Okay, so the other day I was looking for some new tennis drills, and I stumbled upon this guy, Shaun Stafford. I’d never heard of him before, but the videos looked pretty solid, so I figured, why not? Let’s give it a shot.
Getting Started
First things first, I watched a bunch of his videos online. Just to get a feel for his style and see what kind of drills he focuses on. He seems to be really big on footwork and movement, which, honestly, is something I could definitely improve on.
On the Court
So, I headed to the court with my buddy, Mark. We’re about the same level, so it’s always good to have someone to practice with. We warmed up with some basic groundstrokes, just getting the feel of the ball.
- Mini-tennis: We started with some mini-tennis, focusing on control and placement.
- Groundstrokes: Then we moved back to the baseline and worked on cross-court and down-the-line shots.
- Volleys: Finally some volleys to warm up the reaction at net.
The Drills
After that I picked out a couple of drills from Shaun Stafford’s stuff that looked interesting.
One drill was all about quick footwork. Basically, I do several exercises, like quick steps and split steps, while moving. It’s all about staying light on your feet and reacting quickly. We did that for about 20 minutes, and man, I was feeling the burn!
The other drill involved working the movement between balls. I do some patterns that mimic game-like scenarios, moving into the court, then backing up. It sounds simple, but it’s actually pretty challenging when you try to maintain good form and consistency.
Wrapping Up
We finished up with some serves, It’s always a good idea to get some practice in. Then, a quick cool-down and stretch, and that was it.
Overall, I’d say it was a pretty good session. I definitely felt like I got a good workout, and those Shaun Stafford drills were actually pretty helpful. I’m gonna try to incorporate them into my regular practice routine and see if it helps me improve my game. If I see some improvement I will keep going for sure!
