Contact Help center
Tennis Tennis
HOME Tennis Coaching Trends SEARCH

Tennis: reaction

reaction DRILLS
View All

2 Ball Warm Up

Coach throws 2 balls at the same time (Different heights). Player tries to catch both balls in the air.

Coordination / Fun Games

Anticipation and reactions

Player side steps until the coach drops a ball. The player must catch the ball before the second bounce. Players can also start from a stationary position with heels of the ground or hopping on one leg or criss crossing the legs or with player starting with their back to coach and the coach shouting out when throwing the ball.

Coordination / Fun Games

Catch and Dribble Warm Up

Cones are set in front of the player. Coach stands behind the player and tosses the ball over the players' head. Player runs forward, catches the ball on the racquet and run around the cones without dropping the ball.

Agility & Fitness

Dummy

TacticEncourage volley reactions and movement.DescriptionPlayer 1 and 2 are volleying to each other, player 3 is behind player 1. Player 1 will dummy the ball. Player 3 will try to volley it back to player 2.

Volley Drills

Quick Change

Coach stands in front of the player and feeds random balls (Forehand, Backhand, Low, Short, Deep etc). Player has to react and adjust to incoming balls.

Backhand Drills

Return Cross Court

Coach serves from the service line and the player returns the ball cross court.

Serve and Return

Throw and Catch

Players stay on the opposite sites of the net. Player A throws the ball underhand with dominant hand in cross court direction. Player B catches the ball and throws it back.

Coordination / Fun Games

Touch at the net

-One player is positioned on the service line, the other closer to the net.-Player 1 lobs every second shot and player 2 hits alternately volleys and smashes.-This is a warm up drill and players focus on keeping the ball in play.-The drill can be done with or without rackets.-Players swop round after approximately 3 minutes.

Volley Drills

Turn and Hit

Player starts on the service line (facing back fence). Player shuffles from side to side until when the coach says "GO!" and feeds the ball. The player's goal is to then turn, react and hit the volley.

Forehand & Backhand Drill

Volley reaction

- Coach feeds the ball low over the net.- 2 players try to beat the goalie.- They must bend low to attack the volleys.- A point is scored if the ball is hit between the cones.- Play 15-20 balls then rotate.

Volley Drills

Net game reaction Volley Drill...

Player stands at the service line. Coach feeds the ball to the player's forehand side. The player returns the ball to the coach using a forehand volley shot. Coach hits the ball short to the backhand side. Player runs and responds with backhand volley drop shot.

General

Reaction Rally Rally Drills - ...

Coach stands at the net. Player and coach rally together. Coach hits everything to the deuce side. Player hits only forehand cross court.

General

Response To Deep Balls Forehan...

The player starts on the baselineThe coach feeds deep balls to the deuce sideThe player alternates responding to these balls with half-volley and movement back and hitting regular shot from deep zone

General

React After The Serve Forehand...

The player stands on the baseline and serves the ball against the wall. After serving, the player must recover quickly and hit a forehand stroke against the wall.

General

Anticipation and reactions Mov...

Player side steps until the coach drops a ball. The player must catch the ball before the second bounce. Players can also start from a stationary position with heels of the ground or hopping on one leg or criss crossing the legs or with player starting with their back to coach and the coach shouting out when throwing the ball.

General

Tennis Circle Catching - Rugby...

<p>• The aim of the drill is to develop reaction catching skills.</p>

General

Bounce and Hit Forehand & Back...

Players rally together. Player has to say "bounce" when the ball bounces on their side and say "hit" when they make contact with the ball.

General

Drop The Volley Rally Drills -...

Set up as shown with three cones close to the net, with these cones being the player's target on their second shot. Player and coach stand at the net, and the coach feeds the ball to the forehand side.The Player hits a forehand volley to the coach who then hits it back to the backhand side, where the player must react quickly to backhand drop volley the ball cross-court, aiming to get the ball in between the three cones.

General

Tennis: Backhand 3 Wide Balls ...

Coach stands in front of the player. Coach tosses 3 different balls to the backhand side. First ball is close to the player; second ball is between the middle and the sideline; last ball is close to the sideline. Player hits and recovers after each shot.

General

2 Ball Warm Up Coordination / ...

Coach throws 2 balls at the same time (Different heights). Player tries to catch both balls in the air.

General

Regular Rally with a Drive Ral...

The player stands on the baseline, whilst the coach stands at the net. Both rally together; the player uses only backhand cross court, whilst the coach hits the ball back with a volley.The coach hits randomly a slower and higher ball to allow the player to hit backhand drive in the air.The next step of every skill is to check how the player can react to a situation where given skill can be used. Setting an environment, where the player is forced to react and use drive in the air, is an opportunity to develop tactical awareness.

General

CC Rally on Service Line Volle...

Players stay on the service lines and rally together in a cross-court direction. Players have to hit all the balls in the air.

General

From Rally To Winner Rally Dri...

Player stands on the baseline. Coach stands at the net on the ad side.Player and coach rally together. Player uses only forehand stroke and hits all the balls down the line.After receiving short ball player runs to the ball and hits forehand cross-court winner.

General

Point the cone Agility & Fitne...

4 cones are set around the player. Coach faces the player and points out one of the cones. Player runs in this direction, touches the cone and recovers back.

General

Catch The Racket Movement - Te...

2 players face each other.Players put their rackets vertically on the ground and hold them with one hand.At a given signal, players release the racket and run to catch their partner’s racket.

General

Master of Cross Court Forehand...

Coach feeds random balls and the player must hit all of the these balls cross court in between the target cones.

General

Attack + play points inside th...

2 players play points against each other. Player B feeds an easy ball. Player A attacks it and the point begins. Player A has to play the point all the time inside the baseline. Drill specifications:2-3 points and switchPoints are short so players can play few rallies in a row before they switch. Playing inside the baseline requires great footwork skills and many shots played in low position so lunges can be performed by waiting players to improve legs’ strength and become more natural while playing shots in really low position.

General

Moving Zones Movement - Tennis...

Court is divided into 3 zones ("Deep" Cones to the baseline, "Medium" Cones to the service line; "Short" Service box). Coach feeds random balls. Player has to react and make proper decisions related to the zones. If the ball is deep, player has to move back and hit higher cross court. If the ball is medium, player can make own decision and hit neutral or aggressive shot. If the ball is short, player has to move forward and hit aggressively down the line or make a drop shot.

General

Offensive Running Volley Attac...

Player starts on the service line.Coach stands close to the net and feeds the ball off own side.Player sprints forward and hits finishing angle volley on the run.

General

Keep your legs low Forehand Dr...

The player wears resistance bands to maintain low position. The player performs regular forehands paying attention to maintaining low position all the time.

General

Tennis: Aggressive Forehand - ...

Coach stands on the player's side of the court and feeds the ball with the racquet off the ground. Player moves forward and hits an aggressive forehand.

General

High balls are last balls Doub...

The coach feeds high balls to the forehand side. The player takes higher backswing, moves forward and hits offensive volley.

General

Heads and Tails Movement - Ten...

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.

General

Attack it or drop it Forehand ...

Player stands on the baseline. Coach feeds an easy ball and stays on the baseline or moves far behind it. Player has to make proper decision according to the coach’s position. If the coach is on the baseline player should attack the easy ball with a powerful groundstroke. If the coach moves far behind the baseline player should hit a drop shot.Drill specifications:4 repetitions per setSmall number of repetitions is required to achieve quality work. Peripheral vision is one of the skills that is necessary to effectively execute offensive strokes. Waiting players should work on making quick decisions after the visual sign so coach should prepare physical drills based on quick reaction.

General

Serve with Opening Forehand & ...

Player serves from one side. Coach feeds random ball as a return. Player reacts and hits the next shot to the open space.

General

Tennis: Serve and hit the low ...

The player hits a serve to either the ad or deuce side. The coach, who is in front of the player, then feeds him/her a low ball. The player has to react quickly after the serve and hit consistently low and flat returns over the net.

General

Rally cross-court and surprise...

2 players rally together in cross court direction. Player A picks the right moment to surprise the opponent and hits the drop shot down the line.Drill specifications:1 minute and switch4 players can work on forehands and backhands at the same time so 1 minute periods for switching are appropriate. Waiting players can perform some footwork exercises on the ladder to keep the feet active or they can imitate drop shot to get more comfortable with disguising the shot and changing the grip right before the point of contact.

General

Confidence hitting down the li...

Set up two sets of cones around 1metre inside the service line, either side of the coach who stands in the centre of the court. The coach then feeds balls to the player so he/she has to hit either and backhand or forehand down the line shot. The player must execute all strokes in down the line direction aiming for between the cones.

General

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

Worthy Slice From The Forehand Side

To improve control over the sliced, backspin shot from the forehand side.

Control under time pressure

Develop your players reactions and movement to get into position early to create more time for themselves, even when rushed into shots.

Tennis is a Situational Game!

A session encouraging players to use their technical skills tactically!

Necessary skills for successful doubles

Get your players working effectively as a duo and improving their doubles game

Variety at the net

Answer all the questions that the opponent throws you at the net with this session, getting you confident and using variety to win the point

Win more points with forehand

Develop your player's forehand into a powerful shot with this session, helping them gain the advantage!

Forehand Ready For The Match

Understand how movement, body and racket technique have to work together to achieve good quality shot

Working on Groundstrokes

Teach your players how to improve their power and accuracy, and get them hitting groundstrokes like the pros!

Return Confidence

Don't shy away from the serve! Get your players returning confidently with this week's session!

Better Footwork Creates a Stronger Game

In a match, every ground stroke is played off a different variety of footwork movements. A fine technique is built upon the ability to take an effective position on court to play the stroke. Therefore develop your players reaction times and their footwork with a focus on their technique and tactical positioning.

Mastering the Volley: Success at the Net

Volleying is all about positioning and touch. Get your player in the in the right position to make the shot and finish the point and when perfected, it will be a lethal weapon in a players game.

Keep Constant Pressure On Your Opponent

To understand how to put pressure on the rival and work on specific patterns behind and inside the baseline.

Solid game based on fundamental principles

To work on players baseline game focusing predominantly on reactions but also technical, tactical, physical and mental aspects of building and winning a rally.

No Bounce, No Problem

Encourage repetitive hitting so players can start controlling their balance and reactions when at the net.

Developing A Killer Instinct

Get your players to develop a killer instinct and know how to win!

Respond and Return

Break your opponent's serve more often by learning how to respond and where to position your return!
reaction 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 do you teach position anticipation?

My daughter has the fundamentals and strokes but lacks where to anticipate her position on the court to finish out the point.

Archived User Coach

What is a good fun doubles drill for intermediate players

Trying to keep players more aware on the court and feet active.

Archived User Coach

high ball

hi what is the best drill to improve high ball contact point and footwork.

samala ashok Coach, India

group coaching

I want to design an 8 sessions for 2 beginners players

Asim 0 Coach, Qatar

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
Smart Courts and Wearable Tech: How Technology Is Transforming Tennis Training

Smart Courts and Wearable Tech: How Technology Is Transforming Tennis Training

From sensor-equipped rackets to AI-powered coaching, technology is making tennis training more precise than ever. Here's what actually works.

March 2026
|
Sportplan Coaching
On-Court Coaching: Making the Most of Your 90 Seconds

On-Court Coaching: Making the Most of Your 90 Seconds

On-court coaching is now fully legal. Here's how to deliver advice that actually helps during those crucial 90-second changeovers.

February 2026
|
Sportplan Coaching
6 Things Changing Tennis in 2026

6 Things Changing Tennis in 2026

On-court coaching is now fully legal, technology continues to advance, and the ATP calendar evolves. Here's what tennis coaches need to know for 2026.

January 2026
|
Sportplan Coaching
VIEW ALL COACHING TRENDS
Tennis POPULAR SEARCH TERMS
backhandforehandbackhand drillslesson plansfootworkdrop shotmini tennisbeginnersliceservinggamesservewarm upconsistencyforehand drillsvolleydoubles drillskidsdoubles

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