4-Player Tennis Drill: The Butterfly

How It Works

Setup

This is a tennis drill that allows players to practice groundstroke accuracy and consistency.

Four players are positioned at the baseline, two on each side (see graphic above) – players A and B on one side hit all the balls cross-court; C and D on the opposite side hit all the balls down the line.

The coach (F) has a basket of balls to feed from at one of the net posts.

Drill

Coach (F) feeds a ball to player A to start the rally. He sends the ball cross-court to C.
Player C sends the ball down the line to B.
Player B sends the ball cross-court to D.
Player D sends the ball down the line to A.

The pattern continues for as long as the players consistently hit the ball in and to their respective target (cross-court or down-the-line).

As soon as a player misses (hits into the net or outside the required target area), the coach quickly puts another ball in, sending it to the player who just missed.

Continue this drill until they hit 30 balls over the net (coach counts), then players move one spot clockwise, practicing to different targets and strokes.

Variation: If a player misses, the other team gets a point; play first to win 5 points, then players switch places (right to left and vice versa).

Note: Recommended for intermediate and advanced players.

This is part of Tennis Drills and Lesson Plans for Coaches, with 900+ drills and lesson plans that coaches need.