Tennis: Building points through deep cross court shots

-Lines of cones are placed as seen in the picture above. -To make the drill easier it can be played on one half of the court and later progressed to full court. -If the ball lands in the service box a point is deducted.Ball landing between the 2 lines of cones = 1 point.Players gain 3 points for shots hit into the last quarter. -First player to 11 points wins the game. -The game can also be started with a second serve.

The coach feeds a drop-shot from the basket. Players 1 and 2 are at the same end as the coach and are positioned at the net. Player 3 must run forwards to try to get to the drop-shot and play it up to either of the players at the net. The players at the net must lob-volley the ball back over player 3's head. Player must then 3 run back to chase the ball hitting it again to either of the players at the net, who then drop volleys this ball. The point continues in this way until an unforced error is made or player 3 cannot run anymore!

Coach, 4 players, and a basket of balls. Player 1 starts on the tramlines opposite the coach. Coach feeds the ball across the court for player 1 to run on to and hit a deep running backhand to player 2. A rally continues until a point is won. Player 1 retreats to their starting position, player 2 joins the queue, and player 3 joins the drill. Repeat the drill until all players have played player 1. Rotate players and repeat the drill.

Player 1 starts on the tramlines opposite the coach. Coach feeds the ball across the court for player 1 to run on to and hit a deep running forehand to player 2. A rally continues until a point is won. After the point is won player 1 retreats to their starting position, player 2 joins the back of the queue, and player 3 joins the drill.

Players 1 and 2 stand opposite each other, close to the net, working in the half court service boxes. Players take it in turns to start the point by holding the ball on top of the net and then release it, letting it fall to whichever side it chooses. The ball can bounce once or be volleyed. The tram-lines are out and no topspin or pace must be used by either player. Players play first to 21 points.

Player stands inside the baseline. Coach feeds balls to the forehand and backhand. Player hits all the balls to the ad side without moving behind the baseline.

-Players play in pairs as a team and alternate shots scoring a point each time a shot is hit in the back 1/3 of the court. -If a ball is hit short the players can attack. -Attacking shots should also be hit deep (1/3 back of court) and if they are hit as outright winners the team will score an extra 3 points. -First side to 7 points wins the game. -The game can also be started with service and then carried on as described above.

Player stands on the baseline. Coach feeds high balls to the forehand side. Player hits forehand slice off high balls in different directions.

Coach feeds balls to the ad side. Player alternates hitting a backhand slice cross-court and an inside out topspin forehand .

-Both players have cones approx 2 meters in front of base line (depending on players skill level. -Players gain a point each time they hit between the cone and the base line. -One of the players has to stay on or inside the baseline. -With more advanced players both have to play on or inside the baseline. -First player to 11 points wins the game. -To make the drill easier it can be played on one half of the court and later progressed to full court. -The game can also be started with a second serve.

Players rally up and down the middle of the court with 1 player at the baseline and one at the net. The aim of the drill is to hit as many balls in 1 minute as possible, counting as they go. The minute period is repeated 5 times with players resting for 1 minute between each repetition to recover and collect balls ready for the next drill. Players should continuously try to beat their own score each time, but this drill can also be made competitive by comparing the scores between other pairs of players.

Both players rally up and down the middle of the court from a central position. Every so often the coach shouts 'player 1' or 'player 2' and for the next 30 seconds that particular player must not step foot behind the baseline. Every ball they hit must be played with both feet in front of the baseline, however difficult this is.

  Player 1 is working in the whole court and must hit 1 forehand cross-court, 1 forehand line, followed by 1 backhand cross-court finishing with 1 backhand line. Player 2 is working in the forehand corner and must hit 2 cross-court forehands. Player 3 is working in the backhand corner and must hit 2 cross-court backhands.  

Player 1 is working in the whole court. They must hit 2 cross-court forehands followed by 2 cross-court backhands. Player 2 is working in the forehand corner and must hit 1 forehand cross followed by 1 forehand line. Player 3 is working in the backhand corner and must hit 1 backhand cross followed by 1 backhand line.

-Rally until a mistake is made by the baseliner. -Baseliners swap out on mistakes. -Volley player swaps after 2-3 minutes.

Player stands behind the baseline. Coach stands in front of the player. Coach feeds challenging balls to the deuce side by hitting the ball into the ground. Player sprints and hits defensive forehand slice down the line.

Tactic Determine the rally with the wide serve. How effective is the serve on a wide serve. Description Player A is serving in area A all the time. However player B is not allowed to to stand in the tramlines before player A serves. Then play out points first to 7 points. Player A should be trying to dominate the rally with their serve pulling player B into or beyond the tramlines.

Coach feeds a ball to the deuce side. Player hits a forehand down the line. Coach feeds another ball to the center. Player hits an inside out forehand from the center.

Player 1 is working in a full court and player 2 is 'feeding' from the centre of the court along the baseline. The players rally co-operatively for 3 minutes but with player 2 working the ball around the full-court making player 1 move a reasonable amount without a pattern. Player 1 is aiming for the rectangle at the back of the court marked by targets and player 2 should count how many balls player 1 makes into the rectangle within the 3 minutes. When the time is up the players switch roles. This drill can be repeated 3 times for each player and then the totals added up to see who was the most accurate!

Players are playing doubles points from the hand in pairs. The pair who wins the point moves to the service line which is their starting position for the next point. Should they win the point from this starting position, players score 1 point and get to stay where there are. Should they lose the point from starting on the service line, they must move back to the baseline.