HOME Tennis Drills Serve and Return

Tennis: Serve and Volley

Thanks for everything! Sportplan has helped me to improve my tennis...

Andrea, Tennis coach

DESCRIPTION

-Player serves diagonally to returner / feeder who hits cross court.
-Server moves forward and volleys back to returner / feeder.
-Returner / feeder hits a short low ball to the net players feet.
-The returner / feeder then plays out the point.
-Lobs are only allowed after a minimum of two volleys.

COACHING POINTS

If the returner struggles to hit to specific directions then they can feed in the first two shots and only play out in a 'live situation' after the low volley by server.

Remind the volleyer to maintain a low stance to help with 'picking up' the low volley from their feet.

READ MORE

READ LESS

OFTEN USED WITH...

Serve Placement:

Divide the box into 3 areas using TDL (Throw down lines)

First person to hit each area 3 times on both the deuce and advantage boxes is the winner

Progression - The server has to say which area they are going to serve into if the serve lands in that area and they win the point they get a bonus point

Serve and Return

Serve and Volley:

Player 1 serves a 1st Serve and follows it in to hit a volley. If returner is finding it hard then serve a 2nd serve. Serve volley behind the returner i.e. to the same direction that the ball came from to wrong foot the opponent.

Serve and Return

Serve and Volley - Low returns:

Player A serves softly from between the service line and the base line and player B has to return across the court. The point only begins when player A makes their first volley. The first player to 7 points then swap

Progression - As above but server starts from baseline

As above if the server can make 1st volley a winner then an extra two points can be scored.

Serve and Return

Serve, Volley:

-Student serves, the player has to split step before the feeder makes contact with the ball.
-This drill was used to demonstrate that one server and one feeder can hit 6 balls in 35 seconds while four servers and one feeder can hit 21 balls in the same amount of time.

Serve and Return

36739

1010

SIGN UP NOW FOR FREE

search our library of 1200+ tennis drills
create professional tennis coaching plans
or access our tried and tested tennis plans

Tennis

MORE Serve and Return DRILLS

/drills/ Tennis/ Serve-and-Return /categoryDrills_21.jsp

JOIN SPORTPLAN FOR FREE

search our library of 1200+ tennis drills
create your own professional coaching plans
or access our tried and tested plans

Tennis

LATEST COACHING TRENDS

Tennis Tennis Trends Physical Preparation: The Complete Tennis Athlete

Physical Preparation: The Complete Tennis Athlete

Tennis demands a unique combination of endurance, power, agility, and flexibility. Physical preparation determines how long careers last and how players perform when it matters most.

December 2025

Sportplan Coaching

Tennis Tennis Trends Ecological Dynamics: Constraints-Led Coaching

Ecological Dynamics: Constraints-Led Coaching

Ecological dynamics is transforming tennis coaching. This constraints-led approach develops adaptable, creative players who can solve problems in competition, not just execute drilled patterns.

November 2025

Sportplan Coaching

Tennis Tennis Trends One-Handed Backhand: Classic Technique in Modern Tennis

One-Handed Backhand: Classic Technique in Modern Tennis

The one-handed backhand is becoming rare, but when executed well, it remains one of tennis's most elegant and effective shots. Is it a dying art or a tactical advantage?

October 2025

Sportplan Coaching

VIEW ALL COACHING TRENDS