Tennis practice game

The benefits of this drill are twofold. You can make this into a simple game by having your student try to surpass the number of successful hits and catches from their previous turn. One of the biggest challenges for new players is judging the speed and depth of a tennis ball that is coming toward them — something experienced players take for granted.

With your basket of balls, head to one side of the court and stand on the center service line, 2 to 3 feet from the net. Have your player stand at the center of the service line, ready for a forehand or backhand. After each shot, the player should return to the service line. During this drill, you can stress the importance of footwork to help position yourself to catch the ball at about waist height to ensure a consistent stroke every time, no matter where they are on the court.

When learning to serve, one of the most underrated fundamentals is developing a great toss. As a result, when teaching a beginner or young student, it can be extremely beneficial to start with a toss. With a basket of balls, head to the service line on either side of the court. Next, position your student to serve into the deuce court, or just to the right of and behind the center service line.

With the player in position, teach them the fundamentals of a proper toss, including tossing from the shoulder, keeping a smooth movement, how to hold the ball to ensure a clean release, and the approximate height they should be tossing the ball. The goal is for the player to consistently toss the ball in or within a few inches of the basket.

You can make a game out of it by awarding 3 points for making it in the basket, 2 points for hitting the basket, and 1 point for missing the basket completely. Once the player has begun to develop a solid feel for their toss, you can move onto this drill to help them develop a proper service motion. With the same court positioning as the last drill, have the player hold the ball in their dominant hand.

At first, have them move to position one, pause, and then move to the next. Once each student gets the hang of it, have them link the two movements together smoothly. Have them repeat the service motion so that you can watch their form and provide feedback. The serve can be a daunting and complicated motion for players, so this drill can help simplify it and make each part of the action more concrete for the player.

In the most basic sense, volleys are catching the ball in the air before it bounces and blocking it back to the opposite side of the court. Start by ensuring your player is using a continental grip, in which the player holds their racquet as if it were a hammer. Have your student stand on the center service line, 3 or 4 feet from the net.

You can head to the opposite side of the court and stand at the service line, or a few feet closer to the net, along the center service line as well. Before tossing any balls, go over the basic movement for a forehand volley. Have them get in their starting position with their racquet head at about eye level, and knees slightly bent. Next, have them release their hand and step their opposite foot forward across their body while keeping their racquet in front to punch the ball.

Start by explaining the split step and its importance as it relates to volleys. Next, show them how to perform a split-step standing in place and have them repeat it a few times. Once you feel like your students have the concept down, have them start back on the service line.

Have your students repeat this process for their backhand. Depending on your player and their skill level, you may need to adjust the drills to keep your student challenged or to keep them from getting overly frustrated, which may lead to burnout. Hopefully, you enjoyed these drills and found them helpful. Have suggestions for other tennis drills for beginners? Let us know in the comments below. Discussion Boards Join the conversation with other members of the community.

In-depth Resources Learn with comprehensive resources to help you improve your game. Your email address will not be published. Article Contents. The coach feeds the ball in and the players play out the rally, but after each shot, they have to run to the other end.

Kids tennis needs to be fun, and there are lots of ways you can help them improve their fitness, mentality, and technique while keeping things light hearted.

There are all kinds of tennis games for kids out there, and these are just a small sample, but the great thing is there are so many ways you can be creative with your drills. Check out our awesome range of online courses to help your child maximise their potential on court. They're easy to follow and lots of fun! Outsmart your opponent with superior tactics! Our strategies can be quickly implemented for instant results!

It might be a vital part of any sport, but getting kids to do good warm-ups can be a near-impossible challenge sometimes. We've now helped, literally, MILLIONS of tennis players to improve their game, whether that be through our equipment reviews or our premium education platform. Custom Fittings Discover your perfect racket and string combo!

Games to Improve Fitness Getting kids to run around and get some healthy exercise is one of the main benefits of tennis and there are lots of games that can help with this. Crab Football Soccer This is a bit of a classic. Everybody must move using the crab position, keeping their bodies off the floor.

Introduce a tennis ball to use as a football, and have the kids pass the ball between them. Keep the reps limited to seconds, allow some time for rest and then go again. This is great strengthening for the muscles around the trunk, which are vital to tennis. Chopsticks This is a fun exercise where kids use two tennis rackets as chopsticks to boost coordination and racket skills.

The thing we love about this game is that it teaches kids that tennis is never over. You might have lost the first five points, but that last point is still vitally important.

Survivor Man For all the creativity and ingenuity that tennis affords, the person who keeps the ball in the court the longest wins the point. You can make this more difficult by making players alternate between forehands and backhands. Bounce and Hit One of the most important things in tennis is being able to focus on the ball. Players play cooperatively in the service boxes, trying to build the rally.

You can do this for a minute, extending the amount of time to make it more challenging. Game Based Drills. Explosive Tennis Training. Training Mirror. Top Tennis Drills and Games. Training Aid Starter Package. Choose Options. Tennis Cube Tennis Ball Machine. Tennis Tower Tennis Ball Machine.

Tennis Tutor Tennis Ball Machine.