Modified Game & Match Play Situations

by Jason Jamison

Play tie-breakers or start each game at deuce
Closing out a match: One player starts receiving with a 4-1 lead
Coming from behind: One player starts serving down 1-4
Playing a pusher: One player can only hit moonballs
Coping with cheating: Each player can make two intentional bad calls per set
Converting games: Once at 40, must convert the game or go back to 0
Playing under pressure: Creative consequences—Have two players play a tie-breaker with all other players watching, 1/2 cheering for one player and 1/2 cheering for the other with the losing team carrying in the equipment at the end of practice.
Must serve and volley at least once a game
Ace wins game; double-fault loses game
A player is given three serves per point to increase aggressiveness with serve
Server gets to start halfway between the service line and the baseline (helps returner get adjusted to playing against hard servers)
A player is given 1 serve per point to focus on consistency
One player serves underhand for the other player to work on attacking weak serves
Groundstroke games to 7, 11, or 21—Options:
- Three balls in play before point begins (encourages consistency)
- No points awarded for hitting winners (encourages consistency)
- Players must approach the net on balls landing inside the service line
- Bonus points awarded for winning points at the net (3 or 5 point bonus—rewards net play and closing out points)