Technical Cleaning

"We are what we repeatedly do..." - Aristotle

Technical cleaning is a short segment performed at the beginning of every practice, with the intent to “clean” the player’s basic stroke technique. This is especially important when working with developing players, or those attempting to make adjustments to their swings, as constant reinforcement is necessary to produce lasting change.

If students are allowed to play without oversight, they may develop technical inefficiencies (outside the range of correctness) that will impact their future performance.

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Example: Stage 1 Groundstroke Ladder

This article will focus specifically on the process I use to clean beginner groundstroke technique, so as to give parents an idea of what they should be doing when practicing with their child outside of class.

Prior to performing technical cleaning, the parent should familiarize themselves with either the technical range of correctness for the shot in question, or my provided stroke models (forehand and backhand).

At any point, if the player is off-model in the same way for 3+ shots in a row, stop the exercise and attempt to make a correction. If the player continues to swing off-model, move to the previous exercise, regressing until the player is able to perform the technique correctly. Remember to always allow the player time to make their own adjustments before closing/regressing the situation—the skill of doing so is an art, not a science.

Please also keep in mind that making technical corrections can be frustrating for players. Be patient, and do not overload them with technical details. Place them in the position you want to see, demonstrate visually, and use the provided cues to coach the movement. If possible, use external cues (cues NOT referencing parts of the body) rather than internal ones (bend your knees, etc. are not effective cues).

When a player is first learning tennis, or first learning correct technique, this section may take up the majority of practice time, as players may struggle to maintain correctness as they progress through the exercises. As players progress, parents or coaches may start farther “up the ladder,” by skipping earlier exercises.

For beginner players, I recommend using the following progression at the start of each practice, on both the forehand and backhand sides, performing several reps of each exercise before moving to the next:

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Shadow Swings

Shadow Swing to Contact

The player shadows a swing, stopping at the contact point. This allows them to see whether their contact point is appropriate for the intended shot. The player alternates between slow-motion and normal speed swings.

During this exercise, I will often hold a ball at the ideal contact point, to serve as a sort of tee for the player to hit.

Shadow Swing

The player shadows a full swing, alternating between slow-motion and normal speeds.

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Hand Feeding

Hand feeding is highly effective when making technical adjustments, as:

1. The coach is near the player, and can therefore more easily observe their strokes, and make physical corrections/demonstrations.

2. The hand-fed ball does not make significant reception demands of the player; therefore, the player is able to better focus on implementing the desired technique.

I recommend pairing all exercises with a skill-appropriate target on the other side of the net. Examples of most of the feed types below are demonstrated in the following video:

Stationary Drop Feed

The coach or parent stands next to the player on the hitting side, dropping the ball slightly in front of them. The ball should move straight up and down, and bounce to the player’s strike zone (between knees and chest).

Drop Feed With Player Movement

The coach or parent stands on the player’s hitting side, several feet in front of them (horizontal, vertically, or diagonally). They toss the ball straight up, so that it bounces to a maximum height slightly above the player’s strike zone. The player moves to the ball, and hits it to the target zone.

If the player struggles with this exercise, the parent can first hold a ball out as a tee for the player to move to, or wait to drop the ball until the player has moved to the desired position.

Toss Feed

The coach or parent stands several feet away and directly in front of the player. They now toss the ball forward for the player to hit.

Toss Feed With Player Movement

Similar to the preceding exercise; however, the feeder now tosses the ball away from the player, so that they must move and hit.

Short Court Toss Feed

The player and the feeder start across the net from each other, on the service line. The feeder tosses the ball over the net to the player, who hits it to the target zone.

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Racket Feeding

Note: The following progressions assume some tennis playing ability. If the feeder does not play tennis, they may overhand throw and catch the ball to simulate rallying/racket feeding.

Short Court Racket Feed

The player and the feeder start across the net from each other, on the service line. The feeder racket feeds the ball over the net to the player, who hits it to the target zone. When racket feeding, I prefer to drop and then hit the ball, so as to give the player time to splitstep (player splits as racket begins moving forward).

Player Back/Coach Up Feed

The player begins at the baseline, with the feeder at the service line. The feeder racket feeds the ball over the net to the player, who hits it to the target zone.

Both Back Feed

Both player and feeder begin on opposite baselines. The feeder racket feeds the ball over the net to the player, who hits it to the target zone.

Rally

Both player and feeder begin on opposite baselines. The feeder racket feeds the ball over the net to the player, who hits it to the target zone. The feeder then rallies the ball back to the player, continuing to do so until the player makes an error.

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If the player is able to successfully maintain technical correctness in the rally stage, they are ready to begin the second phase of the practice: