The following drills are really for beginners and intermediate players who already have the basics and solid ball control, but need to work on improving spin and decision making skills.
Basic tennis tactics focus on moving the opponent, and in order to do that the players must be accurate with their shots and you which options are possible.
The Long Crosscourt
Both players rally from the deuce sides of the court, and try to play deep to keep the ball over the service line. Rally for five minutes, then change over to the advantage side, which is the backhand side for right-handers.
The Long-Short Crosscourt
Players rally again from the same side of the court, where player X plays the ball deep and player Y plays the ball short crosscourt, so that the ball lands near the outside corner of the service box. Rally for five minutes and swap over, then change sides, rallying from the advantage side for a total of four times five minutes.
The Alternating Long-Short Crosscourt
Both players rally crosscourt, where player X plays the ball deep and player Y alternates between playing the ball deep and playing the ball short. Players should rally for five and change over, making sure you change sides.
The Long-Short Crosscourt with a Down the Line
The first part of this drill is a closed drill, which means the two players stick to a pattern. Player X plays the ball deep crosscourt three times in a row, player Y plays first long crosscourt, then short crosscourt, and then down the line.
For less advanced players, player X does not need to run for the ball, but can just let it go so that player Y can focus on seeing where the ball landed and can make adjustments for the next rally.
Semi-Open Situation
In this drill, allow player X to play only long crosscourt on every ball that player Y plays. Player Y on the other hand chooses by himself whether he will play long crosscourt, short crosscourt, or down the line.
Player Y must experiment with different decisions and see whether he is successful in the long term or not.
Playing in the middle can be very effective when attempting to neutralize the opponent from a defensive position, since the shot played in the middle does not open up angles from which the opponent can attack.
Reputable tennis clubs like Tennis World Lane Cove have excellent coaching facilities, their pro’s can take you through all the drills above and show you how to perform them correctly. Then there is no reason why you and a friend cannot take the instruction away and practise in private.
