Even for boys and girls 12s they are still playing more points in 0–4 than in 5–8 and 9+.

If you’ve got a beginner, you must work on consistency first

That is absolutely imperative. If you can’t hit three balls over the net into the court in a row, you just can’t play tennis. So, at the entry level into tennis it’s absolutely about consistency. It’s about getting some balls going back and forth and a little bit of technique work. When they get better, improve and start playing tournaments other aspects of the game become increasingly important.

On the pro level, because of the power they have most in 0–4; 70 %. In Juniors 0–4 is 55–60 %. That means that 0–4 is still the rally length that is played the most.

At every level, including boys and girls 12s the number 1 outcome of a rally that 0–4 is a return error. For girls 12s it’s about 28 percent. The Pro’s are about 30 %. So, it’s still very similar

If we look at practice court a lot of kids all over the world hardly ever work on their return of serve. A lot tend to believe that “Well, if I can get forehands and backhands at a rally, I’m working on the return”. It’s a different animal. Hitting a return is way different than hitting a rally ball. Hitting rally ball after rally ball you have already hit a rally ball. You’re already standing one meter behind the baseline. I’m not pressured by time and I’m trying to hit the ball to my partner on the other side, so they’re hitting it back exactly where you want it. So, we’re trying to just hand deliver the ball back and forth to each other so we can keep this rally going. Serves are a different animal; you don’t have as much control of where you are standing and it’s in a different part of the court. You’re up closer to the baseline. You’re pressured by time. It’s just different.

So, what I would encourage coaches out there to do is look at your practices. Even for your young players, carving out 10–15 minutes of the lesson to work on the return. The best return you can hit at any level is deep down the middle, right at the opponent, making them have to move away from it. The other part, as it rebounds back down the middle of the court and you’ve hit a return and now your return plus one from the center of the court. It’s a great strategy to use at all levels of the sport.

(Inspired by the podcast episode #76: “It’s not only about 0–4, but… w. Craig O’Shannessy on The Adam Blicher Show — Dissecting High Performance in Tennis)

Want to listen to the full episode: http://shorturl.at/jktA8