bonding, Building. This philosophy is centered around the idea that relationships are the most important thing when constructing a championship program. Broken down, each phase means:

• Bridging - Helping new players transition into the program.
• Bonding - Creating activities that bring the team closer.
• Building - Use competition to create pressure for quality improvement.

You'll learn why Bender scores everything his team does at practice to fuel the Bridging, Bonding, Building philosophy.

Practice Session

Coach Bender's practice begins with his Wacky Warm-Up, which is a five-part warm-up that incorporates stretching, footwork, and band work. Once it is over, players pick up their rackets and run through a few more warm-up drills that incorporate hitting.

The Team Ground Stroke Series is the next main phase of practice. The series includes six different games that get athletes moving and improving, and is a great way to practice doubles concepts.

In order to play effective tennis, you must have players that are in supreme physical condition. Bender showcases exercises that will build your athletes' endurance and explosiveness. Between drills, players are served a tennis trivia quiz that is designed to stimulate their brains and increase their knowledge of the game. To close out practice, Coach Bender pushes his athletes through more drills and games that are competitive in nature, increase tennis skills and build team camaraderie.

If you have ever felt like your tennis practices are stale or your players need to get closer as a team, this video from Coach Bender contains some great ideas for making practice engaging for everyone!

95 Minutes. 2021.