Tennis Practice Drills for Beginners and Intermediates

Stand 15-20 feet from a wall. Rally with yourself, alternating forehand and backhand. Focus on consistent contact point and compact swings. The wall returns the ball faster than a partner, which forces quicker preparation. Target: 30 consecutive hits.

No ball, no racket. Stand in ready position, have someone (or a metronome app) call "forehand" or "backhand" randomly. Execute a full unit turn, step, and swing. Focus on initiating with the hips, not the arm. 3 sets of 20.

Place a target (towel, cone, or bucket) in the deuce service box corner, then the ad corner. Hit 10 serves to each. Track how many land within 3 feet. Repeat with second serve. Aim for 60%+ on first serve, 80%+ on second.

Drop the ball from your non-dominant hand, let it bounce, hit forehand. No partner, no feed — just you and the ball. Eliminates timing variables so you can focus purely on form: grip, contact point, follow-through. 50 balls per side.

Both players rally cross-court only (forehand-to-forehand or backhand-to-backhand). Place a target in the deep corner. First to 10 shots that land within 3 feet of the target wins. Builds directional consistency.

Feeder stands at the net with a basket. Feeds one ball to the forehand, then one to the backhand, alternating. Hitter focuses on recovery between shots — getting back to center before the next ball. 20 pairs, then switch.

Feeder hits a short ball (lands around the service line). Hitter approaches with a deep shot, closes to the net, and plays out the point. Focus on split-stepping before the volley and keeping the volley out in front. 10 points, then switch.

Both players inside the service boxes. Rally softly with full strokes but minimal power. Develops touch, racket face control, and feel. Great warm-up drill. Play points to 11 for competition.

Play points but they end after 4 shots (serve, return, +1, +1). Forces aggressive shot selection early in the point. Great for developing first serve percentage and return quality.

One player is "king" on one side. Challengers line up on the other. Feed starts the point. If the king wins, they stay. If they lose, the challenger becomes king. First to 10 wins as king wins overall. Builds pressure handling.

Serve wide to the deuce court, then hit the open court forehand. Practice the serve + next shot combination that wins the most free points in recreational tennis. 10 reps to deuce side, 10 to ad side.

Start at the doubles sideline. Sprint to the singles sideline, touch, sprint back. Then to the center line, touch, back. Then to the far singles, touch, back. Then to the far doubles, touch, back. Rest 60 seconds. Repeat 4 times.

Stand at the baseline center. Partner at the net calls "left" or "right." You split-step (small hop, land on balls of both feet), then push off toward the called direction, shadow swing, and recover. 3 sets of 20. Focus on landing the split step with knees bent and weight forward.

Scatter 10 balls across one side of the court. Start at the baseline center. Pick up each ball one at a time, returning to center between each one. Time yourself. Tennis-specific agility — you're doing the exact movement pattern you'd use in a rally.

Two players at the net, close together. Volley back and forth but after every shot, side-shuffle around each other in a figure-8 pattern. Builds volley reflexes and lateral movement simultaneously. 2 minutes on, 1 minute rest, repeat.