Hi everyone!
Here’s a pretty physical group drill to boost your lateral movement and accuracy. Here, we’re going to reproduce the intensity of real match rallies.
The goal is to master fast side-to-side movement and hit with control at the end of your run, even when you’re slightly off-balance.
How to run the drill:
The players A, B, C, D line up behind the baseline.
On the other side, place a ball machine in the center and 2 targets (cones or hoops) in each back corner of the court.
- Player A steps onto the court and starts the drill.
- The machine alternately sends balls to the left and to the right (with at least 3 m of distance between the two directions).
- Player A makes an explosive lateral run to try to reach and return each ball.
- Each shot should aim for the opposite target (e.g. ball to the right → target on the left) to work on cross-court shots, then a shot down the line (e.g. ball to the left → target on the left) to vary shots and techniques.
- After 4 balls, A goes to the back of the line and player B steps in and continues the drill.
It’s important to set the ball machine correctly: interval of 2.8 to 3.8 seconds between balls, with a speed of 60–70 km/h.
This drill develops tennis endurance, improves explosiveness in changes of direction, and strengthens your ability to hit precisely under fatigue.
(Image created with the ETDM software – Download it here)
Pro tip : On wide movements, keep your shoulders parallel to the net up to contact to compensate for the loss of balance.
