Tennis: Ball Sidestepping

Player starts on the baseline. Coach feeds the balls to the forehand side. Player jumps on left leg and executes forehand on left leg.

Coach stands inside the service box on the player’s side. Player starts from the baseline. Coach feeds short and high balls to the deuce side. Player sprints forward and alternates hitting attacking forehands using closed and open stances.

The player stands in one corner of the court, with the coach on the opposite side of the baseline. The coach drops the ball from shoulder height and the player must sprint across the baseline and hit the ball, before returning to their starting position.

Player stays behind the baseline. Player imitates the movement to the right side using a drop step. Drop step means that a player should move their back leg under their body and turn it to the hitting side to improve acceleration onto the ball.

Coach feeds the ball from the T to the forehand side of the player. The player runs to the ball to play the shot and retrieves back towards the middle of the base line before the coach feeds the next ball wide. After 3 or 4 shots the next player.

Player starts on the baseline with the coach just in front of them, ready to feed the ball to them. The feed should be done in a 4 ball pattern: 1 short forehand, 1 short backhand, 1 deep forehand and 1 deep backhand. The player comes forward to the feed and plays the shot before returning to the baseline ready for the next feed.

Purpose: To move in the correct patterns at the net, hitting smash and high volley.   Coach feeds in this sequence- 1) Deep high lob to be smashed 2) Soft high for backhand volley 3) Deep high lob for inside out smash 4) Soft high ball for forehand volley finish   Feed in sets of 8-12

Coach feeds 3 balls to the player's deuce side down the line. Standing on the base line, the player moves to their right to meet the ball on their forehand side. The player then returns the ball hitting forehand cross court to the corner of the deuce side between cones. he/she then moves back to the centre of the base line. The coach then feeds the next ball on the players deuce side service line. The player moves foreward and returns using a forehand cross court short to the corner of the deuce side. Player then returns back to the centre of the baseline. Coach then feeds the third ball a few feet beyond the net. Players moves to meet it and agins, using a forehand cross court shot, returns the ball beteen the cones set up on the cross court shot side.

The coach feeds balls from the basket. The first one the player hits a forehand cross court, before running to the other side and hitting a forehand inside out. The final shot is from the other side and is a winner down the line.

Coach feeds the ball to the backhand side, with the player just behind the baseline, slightly to the backhand side.  Player runs out  to the left, around the ball so that they use a forehand instead of a backhand, then recover their position to the starting position and run out for a second and third time. After the third time they go past the middle as though the next shot was coming to their forehand side. For the first two shots they hit the ball crosscourt and then the last one is down the line.

Coach feeds the ball to the forehand side, with the player just behind the baseline. Player runs out, hits one forehand, recovers their position to the middle and runs out for a second and third time. After the third time they go past the middle as though the next shot is coming to their backhand. For the first two shots they hit the ball crosscourt and then the last one down the line.

Player moves around the cones as fast as possible and hits a forehand down the line.

Player stands in one corner and the coach feeds a difficult ball to the other corner. Player runs and hits the ball on the run in cross court direction.

Three cones are set on the deuce side close to the sideline. Player starts from the centre of the baseline. Player sprints to the first cone and imitates forehand stroke. Player recovers back and repeats the same action to the other cones.

2 teams. One team has only 2 people who are gladiators. The other 4 have to balance the ball on their racquets and put it in the hoop without being tagged. When they are tagged they have to go back to the bucket to start again. Give them 2 minutes then stop.

Players start off on centre and hit 3 shots: Forehand crosscourt, backhand down the line and forehand crosscourt. (All shots back to coach position 3)

The red players are facing away from the blue players with their legs astride on the inside tramline. The blue players then underarm throw the balls either over the red players heads or thru their legs. The red players have to react as quickly as possible. The red players have to try and stop the ball before it reaches the center line.

The coach stands at the centre of the court at the net. He/she then feeds the ball to the player's ad side and lifts the racquet up above their head. The player has to move toward the ball and hit a backhand lob cross court. The aim of this drill is for the player to get the ball to pass above the coach's racquet.

Both players rally from the service line trying to keep the ball in the tramlines. However Player A must play one forehand then one backhand alternatively. The first player to hit it out of the tramlines wins the point. The first player to 11 points then swap.

Coach feeds a long ball across the court. Players have to run across the court to play the ball deep down the line and then across to the net to play a short drop shot down the line. Each player hits the 2 shots and then go to the back of the queue.