Hitting Stations 🎯

Purpose

Maximise hitting repetition and technique development through multiple live-feed stations while minimising queues and keeping children engaged.

🧠 Coaching Focus:

• Promote low-to-high swing path for topspin

• Contact at waist height out in front

• Footwork to adjust position and balance

• Eyes on the ball and recovery after each shot

🏗️ Set-Up Instructions:

Divide the space into multiple stations, all designed for hitting — ideally arranged to hit towards the middle of the space or safely away from each other.

1. Each station should have:

• A feeder/ feeders (assistant coach, parent, or older child)

• Nets or barriers for target and containment

• Soft balls for most stations (mini red or foam)

Suggested Stations:

• 🎾 Forehand feed – with assistant or parent feeding

• 🔁 Backhand feed

• 🦞 Lenny the Lobster (ball machine)

• 🎯 Target hitting (e.g., aim at cones or hoops)

• 🌀 Spin machine or self-fed tees

• ✋ Throw & hit (throw then strike)

• ☄️ Serve station  with soft balls

1. Position spin machines and hitting tees around the edge for children waiting or rotating.

🔁 Rotation Flow:

Children hit 5 shots per turn (e.g. 5 forehands)

• Then rotate clockwise or as directed by the coach

• On the second circuit, switch shot type (e.g. 5 backhands)

✅ Try to give each child two turns per station
✅ Keep queues short — 2 children max per station

🛟 Safety First:

• Always hit away from others (position feeders and targets carefully)

• Use soft foam balls or mini red balls for most stations

• Use smaller hard balls for Lenny the Lobster only

• Do not use mini red balls in Lenny – it causes belt wear

• Ensure children know to only retrieve balls when play is paused, and not walk in front of Lenny, or put their hands in Lenny. Please note that if using the remote on Lenny and pausing it, the wheels keep spinning, which is dangerous. Please turn it off at the power when not using it for any length of time.

🧩 Staffing Tips:

Assign at least one coach to walk between stations, offering technical feedback

• Let parents feed underarm or from bounce — ideal for lower-pressure learning

• Encourage all helpers to praise effort and reinforce coaching points

🌟 Optional Add-Ons:

• ⏱️ Timed stations with whistle rotations (1–2 mins each)

• 🏆 Add fun challenges like “hit the cone” or “how many in the hoop?”

• 📸 Take videos of a few great shots for fun feedback at the end