The Power of 3

The goal of tennis is to keep the ball in play until you have to start over. Sometimes that can be rallies of 10, 15, even 20 hits. Most of the time this is not the case. As a matter of fact, the top professionals in the world average between 1 and 3 hits per point.  This fall we incorporate this practice into our lesson planning. While we still want the students to play until they have to start over, we also want them to realize the importance of getting that first, second and third ball in play. In most matches, the point is lost on the third hit ball. So we want our students to get good at getting that third and fourth ball back. We have played a lot of games like 3+, where the students get a bonus point for getting three or more balls in play. We also work on serve, return, +1, focusing on the next shot after the return.  So, next time you are out playing with your kids, have them focus on getting three balls over to start. Anything after three is bonus hits.