Contact Help center
Tennis Tennis
HOME Tennis SEARCH

Tennis: deep ball

deep ball DRILLS
View All

1 High 1 Low - Backhand

In this exercise, the coach feeds all the balls to one side. The player's goal is to alternate shots with higher and lower trajectory over the net, firstly hitting a high shot, followed by a low shot, and this is repeated.

Attacking

1 High 1 Low - Forehand

In this exercise, the coach feeds all the balls to one side. The player's goal is to alternate shots with higher and lower trajectory over the net, firstly hitting a high shot, followed by a low shot, and this is repeated.

Attacking

Alley Control

The player starts by standing behind the doubles alley on the advantage side. The coach feeds regular deep balls to the backhand side, and the player aims to hit the ball down the line in between the doubles alley.

Backhand Drills

Avoid deuce deep corner - backhand

Cones are set in the deuce deep area. The coach feeds balls to the forehand or backhand and the player hits the ball while avoiding the deep deuce corner.

Forehand & Backhand Drill

Avoid deuce deep corner - forehand

Cones are set in the deuce deep area. The coach feeds balls to the forehand or backhand and the player hits the ball while avoiding the deep deuce corner.

Forehand & Backhand Drill

Behind and Inside

Coach feeds deep ball to the deuce side. Player moves back and hits forehand cross court. Coach feeds another ball shorter to the advantage side. Player moves inside the baseline and hits forehand inside in.

Forehand & Backhand Drill

Hit well and switch

Zones are set in both corners. The coach feeds balls to the ad side, and the player runs around and hits forehand inside out. If the player misses the zone, he has to continue to play in this direction. If the player hits the zone, coach says "switch" and the player then hits the next ball with forehand inside in.

Forehand Drills

Serve And Body Ball

Player serves the ball, and immediately after serving, the coach tosses a deep ball into player's body. The player's goal is to move back and hit with control.

Movement

Topspin Lob

The coach feeds a deep ball to hitters. Players must hit a topspin lob and then return to the back of the line after their shot. With more advanced players the coach should feed the balls from the back of the opposite side of the court.

Lob

Volley into the deep zone

The player stands at the net,whilst the coach feeds random balls. The player hits forehand/backhand volley into the deep zone (behind the cones).

Volley Drills

Tennis: Forehands Deep / Short...

<b>Drill Set-Up:</b><BR>Players start off in backhand corner (Doubles alley).<BR>Players move out to play first F.H. along baseline and then moves forwards to play short ball inside service box.<BR><b>Topic of Emphasis:</b><BR>Players should split step after first forhand and then move off for second shortball.<BR><b>Variation</b><BR>Players can alternate direction for both shots.<BR>If the ball is too low on the second ball it should be hit cross court, if high it should be hit down the line.

General

Tennis: Get it Deep with Slice...

Coach feeds balls to the deuce side.Player uses forehand slice to hit the ball deep.

General

Tennis: Avoid deuce deep corne...

Cones are set in the deuce deep area. The coach feeds balls to the forehand or backhand and the player hits the ball while avoiding the deep deuce corner.

General

Tennis: Forehand Deep / Short ...

Dead Ball Drill<br />Players start off in backhand corner (doubles Alley)<br />Players move out to play first forehand along the baseline and then moves forward to play a short ball inside the service box for a winner down the line

General

Tennis: Volley into the deep z...

The player stands at the net,whilst the coach feeds random balls. The player hits forehand/backhand volley into the deep zone (behind the cones).

General

Tennis: Avoid deuce deep corne...

Cones are set in the deuce deep area. The coach feeds balls to the forehand or backhand and the player hits the ball while avoiding the deep deuce corner.

General

Building points through deep c...

<BR>The coach feeds the ball to team A, they then have to hit it into the target area cross court. <BR>-Player from team B hits down the line if possible, however if under pressure from the depth or pace of the shot,then player B should play cross court or down the middle.<BR>Team A are hitting mostly cross court.

General

Tennis: Deep cross court - For...

<BR>-The coach feeds down the line, the player runs to hit the ball cross court into the target area.<BR>First player to 3 shots (or higher if more advanced players) wins the game.<BR>-The drill can then be run similarly from the backhand corner.

General

Make it Deep Volley Drills - T...

Deep zone is set. Player stands at the net. Coach feeds balls to the ad side. Player hits deep backhand volleys in different directions.

General

Hit deep Forehand Drills - Ten...

Split the players into 2 equal groups, Both hitting forehands. Coach feeds left then right. Players have to move out to the ball and try to hit the ball into the coned are down the line. Play first team to score 10 points.

General

Deep & Short Backhand Drills -...

Player stands on the baseline. Coach feeds balls to the ad side.Player alternates hitting 2 backhands slice deep cross-court and 2 backhands stop shot down the line<br>

General

Deep and Short Movement - Tenn...

Coach feeds an easy ball to the advantage side. Player runs around and hits forehand inside out. Player runs forward to take proper position at the net. Coach feeds another ball to the deuce side. Player finishes with forehand drop volley cross court.

General

Tennis: Ad serve + half volley...

Cones are set in the deep corner (ad side). The player serves from the ad side and moves to the net, and the coach feeds the ball to the ad side. The player hits backhand half volley deep cross court and takes proper position at the net.

General

Tennis: 1 in 1 out - Sportplan

The coach stands in front of the player and throws 1 short 1 deep ball to the backhand side. Player's goal is to hit backhands moving inside and outside of the baseline.Proper footwork is crucial if we are thinking about effective tennis play. Many mistakes are made because of improper legs' work so that is why players have to spend more time on drills that are based on intense footwork. Having strong legs and being quick are 2 skills that make us play better as also increase our self-confidence because we know our capabilities.

General

Deep Cross-Court & Short Down ...

Player stands on the baseline.Coach feeds balls to the forehand side.Player alternates hitting a deep forehand slice cross-court and a forehand drop shot down the line.

General

Deep directions + drop shot ch...

Deep zone and angle zone are set by cones. Coach feeds balls to one side. Player performs tactical pattern based on deep down the line shot, deep cross court shot, and drop shot down the line.Drill specifications:1-2 repetitions per set1-2 patterns in a row is a number that each players should hit. With more players coach can set up 2 lines to work on forehand and backhand at the same time but it requires good feeding skills to keep the patterns in a right pace. Waiting players can perform physical drills or they can imitate well-disguised drop shot to get comfortable with the last-second change of grip and drop shot motion.

General

Tennis: Deep position returns ...

The player stands deep behind the baseline, with the coach on the service line (on the player's side of the court). The coach then feeds the ball to the player so he/she has to hit a defensive forehand back over the net. Once the player is able to hit forehands successfully ask them to return using a backhand stroke.

General

Tennis: Attacking Midcourt Bal...

This drill should be used to help players deal with easy balls and get them to attack the ball. The coach starts the drill with a mid-court feed, at various heights. The player has to hit the ball to the targets either deep or angled. The coach feeds 6 balls and then the next player starts.

General

Deep and short Forehand Drills...

Cones are set on the deuce side (deep and short). The player stands on the service line and the coach feeds high ball to the forehand side. The player executes forehand drive in the air deep cross-court and moves forward, before the coach feeds another ball to the backhand side.The player finishes with backhand drop-volley down the line.

General

Tennis: Step In, Step Out Cros...

Cones are set on the ad side.Coach alternates feeding short and deep balls to the ad side.Player steps in and hits offensive backhand cross-court off short balls and moves back and hits neutral topspin backhand cross-court off deep balls.

General

Tennis: Feed Variation - Foreh...

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.

General

Serve And Body Ball Serve and ...

Player serves the ball, and immediately after serving, the coach tosses a deep ball into player's body. The player's goal is to move back and hit with control.

General

Move Forward & Back Movement -...

Player stands on the baselineCoach stands in front of the playerCoach alternates feeding short and deep balls to the backhand sidePlayer hits backhand slice alternating loading front and back leg before the hit

General

Tennis: Deep Cross Court Foreh...

4 players A, B, C, and D. 4 discs or cones are placed half way between the service line and the service box on each side of the court. Player A rallys with player B, and C with D (hitting cross court). Each player hits a deep forehand beyond the disc. The aim of the drill is to keep the rally going, stepping outside the line of the ball to return to your partner.

General

Tennis: Deep directions + angl...

Deep zone and angle zone are set by cones. Coach feeds balls to one side. Player performs tactical pattern based on deep cross court shot, deep down the line shot, and short cross court angle shot.Drill specifications:1-2 repetitions per set1-2 patterns in a row is a number that each players should hit. With more players coach can set up 2 lines to work on forehand and backhand at the same time but it requires good feeding skills to keep the patterns in a right pace. Otherwise players should perform physical drills e.g core strength to improve power of the groundstrokes.

General

Tennis: Use slice weapon again...

Cones are set in the deep zone. The coach feeds balls to the backhand and the player hits a backhand slice aiming into deep zone.

General

Return and drop Backhand Drill...

The coach serves wide from the ad side and the player hits deep backhand cross-court return. The coach feeds another ball to the ad sidem and the player finishes with backhand drop shot down the line.

General

Tennis: Backhand Down The Line...

The player starts on the baseline and is fed 3 balls all to the advantage side. The balls should be fed deep, medium and then short. The player hits all of the balls backhand down the line and moves forward ready for the next ball.

General

Tennis: Alley Control - Backha...

The player starts by standing behind the doubles alley on the advantage side. The coach feeds regular deep balls to the backhand side, and the player aims to hit the ball down the line in between the doubles alley.

General

Behind and Inside Forehand & B...

Coach feeds deep ball to the deuce side. Player moves back and hits forehand cross court. Coach feeds another ball shorter to the advantage side. Player moves inside the baseline and hits forehand inside in.

General

Unfortunately there were no results for your search! Please try again
deep ball SESSIONS
View All

Adapting to Different Points of Contact

To work on the forehand in different situations that require varying points of contact. To understand the necessity for technical adaptation when dealing with low, medium, and high balls.

Dealing with moonballers

Make sure that your players deal with moonballers with this session, negotiating the high ball with ease to get in a winning position!

Dominating from the Middle of the Court

To understand how to tactically play from the centre of the court and which shots to execute.
deep ball ANSWERS
View All

What can you do to help a player with their serve?

What can you do to help a player with their serve, when they say they want to get more power on it?

Archived User Coach

how can i correct a slapping forehand

one of my student is playing is forehand , with slapping. pls let me know how to correct it. gana.

Coach, United States of America

session plan for tactics in a 10 point tiebreaker

Hello,Hello,Is there a session plan that provides a roadmap that can be used in a 10 point tiebreaker? Thanks,Padhu

srinivasan padmanabhan Coach, United States of America

hi,

in 1 and 3 what kind of shot does player hit

Sokol Tigani Coach, Albania

why is this helpful

what specific skills does this develop

Joshua Sillick Coach, England

Use The middle of The court

How to best use The middle of The court?

Costel Coravu Coach, Romania

group coaching

I want to design an 8 sessions for 2 beginners players

Asim 0 Coach, Qatar

Incomplete description of drill

The description of this drill is not clear?

Marilie Randewijk Coach, Denmark

JOIN SPORTPLAN FOR FREE

  • search our library of 1200+ tennis drills
  • create your own professional coaching plans
  • or access our tried and tested plans
LATEST COACHING TRENDS
4 Spooky Tennis Mistakes That Haunt Club Players

4 Spooky Tennis Mistakes That Haunt Club Players

Four technical nightmares creep into club tennis every season. Here are the drills that banish them for good.

October 2026
|
Sportplan Coaching
Going Indoors: Adapting Footwork, Timing and Mindset for Winter Tennis

Going Indoors: Adapting Footwork, Timing and Mindset for Winter Tennis

Indoor courts give players less time and less room. Help them sharpen their split step, shorten their swing and stay calm, and winter becomes a season of real progress.

October 2026
|
Sportplan Coaching
Tiebreak Tactics: Coaching Players to Win the Big Points

Tiebreak Tactics: Coaching Players to Win the Big Points

A tiebreak is a short sprint where every point is worth the same as a break of serve. The players who win them are rarely the ones who hit hardest. Here is how to coach the patterns, habits and scoreboard thinking that win the big points.

September 2026
|
Sportplan Coaching
VIEW ALL COACHING TRENDS
Tennis POPULAR SEARCH TERMS
doubleslesson plansbeginnermini tennisdoubles drillsconsistencydrop shotservingbackhandvolleyforehandforehand drillsservefootworkwarm upkidsslicebackhand drillsgames

What our users have been saying...

Coaches from around the world look to Sportplan for coaching confidence.

Sportplan has been very helpful in guiding me through my first year as a High School Coach.

Bill O'Neill Newly qualified coach, America

Your tennis drills are extremely useful coaching tools.

Nail Tennis coach, Bangalore

Thanks for everything! Sportplan has helped me to improve my tennis lessons, making them more interesting and fun.

Andrea Tennis coach, England

Wow what a great website, I have found sportplan an important tool for me when planning my netball sessions with my netball team. There are alot of very helpful tips/ideas/skills that I can learn and teach to my team. Thank you sportplan I hope to continue to use your helpful tips and to learn more about improving my teams netball skills. Thanks again....keep it up....

Monique New Zealand

I have been using Sportplan now for 3 years and can honestly say that I have never repeated the same session twice. My girls are always focused and are improving every year. Thanks Sportplan.

Debbie Cross Australia

What a fantastic tool. The Chalkboard and session tools make an unbelievable difference in making training plans in both time and organization. I will be instructing all of my assistant coaches that this tool must be used for all sessions during the season, so that we may build a club coaching resource library.

Wes Campbell Rugby Coach Canada

I can't get enough of the Sportplan, It has given me back the enthusiasm i was starting to lose. My girls are so keen and are ready at 14 to take the next up in their game. Sportplan will help no end.

Cornel Basketball Coach, South Africa

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

Sportplan App

Give it a try - it's better in the app

SPORTPLAN USES COOKIES

Sportspeople like cookies too! By continuing to browse, you are agreeing to our use of cookies. More info

Privacy Policy
We are committed to privacy and support current industry initiatives to preserve individual privacy rights on the Internet. Protecting your privacy on-line is an evolving area and this website will constantly evolve to meet these demands.


Cookies
Some of our web pages utilise "cookies". A "cookie" is a small text file that may be used, forexample, to collect information about web site activity. Some cookies and other technologies may serve to recallPersonal Information previously indicated by a web user. Most browsers allow you to control cookies, includingwhether or not to accept them and how to remove them.

Some cookies are necessary for the operation of our website, if you choose to block them some aspects of the site may not work for you. Non necessary cookies are only set when you have given your explicit consent to their use. Such cookies included those set by our statistics package Google Analytics.

We use cookies to personalise content and ads, to provide social media features and to analyse our traffic. We also share information about your use of our site with our social media, advertising and analytics partners who may combine it with other information that you've provided to them or that they've collected from your use of their services.

More info
Tennis POPULAR SEARCH TERMS
approach backhand backhand drills badminton beginner donkey doubles doubles drills drills drop shot football footwork forehand forehand drills games kids lesson plans lob mini mini tennis search serve serving short slice smash tennis volley volley drills warm up
YOUR SESSION IS STARTING SOON... Join the growing community of tennis coaches plus 1200+ drills and pro tools to make coaching easy.
LET'S DO IT