with Mike Perez,
Lynn University Men's & Women's Head Coach;
7x National Championship Coach; over 1,000 career wins;
3x NAIA National Coach of the Year; 2006 ITA National Coach of the Year (Men's);
14x Sunshine State Conference Champions; 10x Sunshine State Conference Coach of the Year;
Named the NAIA Coach of the Decade (1990-2000)
Tennis players are becoming more athletic and more aggressive in their play. Coaches need to develop aggressive match play strategies that take advantage of this change in mindset and player ability to reflect the more modern game.
Coach Perez welcomes you into one of his practices where after a dynamic and match style warm-up, he runs his players through six competitive match play drills for developing an aggressive mindset. The practice includes 2-on-2 and 2-on-1 offense/defense doubles drills, 1-on-1 and 2-on-1 ground sequence drills, first serve competitions, and live points. Coach Perez demonstrates how he incorporates each of these drills into a practice 1-2 days before a match and gives detailed instruction into the purpose of each drill, as well as strategy tips for each technique as he coaches his own players.
Competitive Doubles Drills
Learn two offense/defense drills that will help you attack your opponents more frequently and effectively, while also improving your defense against similar attacking teams. Coach Perez explains his philosophy behind this style of play and demonstrates how he works to accomplish this through competitive practice drills, such as:
- 2-on-2 offense/defense drill that allows you to work on both doubles partners playing the net at the same time.
- A progression of the 2-on-2 offense/defense drill that's a 2-on-1 drill with two players at the net and one at the baseline.
- Attacking the net 35-40% of the time.
Ground Sequence
Learn a sequence of two partner drills on the baseline that focuses on identifying your opponent's weakness and exploiting it. Coach Perez explains his philosophy on singles play from the baseline, which include:
- Every player has a weak side and players need to look to exploit that weak side on every shot.
- Players must look to move their opponent around the court.
- Players must be able to develop accuracy and always look to get balls in play to become a more consistent baseline player.
- Playing balls that are out in practice to allow players to get more reps and improve their ability to return tough shots.
First Serve Competition Drill
Coach Perez ties everything together in the last third of his practice with live points from solid ground play to aggressively attacking the net. He modifies the rules to his live points, only allowing one serve, to emphasize specific areas of match play for his players:
- Putting more pressure on their 2nd serve ability, as Coach Perez believes a player is only as good as their second serve.
- Attacking weak second serves and getting to the net with regularity.
- Attacking an opponent's weakness from the baseline.
- Utilizing "sudden victory" scoring to put more pressure and a sense of urgency on his players.
Coach Perez gives you an extensive look at how to run a competitive practice that allows you to develop your players while teaching them an aggressive attacking style of play. This video gives you a practice that can be utilized at any time during your season, and is great as you prepare for match play.
57 minutes. 2017.