Hi everyone!

Here’s a solo drill to train yourself to block fast balls on the backhand side – an essential skill against big servers or powerful players who like to take control of the rally.

The goal of this drill is to improve your ability to stabilise the backhand block under pressure and to restart fast rallies effectively while maintaining accuracy.

How to run the drill:

Place the ball machine on the backhand diagonal and set it to send fast, deep, driven balls to your backhand, alternating with fast but shorter balls to your forehand, with an interval of 2.5 to 3 seconds between each ball.

Position yourself slightly behind the baseline on the backhand side, in a defensive stance.

On every ball sent to your backhand, the ball will arrive quickly at your feet, so keep a firm grip, a short, compact swing, and block the ball, prioritising accuracy and depth over power.

On the balls sent to your forehand side, respond with a more offensive forehand to maintain pressure.

For example, do 5 sets of 8 balls (6 backhands + 2 forehands), with 10 seconds of rest between each set.

(Image created with the ETDM software – Download it here)

This solo tennis drill with a ball machine helps you build a solid backhand defence while keeping a smooth offensive transition on the forehand side.

Pro tip: On the blocked backhand, anticipate the trajectory and use a continental grip to better absorb the ball’s speed.