Being comfortable playing at the net in tennis is essential, and honing your footwork and reaction times will allow you to be an outstanding net-player.
This drill works best when completed with a partner. Have one player stand at the service line while their partner feeds short balls back towards both of them; after which both must volley them back between themselves.
1. Serve and Volley Drill
Serve and volley is an integral component of tennis, and especially so when playing close to the net. This drill provides an effective way of developing footwork, reaction time and touch when approaching and nearing the net as well as helping maintain consistency with volleys.
This fun drill can easily be conducted with one or multiple players. Each participant begins by standing back from the net approximately 6-8 feet away (depending on height). With arms out at shoulder height with one ball in each hand, a feeder will drop one and their opponent must sprint after it before it bounces twice before returning it back to the feeder and repeat.
For this drill, it’s best to have a hopper filled with plenty of balls so that you can rapidly go through them. A partner should also be willing to provide feeding support during this drill – for added fun try performing it while listening to upbeat music!
This drill is an effective way to develop the speed and accuracy of your volleys. By setting up cones in random patterns on the court and moving quickly between them as needed, this drill allows you to become more adept at hitting different speeds and angles of volleys at different speeds and angles. Do this exercise for 10-20 minutes daily until your volleys begin showing significant improvements!
2. Overhead Drill
One of the key ways you can enhance your net play is through practicing volleying and overheads, which place enormous pressure on opponents while often leading to points. To become an excellent volleyer and overhead player, footwork and movement training is vital; shadow swings offer one effective means of doing so safely without risk of injury.
Practice hitting overheads from various angles is also vital to success. Sometimes when hitting an overhead, it can be easy to lose control due to mishitting it at an undesirable angle; therefore, practicing from various areas of the court is critical in making sure your shots always hit at their target locations.
One way of accomplishing this goal is through doubles practice. Doing this will allow you to get familiar with all types of volleys and overheads you might find during matches while also honing communication and teamwork skills.
An effective way to develop your volleys and overheads is through three-person rally drills, which force you to communicate with teammates and work as one unit in order to keep the rally moving forward. Another great drill is King of the Court which works both your footwork and net game simultaneously.
3. Reflex Volley Drill
This drill is an effective way to develop quick reaction time at the net. Have your partner hit a ball crosscourt onto the opposite side, then rush in quickly to volley it as soon as it arrives – not backing off until they need to field a lob. This drill can improve footwork and coordination when rushing the net quickly as well as their ability to close it quickly.
Three-person rally drills can also be an invaluable volley practice tool. To run this drill, have two players stand on the service line while one stands behind the baseline; when performing this exercise, players on both service lines hit balls across the net to their partners while communicating and moving around to hit back their volleys back at them. This drill helps players maintain long rallies by developing communication, movement and technique all at the same time – an invaluable opportunity to practice your volley technique!
For an effective tennis volley drill, try practicing the alternating forehand and backhand volley drill. Have someone feed balls from a baseline or hopper, alternating hitting forehand and backhand volleys each time. This drill will help improve footwork, hand speed, and the ability to handle fast incoming balls at the net.
To perform this drill, two players should stand two meters behind the service line, with one standing behind them volleying high hard volleys while a second player stands in back court hitting low punch volleys. For optimal results, these positions must remain as close to one another as possible for optimal results.
4. One-Up-One-Back Drill
At the net is often where players find themselves most frequently during a tennis match, making a strong net game an essential component to winning points and improving your overall tennis game. To develop effective footwork and coordination at the net, many different net game drills exist that can help enhance volleying skills to make you more dominant at the net.
One of the most efficient net game drills is the one-up-one-back drill. This drill is an ideal way to develop partner coordination while honing your volleying and overhead smash skills. To conduct this drill, two players should stand on opposite sides of the court before assigning one player to hit down-court while assigning another to cross-court shots for several minutes until switching assignments is necessary.
Basic Return Drill
Three for Air Game (three FTA Game), is another enjoyable and competitive net game drill, designed to develop quick reactions and volley control. Two teams begin from baseline and if their last shot landed in the air (volley or overhead), then they receive three points at the end of their point win.
5. One-Up-One-Back Game
Good net play is key to improving your overall tennis game, and if this aspect of the sport proves challenging for you, it could impede your ability to reach higher levels. To enhance net play, it is crucial that you work on various skills associated with it such as volleying and overheads as well as approach shots and ground strokes – this guide has listed five of the best tennis drills to incorporate into your practice routine in order to strengthen these areas and see quick improvement in net play.
The cone drill is an effective way to develop your footwork and coordination when rushing the net. Simply set up some cones randomly around the court, moving quickly around them while quickly changing direction as necessary – this drill will make rushing more comfortable while improving your ability to rapidly change course quickly.
A fantastic net drill to develop hand-eye coordination and reflexes is the volley to volley game, a competitive competition designed to test one player at the net while their partner stands halfway between service line and baseline – one will hit a return, while the other attempts to volley it over for points.
There are also a range of excellent net tennis drills, such as the three for air game which provides a competitive element by awarding points for every ball taken into the air (volley or overhead), one-up-one-back game helps develop teamwork and court coverage in doubles play and battle of rackets provides an engaging competitive environment to practice various aspects of net tennis in.