Here’s a fun way to improve your consistency, footwork, and patience.
To be successful at tennis you’ve got to keep the ball in play. Sounds simple, but many players don’t practice this. Hitting winners is great, but at the recreational level the player who makes fewer mistakes is going to win nine times out of 10. This drill will improve your directional control and make you a steadier player.
To work on accuracy, divide the court in half and hit each ball with your outside stroke. Here the red player hits forehands, while the blue player hits backhands. (Illustration by Trevor Johnston)
SETUP:
Divide the court in half, either crosscourt or down the line. You may or may not include the doubles alleys, depending on how narrow you want your target area. Stand on the baseline, with your playing partner on the opposite side. Feed a ball and play the point out. The game is to 11.
RULES:
During the point, each player may only hit his outside stroke, from both the baseline and the net. For example, if you and your partner are right-handed, and you’re playing crosscourt from the deuce side, you can only hit forehands. If you’re hitting down the line from your deuce court to his ad side, then you would hit forehands against
his backhands. This forces you to concentrate on your footwork to get into proper hitting position. After five points, switch your playing arrangement around.
If you really want to work on your consistency and patience, keep score by counting only unforced errors. For each error committed by a player, the opponent gets a point. A winner is counted as a let, and you replay the point. This means that the only way to win a point is to keep the ball in play and wait for your opponent to make a mistake.