Feeding for Chase Levels takes some practice. Generally, you'll feed from just inside the service line across the net from the students, but you can move forward or back to make it easier to achieve the desired effect.
Here are the eight levels. In all cases. the player starts running when you, as feeder, make contact with the ball:
- The player starts from the center mark on the baseline, runs to a forehand that will be contacted just behind the service line, and places the ball beyond the service line and in the down-the-line half of the singles court.
- The backhand version of 1.
- The same as 1, but with a shorter feed that requires some quickness to reach, with the running forehand met roughly halfway from the net to the service line.
- The backhand version of 3. Most students will do better with one hand than two, even if they're used to two hands on other types of shots.
- The same as 3, but with a very short feed that requires a real sprint to reach, with the running forehand met roughly 1/4 of the distance from the net to the service line. Advise the students not to try so hard for these that they fall, and subtly adjust the feeds for slower students so that they can reach the ball running as fast as they can without losing good balance and control.
- The backhand version of 3. A one-handed backhand is greatly superior on a ball this short, because it allows you to reach well in front while keeping your center of gravity over your feet.
- The player starts with her racquet touching the net, halfway between the center strap and the singles sideline diagonally opposite her deep forehand corner. Lob the ball so that she'll have just enough time to chase it back, turn, and make contact near the back forehand corner of her singles court. Recommend that she hit a lob, but any forehand that lands beyond the service line in the singles court is acceptable.
- The same as 7, but the player starts on the other half of the net so that she can run diagonally back to her deep backhand corner, from which she must hit a backhand.
