Tennis: Learn the Drive

With this session, get your players hitting down the line more with the powerful drive shot and playing more attacking tennis.

Dead Ball drill
Players start in the forehand alley and hit two backhands on the move.
Trying to hit both shots at down the line.

Dead ball feed
Players start off in forehand doubles corner and ply to backhands along baseline. As player moves towards the ball they keep racket prepared and the last step before contact should be towards.

The player stands on the service line, while the coach feeds a higher ball to the ad side. The player hits backhand drive in the air down the line and moves closer to the net. The coach feeds another ball to the ad side, and the player finishes with backhand drop volley down the line.

Backhand drive in the air is an offensive shot so most of the time it should be connected with moving forward and trying to win the point at the net. Ability to pick proper balls to atack with drive in the air is a skill that has to be practiced from the early years.

Coach feeds balls to the backhand side. Player hits backhand volley cross court and recovers to the cone. Proper spot after cross court backhand is on the deuce side. Coach should explain to players that they have to be on the same side where they hit the ball. This rule is crucial at the net because player has to cover first down the line passing shot (down the line crosses the net faster than cross court).