A good strategic plan on the court is like having a map during a road trip. It keeps you on the right road. So, if you want to play hard and win more often, there are a few tennis drills you should practice on the tennis court. Tennis Court Supply has compiled a list of some of the best tennis drills and games that you can use to practice as well as the supplies that you will need for them. When you need tennis supplies and equipment, TCS is your one-stop online shop for everything from training gear to court repair supplies to replacement parts and more. Now, let’s take a closer look at five of the best tennis drills to improve your game:

Tennis Drill #1: OUT-RALLY YOUR OPPONENT

The goal here is to keep the tennis ball in play until the opponent misses so you win the point. Your task is to avoid any errors by playing safely and retrieving all of your opponent’s shots. At the same time, you want to hit the tennis ball deep enough to prevent the opponent from becoming too aggressive. You can practice this by rallying with a tennis partner. One of you hits cross-court and the other down the line. Try to see how many tennis balls you can hit without mistakes. Then, change roles. Another way to practice is to play "no points" with your partner. The rule is that no player is allowed to hit an outright winner. If a player happens to hit a winner through a series of placed shots, it counts, but at no time should any player try to blast the ball past the opponent. ?Also, try practicing hitting with more net clearance. And most importantly, practice keeping it deep. Practice hitting with depth. Play points in which the ball is not allowed to bounce in the service boxes. If it does, the player loses the point. Try using a camera on a camera mount to critique your drills when you’re finished. 


Tennis Drill #2: IMPROVE YOUR STRENGTHS

Focus on your strengths and learn when and how to use them to improve your game. In this strategy, if your forehand is better than your backhand, you will have to use your backhand as much as possible and avoid using your forehand. If your net game is better than your baseline game, you have to try to get to the net as soon and as often as possible. Practice this by playing half-court. Play points using only your best shot. That is, run around your weaker shot. If the opponent gets the ball to your weaker side, you lose the point. Try these boundary markers from Tennis Court Supply to make the drill even better.

Tennis Drill #3: ATTACK THE NET

Putting pressure on your opponent by charging the net takes time away from your opponent and is a very useful strategy. In many cases, just charging the net creates an opportunity for your opponent to make a mistake. When practicing this drill, it is important that you attack the net to your opponent’s weakness as much as possible. Try to keep it unpredictable though. You can use this strategy by serving and volleying, returning and volleying, or by approaching on short balls during the point. You can practice this by playing points where the server has to serve and volley on first serves and the returner has to return and volley on second serves. When returning and volleying, make sure that you start moving towards the net as the server tosses the tennis ball in order to hit the return close to the service line. You can also practice this by playing points cross-court. This is where the players can only hit down the line if approaching the net. In this drill, the player will rally crosscourt until one of them gets a short ball to attack. After the down-the-line approach shot, the point is played out. You can also do this drill alone by using a ball machine.

Tennis Drill #4: BRING THE OPPONENT TO THE NET

Many players do not feel comfortable at the net and forcing them to come in will place them into a vulnerable position. In this strategy, you will play consistently until you receive a short ball that you can counter with a drop shot or a short, low ball. Practice this by playing games where a drop shot winner is worth 3 points and winning the point against a player at the net is worth 2 points. You can also play points from the baseline where both players are only allowed to hit with a slice. In this game, the players are not allowed to hit the ball in the air, forcing them to move up and back during the point.

Tennis Drill #5: USE UNPREDICTABILITY

Variety is a great way to force mistakes or short balls that you can attack. The factors that you can vary include: 

  • Spin: topspin, slice, and flat 
  •  Depth: long and short 
  • Height: high, medium, and low 
  •  Direction: right, middle, left 
  • Speed: fast, medium, and slow 

Of course, you can also combine these variations to make variety an even more effective strategy. Practice this by playing points where players are not allowed to hit the same type of shot twice. Players have to change the spin, height, and depth of every shot. Another fun way to practice tennis drills is using stoplight cones.

Get Your Tennis Drill Supplies From TCS

Now that you know some of the top tennis drills, order the supplies that you need for your players and coaches from the leading name in the industry: Tennis Court Supply. For decades, we've helped tennis court owners and players get top-quality products that they need to improve their game and their business. If you have any questions about our products, don't hesitate to reach out to us by phone or email.