In this section, you will discover basket tennis drills for private and group lessons.
Tennis basket drills are a training method where a coach or partner feeds balls from a basket, allowing for close observation and correction of a player’s footwork, technique, and strategic shot selection.
Big Square (private or group)
The coach (F) stands just behind the service line with a basket of balls ready; he will hand-feed (toss) balls from the basket. The student begins the drill from behind the baseline, on the same side as the coach.
Drill Pattern: The coach will feed the balls as follows:
– 1 short for the player to come up and execute a forehand cross-court;
– 1 deep so that the player backs up and hits another forehand, directed down the line;
– 1 short so that the player comes up for a backhand cross-court;
– 1 deep for the player to back up and execute another backhand groundstroke down the line.
The drill continues in this pattern three more times. Emphasis is made on proper preparation, footwork (sprint and stop), and balance control.
Serve and Put Away (private or group)
The drill begins with the first player in line ready to serve from the deuce side. The coach is on the opposite side, ready for the incoming serve; he has a basket nearby, ready to feed from.
Drill:
The player will serve (1) and then move up while the coach feeds a ball short (2) into her court. She will attack the short ball for a down-the-line put-away shot (3).
After that, the player will move to the end of the line, not before getting a ball from the coach’s basket and making way for the next player.
Once every player does the drill at least 6 times, the servers and coach can switch sides: the players serving from the ad side.
Waiting for the Overhead (private)
The coach (F) is about halfway between the service line and the baseline; he has a basket of balls to feed from. The player (A) is on the other side of the net, at the service line.
Drill:
The coach will begin the drill by feeding balls randomly for the player to volley. The player will have to execute 5 successful volleys in (anywhere inside the court) for her to receive a lob.
If, at any time, she misses in her attempt to get 5 volleys in, the coach will continue feeding but he will re-set the counting to 0.
Only once she hits 5 consecutive volleys in and the overhead she can move back to the service line and have a 10-second break if needed.
Do the drill at least 5 times.
Note: This is a very good drill for volley consistency, maintaining focus, and… good workout.
For many more basket tennis drills, check out the coaching programs at WebTennis24, and the Tennis Drills and Lesson Plans for Coaches!