You have a racket, a friend who also has a racket, and an hour on a court. You start hitting and within four shots the ball is in the net, over the fence or rolling toward the next court. The rally never gets going, you both spend the session fetching balls, and you leave wondering if tennis is just that hard.
It is not. Most beginners fail at rallying for the same reason: they are playing the full game before the individual pieces work. Drills fix that by shrinking the problem. You hit the same shot again and again at a speed you can control, and you count something so you know whether you are improving. This guide gives you twelve drills you can run with one partner, grouped by what they train, with a target for each and advice on when to move on. If you are brand new, read the beginner’s guide to tennis first for the rules and equipment, then come back here.
How to use these drills
A few ground rules make the difference between a drill and just hitting.
- Warm up first. Ten minutes of easy movement before you swing hard is enough to cut the chance of tight shoulders and calves. Our 10-minute tennis warm-up is a ready-made routine.
- Pick two or three drills a session. Doing twelve in an hour means you do none of them properly.
- Count something. Rallies in a row, serves in the box, balls over a line. A number turns “that felt okay” into something you can beat next week.
- Slow down. If you cannot do a drill at half pace, you cannot do it at full pace. Add speed only when the success rate is good.
- Swap roles. Where a drill has a feeder and a hitter, switch every few minutes so both of you work.
A tube of balls is enough for the rallying drills. For the serve and feeding drills, a bucket or bag of a dozen or more saves walking.
Match the court to the stage you are at
If full-court rallies are not happening, make the court smaller. The ITF’s Tennis Play and Stay programme is built on the idea that a slower ball and a shorter court let new players rally sooner. Its published red-stage court is roughly 11-13 metres long and its orange-stage court roughly 18 metres, against 23.77 metres for the full court (check the ITF page for the exact dimensions, as the stated ranges vary). You do not need special lines. The service box area is already a good starting court, and our court dimensions guide shows where the lines are.
Rallying drills
Drill 1: Mini-tennis from the service lines
What it trains: control, watching the ball, a compact swing.
Stand on opposite service lines and rally softly into the service boxes. Use half-swings and keep the ball low over the net. The goal is not to win the rally but to keep it going.
- Target: 10 shots in a row. Then 20. Then 30.
- Common problem: hitting too hard. If the ball lands beyond the service line, slow down.
- Progress: when you can reach 20 regularly, both step back a few metres and repeat.
Drill 2: Baseline cooperative rally
What it trains: footwork, rhythm, swinging through the ball.
Once mini-tennis is steady, move to the baselines and rally forehand to forehand, then backhand to backhand, then mix. The USTA’s adult beginner materials use a cooperative rally in this spirit, with partners aiming at a target and stepping back only after a run of successful shots; the coaching cue is a small swing and a short distance.
- Target: 10 consecutive balls. Do not worry if the first dozen attempts end after 3 or 4.
- Cue: after every shot, get back to the middle of the baseline and be ready for the next one.
Drill 3: Rally with a target
What it trains: placement and consistency.
Place a towel, a cone or a racket cover about a metre inside the baseline on your partner’s side. Rally normally, but aim to land the ball past a line you pick: for example, behind the service line. Count how many of your shots land in that zone out of ten.
- Target: 5 of 10 landing deep, then 7 of 10.
- Why it helps: most beginner errors are short balls that sit up, or balls into the net. Aiming deeper and higher over the net solves both.
Drill 4: Ready, rally, recover
What it trains: court positioning and recovery.
This builds on the cooperative rally. The USTA describes a “Ready, Rally and Recover” idea: after every shot, return to the middle of your baseline before the opponent hits. Rally with a partner and call out “ready” each time you are back in position and balanced.
- Target: a 10-ball rally where you hit the “ready” position after every shot.
- Why it helps: players who stay where they hit the ball get pulled out of the court by the next shot.
Footwork and movement drills
Drill 5: Split step and shadow
What it trains: timing and balance before the shot.
The split step is a small hop you time as your opponent hits the ball, landing on both feet with your weight forward so you can push off in any direction. Coaching sources differ on how early to introduce it. A sensible approach for a beginner is to learn the ready position first (knees bent, weight on the balls of the feet, racket in front) and add the hop once that feels natural.
Practise without a ball: one of you mimes a stroke, the other split-steps on that “contact” and then moves left or right to a point you name. Ten reps, rest, ten more.
- Target: land balanced, on both feet, with the racket in front of you.
Drill 6: Side-to-side feed and recover
What it trains: lateral movement and getting back to the middle.
One partner stands at the net or a service line with a handful of balls and feeds alternately to the forehand and backhand side, easy underhand tosses that bounce once. The hitter moves to each ball, hits and recovers to the centre. Do 10 balls, then swap.
- Target: reach the ball with your feet set before you swing, at least 7 of 10 times.
- Common problem: reaching with your arm instead of moving your feet. Take small adjustment steps.
Drill 7: Cone or line shuffle
What it trains: quick, low side steps.
Put two markers about three metres apart (two water bottles will do). Shuffle sideways between them without crossing your feet. Touch each marker, repeat for 20 seconds, rest 30, repeat three times. It is boring and works well as a break between hitting drills.
Volley and net drills
Drill 8: Volley-to-volley
What it trains: a short, firm punch at the net, and a steady racket.
Stand just inside the service lines on opposite sides and hit volleys to each other, as softly as you can. No backswing, just a firm wrist and a short push toward the target. It looks easy and is not. The ball comes back quickly, so the drill teaches you to prepare early.
- Target: 10 volleys in a row without letting the ball bounce.
- Common problem: swinging like a groundstroke. Think “block”, not “hit”.
Drill 9: Ground stroke to volley
What it trains: the transition from baseline to net.
One partner stays at the baseline and feeds easy groundstrokes. The other stands about two metres from the net and volleys each ball back. Swap after 10 balls. When this feels easy, the net player starts at the service line and moves forward on the feeder’s shot, which is how you actually get to the net in a game. If you play doubles, this is a core skill; see our doubles strategy guide for where it fits.
- Target: 7 of 10 volleys landing in the court.
Serve and return drills
Drill 10: Serve to the box, ten at a time
What it trains: a repeatable toss and contact point.
Start at the service line, not the baseline, if the full serve is not working yet. Hit ten serves to the target service box and write down how many go in. Move back a step when you reach seven out of ten. Concentrate on the toss: a good toss in the same place every time makes the serve far easier. Our full how to serve in tennis guide covers grip, toss and motion.
- Target: 6 of 10 in, with the ball landing in the correct box.
- Add a goal: aim at the left third of the box for five serves, then the right third.
Drill 11: Serve and return pairs
What it trains: the first two shots of every point.
One partner serves from the baseline, the other returns and tries just to get the ball back into play deep. Do not play the point out: stop after the return. Ten serves each. Count returns that land in the court. The returner’s job is a short swing and a controlled block, not a winner.
- Target: returning 6 of 10 serves.
- Why it helps: in beginner matches many points end on a missed serve or return, so these are the quickest shots to improve.
Putting it together
Drill 12: Down-the-line-and-cross-court rally game
What it trains: consistency under mild pressure.
Pick a rally game: you hit only cross-court, your partner hits only down the line, then swap. Cross-court is the safer, longer shot because the net is lower in the middle and you have more court to land in. Count points rally by rally. The first to reach 11 wins. This is your first taste of a game that makes you choose a target.
- Target: a rally of 8 or more where every ball lands in the court.
A 60-minute practice plan
| Time | What | Drills |
|---|---|---|
| 0-10 min | Warm up | Easy movement, shadow swings |
| 10-25 min | Rally | Drills 1 and 2, or 3 if rallies are steady |
| 25-35 min | Movement | Drill 6 or 7 |
| 35-45 min | Net or serve | Drill 8 or 10, depending on your goal |
| 45-60 min | Play | Drill 12, then a relaxed game with serves and returns |
Change one block each week so the session does not go stale, and keep a note of your best score on each drill. Progress in tennis is slower than in most sports and a number you can beat each week keeps you motivated.
When the drills feel easy
You are ready to move on when:
- You can hold a 20-ball cooperative rally from the baseline.
- At least half of your serves land in the correct box.
- You can volley 10 balls in a row.
At that point, play points. Drills feed into matches, but they do not replace them: you need to practise choosing shots when someone is trying to beat you. If you are not sure where you sit, our guide to tennis rating systems explains how players are graded, and the NTRP rating guide can help you self-assess.
Finding someone to practise with
The hardest part for many adults is not the drill, it is the partner. If the friend you started with moves away or loses interest, you are stuck. Breakers runs Open Play: level-matched, drop-in social tennis sessions where you book a seat for your level and arrive without a partner, so you can practise and play with people at your level. You can see the next session in the Breakers app. Open Play runs in Bangkok for now; elsewhere, the court directory lists places to play, and the Bangkok court directory covers the city. For how the sessions work, see the format page and our explainer on social tennis.
Common mistakes to avoid
- Hitting too hard too early. Control first, power later.
- Practising only your forehand. Give the backhand and the volley equal time.
- Not recovering. Return to the centre after each shot.
- Skipping the warm-up. It is the cheapest injury prevention you have.
- Doing one long session a month. Two shorter sessions a week beat one long one.
- Counting nothing. If you do not measure it, you cannot tell if it works.
Sources
- ITF, Tennis Play and Stay: https://www.itftennis.com/en/growing-the-game/itf-tennis-play-and-stay
- USTA, Tennis 101 for Adults (cooperative rally drill): https://preview.usta.com/content/dam/usta/content-fragments/tennis-service-center/assets/pdfs/USTA-Tennis-101-for-Adults.pdf
- USTA, “Improve your tennis game: court positioning” (Ready, Rally and Recover): https://www.usta.com/en/home/improve/tips-and-instruction/national/improve-your-tennis-game—court-positioning.html
- Youth Sport Trust, Ready position and split step: https://www.youthsporttrust.org/media/ufnlhcq1/ready-position-and-split-step.pdf
- UTR Sports, Tennis footwork drills: https://www.utrsports.net/blogs/news/tennis-footwork-drills-proven-routines-to-move-faster-and-win
Frequently asked questions
What is the best tennis drill for a complete beginner?
Cooperative mini-tennis from the service lines. You and a partner rally softly, try to keep the ball in play and count how many shots you manage in a row. It trains contact, control and watching the ball without asking for power, and it works with any racket and any partner.
Can I practise tennis with just one partner?
Yes. Every drill in this guide needs two people, one racket each and a few balls. Rallying, volley exchanges, serve targets and feed-and-recover drills all work with a single partner, and a few of them work alone against a wall.
How long should a beginner tennis practice session be?
Forty-five to sixty minutes is plenty. Spend ten minutes warming up, twenty to thirty on two or three drills and the rest on a relaxed game. Short, focused blocks beat one long session where you get tired and your technique falls apart.
How many balls do I need for tennis drills?
A tube of three balls works for rallying drills. For serve and feeding drills, twelve to twenty-four balls in a bucket or bag saves a lot of walking, but it is a convenience rather than a requirement.
Should I practise drills or just play matches?
Do both. Drills let you repeat one shot until it feels natural, while points teach you to choose shots under pressure. A good split for beginners is roughly two-thirds drills and one-third playing, then shift toward more play as rallies get longer.
