Let the Games Begin! How to Run a Game-Based Tennis Practice

with Greg Patton,
former Boise State University Head Coach;
former UC Irvine Head Coach;
former Head Junior National Coach with the USA Junior National Team (roster included Pete Sampras, Jim Courier, Michael Chang, Patrick McEnroe, Luke Jensen, David Wheaton, MaliVai Washington);
2x NCAA/ITA National Coach of the Year (only coach to win the Division I National Collegiate Coach of the Year honor at two different universities);
5x ITA Region Coach of the Year;
2x USTA/NCAA National Community Service Award winner;
21 NCAA Tournament team appearances;
24 Conference Tournament championships;
member of the Boise State University Hall of Fame (class of 2001)

There has been a push recently toward a more game-based approach to learning tennis. Utilizing games in your practices can not only make your practices more fun and enjoyable for your players, but also increase the speed and ease at which athletes learn and develop.

In this video, Greg Patton takes you through 18 different game-based drills that he has utilized with his collegiate teams and his junior national teams and how to "keep score" with each game/drill. He runs players through warm-up drills to get the feet, eyes and hands stimulated, as well as volley drills, baseline drills, doubles drills, and fun full-team drills to end practice.

Coach Patton not only shows game-based drills you can utilize, but also how you can transform drills you already use into exercises that will make your practices more competitive and increase the rate at which your players develop.

Fast-Paced Large-Group Drills

Learn a variety of fast-paced group drills that will help warm your players up and get them excited right at the start of practice. Coach Patton shows how these drills get your players moving and talking, and why they work great with large groups of players on each court. Patton is able to accomplish this with drills like:

• The Volley Rotation Drill, which emphasizes lots of movement and is great for stimulating the feet, hands, and eyes.
• The Approach Shot Volley Drill, which works on transition shots that lead you to the net and helps you play more aggressively.
• The Mini-Me Drill, with several variations, that helps players better warm up their hands while making sure they communicate well.

Coach Patton feels that the feet, hands, and eyes are the most important components of tennis and these drills work to stimulate and activate all three components.

Full-Court Drills for Consistency and Footwork

To be a great player, Patton believes you need to be consistent, move your feet to put your body in the position he calls the "wheelhouse," and you must possess what he calls a "weapon." As he moves his players back to the baseline, Coach Patton's drills continue to focus on and develop all three of these components. You will learn competitive drills, and how to score them, such as:

• The Paint the Line Drill, which works on hitting the ball deep with shape.
• Dingles, a fast-paced drill with multiple balls going at one time which works on both singles and doubles play while promoting aggressiveness.
• Coach Patton's variation on the popular Rally Alley Drill and how he scores it.

Patton finishes up by demonstrating some of the full team drills he often uses at the end of his practices to continue to refine the work that has already been done while also building a sense of family and fun. One such drill is his "Execution Reincarnation Drill" where players on each team take turns returning each shot, but with only one racquet used for each team. Players that make a mistake are forced to sit down on the court with their own racquet where they can be "reincarnated" back into the game if they are able to return a shot from their seated position.

Coach Patton's enthusiasm and passion for the game of tennis is evident throughout this video. He brings a lot of energy to the court, as do all of his drills. If you're looking to utilize a more game-based approach to your practices, or already do and are just looking for new ideas, there is plenty here that will be of major benefit to your team!

54 minutes. 2020.