Tennis drills: 10 drills for every part of the lesson

A good repertoire of tennis drills is what separates a lesson that drags from one where players improve without noticing. But collecting drills isn't enough: you need to know where each one fits in the lesson.

This guide suggests 10 drills from the AdvanceTenis catalogue, organised by the parts of a typical session: warm-up, basket drills, game situations and final game. Each card shows the drill's level (1 to 10) and the number of players it works for. The full drill sheets in our catalogue are in Spanish.

Warm-up: finding the rhythm

The warm-up gets the body going and gives players a feel for the ball. Ideally it lasts 5 to 10 minutes and is technically simple. The classic option is a cooperative rally from the baseline, down the line, keeping the ball in play as long as possible:

For stronger groups, volley-to-volley in the service boxes, crosscourt and without letting the ball bounce, is a demanding warm-up that keeps everyone alert from the first minute:

Basket drills: technique through repetition

Basket drills (the coach feeding from the ball basket) are where technique is built: many repetitions of the same stroke in little time. The key is to give each series a clear goal, such as hitting a cone, changing direction or recovering position.

Serve. A classic progression for beginners: serve 6 balls from a metre away from the net, take a step back, repeat, and keep going until you reach the baseline.

Once the motion is in place, add accuracy: each player places their own cone in the service box and scores a point every time they hit it.

Baseline. Series of 4 balls changing direction on every shot, aiming at cones placed near the baseline. It forces players to set their feet and racket face for each target.

Approaching the net. A 3-shot series: a baseline shot (recovering to the centre cone), an approach shot from mid-court and one or two volleys at the net.

Overhead. The coach feeds lobs and two players take turns smashing, 3 overheads each, then rotate with those waiting.

Return. The coach simulates the serve from mid-court so the player can focus on a short backswing and an early contact.

Game situations: taking technique into the point

Here players apply what they practised in the basket drills, but against a partner or opponent and making their own decisions. Cooperative drills work very well: some players at the baseline, others at the net, and everyone wins if the ball stays in play. Halfway through, swap roles.

Final game: finishing with energy

Ending the lesson with a mini tournament sends players home wanting to come back. Fast-rotating formats keep everyone active: in Grand Slam the loser leaves the court, the next player steps in straight away, and the first to 10 points wins the "tournament".

How to combine these drills into a lesson

A simple 60-minute structure for 4 players: 10 minutes of warm-up, 20 of basket drills, 15 of game situations and 15 of final game. Choose each block's drills based on the day's goal: if the focus is volleys, build the basket drill and the game situation around the net.

If you don't want to do it by hand, the automatic session generator builds the lesson for you with these and other drills. In the full catalogue you can filter by stroke, level, number of players and part of the lesson.