Head of Men's Tennis for USTA Player Development;
former University of Virginia Head Coach;
Back-to-Back-Back NCAA Champions (2015-17) - four championships in five seasons (2013 National Champions);
Back-to-back (2011-12) NCAA Team Championship Runner-up;
2016 Wilson/ITA National Coach of the Year - also named 2008 ITA National Coach of the Year';
10x ACC Coach of the Year; 9 straight ACC Conference Championships (2007-15)
Team practices often don't provide the individual attention a player needs to supply the inner confidence that breeds success.
In a live practice setting, Brian Boland demonstrates how to focus on the individual player while managing an entire team at the same time. Coach Boland does this through high-quality live ball drills that maintain the focus of his players through the entire practice. His progression of drills will provide your players with the ability to own every shot and hit with a purpose.
Coach Boland uses two players to show how his style of positive coaching gets the most out of each of their individual talents on the court. The first workout consists of forehand, backhand, volley, transition, and serve drills with a heavy emphasis on the ground stroke portion. The second segment takes a more hands-on approach, giving consistent feedback relating to the areas of positioning, technical proficiency, and shot selection.
Through the drills demonstrated, players will learn:
- Core stroke drills to help make a more powerful tennis player
- How to manipulate time and space to establish rhythm and take time away from the opponent
- How to develop quick hands at the net
- How to have a better weight shift into the ball, better contact point (between waist and shoulders) and better body balance
- How to hit with a purpose within a small space and stretch the court
- When to change direction and how to transition effectively
- Why a player volleys better when they stand closer to the net
- The difference between "good misses" and "bad misses"
Coach Boland infuses each of his drills with sophisticated analysis and purpose. His progressions will demonstrate many common mistakes coaches make when choosing the timing of drills during individual practice. This fresh approach from a legendary coach will be a welcome tool for players and coaches of all levels.
This is an amazing opportunity to see the amount of work and focus it takes to rise to the top of collegiate tennis. Coach Boland allows you to have an intimate view of his player development inside of a practice setting so you can learn how to get the most out of your players when you get the opportunity to work with them individually.
96 minutes. 2017.
TND-05104B: featuring Brian Boland,
Head of Men's Tennis for USTA Player Development;
former University of Virginia Head Coach;
Back-to-Back-Back NCAA Champions (2015-17) - four championships in five seasons (2013 National Champions);
Back-to-back (2011-12) NCAA Team Championship Runner-up;
2016 Wilson/ITA National Coach of the Year - also named 2008 ITA National Coach of the Year';
10x ACC Coach of the Year; 9 straight ACC Conference Championships (2007-15)
All tennis players and teams want to achieve their maximum potential, but it's often a challenge to design practices that will help achieve that elusive goal.
In this video, University of Virginia head coach Brian Boland, the 2016 Wilson/ITA National Coach of the Year, shows the type of drills his top-ranked NCAA teams have utilized to prepare for match play at the highest levels. Coach Boland shows a complete practice from start to finish that works on every aspect of a tennis player's game in order to be prepared for singles and doubles matches.
While Boland's individual instruction sessions emphasize techniques to improve ball striking mechanics and movement on court, his small group workouts help players build point-play skills through a series of challenging situational games and drills that repeatedly require real-time decision making and dynamic court positioning.
Hitting Warm-Ups
By limiting their singles warm-ups to the center third of the court, Coach Boland's players focus less on movement and more on positioning themselves for effective ball-striking, hitting with depth and varying net clearance. In the "Roll and Rip" drill, for example, two players challenge each other by alternating high topspin shots (defender) versus flatter drives (aggressor).
'Situational Strait-Jackets'
This series of exercises helps you expand your players' arsenal of singles skills by placing them in a series of 'situational strait-jackets'. In these, Coach Boland allows one player to hit shots anywhere on court during points, but requires their workout partner to hit every ball to the ad court. This simultaneously challenges - and strengthens - both players' consistency and versatility.
Situational Games
This segment helps you improve your players' decision-making skills and doubles court positioning during point play by repeatedly challenging them to play all the roles in short situational games:
- Where should the server send the first volley?
- Who covers the ball down the middle?
- How can we prevent getting burned down the line?
Coach Boland helps his players discover the answers to these questions as they play out in dynamic, real-time practice scenarios.
The 12 situational games and drills in this video readily lend themselves to variation based on your players' skill levels. The games and drills are fun, competitive, and simple to teach - creating a win/win scenario for coaches and players alike.
Coach Boland deliberately fills his small group sessions with repeated situational point-play to 'program' strategically sound shot-making and positioning choices into his players' brains. His players' sustained national success becomes less of a surprise when you see that how they perform on the Championship stage year after year, with uncommon poise and intuitive decision-making (coupled with incredible talent), is what is reinforced at practice day after day!
72 minutes. 2017.
TND-05104C: featuring Brian Boland,
Head of Men's Tennis for USTA Player Development;
former University of Virginia Head Coach;
Back-to-Back-Back NCAA Champions (2015-17) - four championships in five seasons (2013 National Champions);
Back-to-back (2011-12) NCAA Team Championship Runner-up;
2016 Wilson/ITA National Coach of the Year - also named 2008 ITA National Coach of the Year';
10x ACC Coach of the Year; 9 straight ACC Conference Championships (2007-15)
2016 Wilson/ITA National Coach of the Year Brian Boland demonstrates how to run a team practice that maximizes the time you spend on the court. From extensive dynamic stretching and warm-up routines to competitive match play drills, Boland shares the time-tested practice formula he has used year after year to turn Virginia Tennis into a perennial national powerhouse.
Dynamic Stretch/Band Routine
Learn how to get your athletes ready for a great practice by implementing the extensive dynamic stretching and band routine used at the University of Virginia. This series of exercises will elevate the heart rate of your athletes and have them ready to go when it's time to hit tennis balls.
Full Warm-Up
Attention to detail is a must at a UVA team practice. Listen in as Coach Boland speaks to his team about the importance of `owning every shot' and `hitting with a purpose.' Coach Boland's team is comprised of highly skilled athletes, and yet, throughout the sessions, you'll see him interjecting advice oozing with a reinforcement of fundamentals; every practice begins with a 10-minute warm-up that stresses quantity and repetition.
Serves & Returns
Boland stresses the importance of the `first four' shots in a tennis match. The serve, return, and the subsequent two shots require a high amount of focus, concentration, and as Coach Boland states, repetition. He believes beginning all practices with serving and returning drills is a core ingredient to the consistent success of the UVA program.
Cross-Court Baseline Game - Slice & Dice Game
Learn how to teach your athletes how to move the ball within a tight space with Coach Boland's cross court baseline games. Coach Boland instructs his players to hit a variety of shots within a confined space to maximize results. Interjecting fundamentals and shot selection within a game that stresses competition allows not a second wasted at any practice.
Boland's team practice video is a must for any coach who is looking to get everything out of their team during practice time. By implementing the techniques and ideas demonstrated in this video, your team is poised to show consistent, steady improvement.
73 minutes. 2017.