It’s been great to welcome elite Australian coach Shaun Moxham back on the site this week, featuring a new series of videos where he demonstrates some very innovative and creative ways to apply pressure to his students – perfect for those looking to take their training intensity up a notch.
While it’s obviously important to work on your base technique and racket skills in a more controlled environment, it’s equally important to step things up sometimes and practice within a more realistic, higher-pressure scenario to help develop your ability to cope with the cut and thrust of a tough match.
As former coach to Australian legend David Palmer, Shaun knows a thing or two about how to push a player to work within a high pressure environment. Using some of the drills he created and adopted during his time working with one of the game’s elite, Shaun has put together a fantastic playlist brimming with fresh ideas and novel drills for you to have a go at with your coach or training partners.
Interestingly, Shaun talks a lot in his videos about applying pressure through the use of obstacles and changes in the environment. Research in this area has shown that an effective change on an environment for an athlete has major benefits, and can stimulate the athletes mentally and physically in ways that a static environment may not be able to.
To help you expand your library of pressure drills and complement Shaun’s excellent ideas, we’ve outlined some appropriate sessions below to try out working in 3’s or in a pair.
Put it into practice
A challenging set of exercises built around a high intensity shot and a ghost format, followed by a rally base with volley drops and the pressure to move forward to pick-up your own shot.
This great 3’s session features some tough 2 ball feed work, followed by some 2 against 1 condition games to really push the pressure.
A great repeat-sprint session for you to try, to replicate the physical demands of a high pressure rally.
Related content
Throughout the series David explains how to improve your volleys, focusing on T position, racket preparations, body weight and size of swing.
Hitting position with Shaun Moxham
In this series, Shaun focuses on the importance of getting into a stable hitting position. He begins by breaking down the court and explains where players should ideally hit from.
When to shorten the swing with Lee Drew
In this two-part series, Lee Drew explores when and how to shorten the swing.
Let us know how you get on with the sessions, we’d love to hear your feedback!
Haven't seen the full playlist yet?
This fascinating playlist offers insight into some of the training methods that Shaun used during his time working with David Palmer. If you want to add some variety to your court sessions, be sure to check out this great playlist from a very successful coach.
Watch the playlist in full