348 Group tennis drill – Defending against a short drop shot

Hi!

Here’s a group drill to strengthen your reactivity against drop shots—a decisive stroke when well anticipated. You’ll learn to read the game better, explode forward, and finish cleanly.

The goal is to develop the ability to detect a drop shot, trigger an explosive forward sprint, and hit an accurate shot even when off balance.

Drill execution:

Players B, C and D line up behind the baseline, ready to rotate. In front of them, player A starts in the defender position.

The coach, standing near the net with a basket of balls, feeds a neutral ball to player B, who deliberately plays a short drop shot.

The defender (A) must sprint forward to intercept the drop shot before the second bounce. They must then hit a winning shot—either cross-court or down the line—before quickly returning in small recovery steps to the starting position.

After three consecutive drop-shot defenses, roles rotate:

  • The defender joins the returners’ line,
  • The next player in line becomes the defender.

The rotation continues smoothly, with a steady feed of balls from the coach.

348 Group tennis drill – Defending a short drop shot

(Image created with ETDM software – Download it here)

 


Download this drill in PDF format


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