So find a friend, grab a couple of rackets, crack open a fresh canister of tennis balls and hit the court.
Serve and Step
1 of 5
This drill is all about helping you develop your serving skills. Start about five feet away from the net and begin by serving the ball over the net into the appropriate service box. If you do so successfully, take one step back toward the baseline. Continue serving and with each successful serve, take one step further back.
If you fault, take one step back toward the net. Once you complete three successful serves from behind the baseline, reset the drill by once again starting close to the net, but serve to the other service box. Keep score by getting three steps behind the baseline in as few attempts as possible.
V-O-L-L-E-Y
2 of 5
As you might have guessed, this drill will work to improve your ability to hit volleys to specific sections of the court. The goal will be to spell out the word "volley" by hitting each section in the correct order.
V: The left service box
O: The right service box
L: The left half of the singles court beyond the service line
L: The right half of the singles court beyond the service line
E: The left alley of the doubles court
Y: The right alley of the doubles court
Have one player stand close to net on one side and feed shots to the volleyer, who will approach the net from the other side's baseline on each attempt. Along with your friend, take turns (as the feeder and the volleyer) spelling volley.
X
3 of 5
This simple drill will help improve your ability to use both your forehand and backhand while also continuing to work on hitting certain shots in specific directions. Much like "V-O-L-L-E-Y," rotate responsibilities with a partner as the feeder and as the player executing the drill.
Have your partner hit you a series of four shots. The first shot should be a forehand down the line. The second shot should be a backhand down the line. The third shot should be a forehand cross-court. The fourth (and final) shot should be a backhand cross-court. After successfully executing all four shots consecutively, draw the letter 'X' on the court. The first person to 10 points wins.
Rally in the Alley
4 of 5
While this drill may be tough for those new to tennis, "Rally in the Alley" is a great way to improve your control over the ball. Along with a partner, stand within the doubles alley and hit as many shots as you can back and forth inside the alley. There are several tweaks you can make to the rules in order to cater the drill to your liking. You can set a target (10 or 20) for the number of shots in the rally. You can also restrict your shots to certain types of shots (forehands or backhands).
In addition to helping you become more precise with your shots, this game will also help with your perspective when you return to playing on a regular court. Returning shots in play will seem far easier when the boundaries are expanded back to regulation size.
Discuss This Article