Juniors on Sat Jan 12th, 19th, 26th

 Boast

• Same preparation as drive: racket up and ready (allows you to DECEIVE your opponent by playing a boast when they expect a drive and vice versa)
  
• Take ball slightly later, behind leading foot
  
• Body slightly more turned to back corner
  
• Execute stroke just like drive keeping the ball low
  
• Possibly a more compact swing if digging the ball out of a corner
  

Two types of boast

1. Recovery boast: normally played to dig the ball out of the back corner when a drive is not possible.
   
2. Attacking boast: generally played towards the front of the court when opponent caught behind you. 
   

Also

1. Three wall boast: weak as ball bounces out into the middle of the court (side wall, front wall. side wall) only use when no other option!
   
2. Two wall boast: more difficult for your opponent to retrieve (side wall front wall dying before hits other side wall) therefore try to make your boasts two wall.
   

Use the attacking boast for a Good Reason ie  if your opponent is:-

• Backing off the T (you can wrong foot them).
  
• Watching the front wall and not looking at you
  
• Has feet pointing to side (you can wrong foot them)
  
• Is very tired (has to run the diagonal to retrieve the ball)
  
• Grooved in a pattern of play eg deep drives
  
• Is predictable ie tends to cross-court or lob off the boast. You can step in and volley their return.
  
• Lacks good short shots in particular a good drop
  

Use the boast with care: badly used it is an easy shot for your opponent to kill

You must cover the boast :  move to the T to cover the drop off a boast

Think ahead - if your boast puts your opponent under real pressure watch for the CC or lob and volley the ball if possible. This keeps the pressure on your opponent.

Routines

 

Basic: A Cross court feed B boast. A makes the feed progressively deeper as B gets better at boasting. Perhaps use Ball Machine.

• A Boast, B drives deep: progress to making sure movement is through the T
  
• A Boast, B drive to service box: A can do hard low drives or kills
  
• A Boast, B drop B drive {B moves to T}
  
• A Boast, B drop, A drive, B drive, A boast......
  
• A Boast, B drop, A drop, B drive, A boast......
  
• A Boast, B CC drive or lob, B drive or volley drive (variation volley crosscourt)
  

Deception

A drive or cross courts, B boasts (volley if loose cross-court)

A drive or cross courts, B boast or drives

A cross courts, b boasts or straight drives

Two shots

A drops then drives, b drives then boasts .........

A drops and cross-courts, B straight drive/volleys and boasts

Hard work

A straight drive, B volley straight, B volley boast, B cross court .....

Condition Game

Length:  All balls must be to length except when have to play recovery boast

Corners: A plays back corners, B plays recovery boast.

Diagonal Game

Ball can only be played in one front quarter and opposite back quarter.