Drills that show up in matches.

Seven footwork drills built around what decides a point: the split step, the first step, reading the ball early and recovering to the right spot. Each has a number to beat.

• The clap hop
• Point and go
• Call it before contact
• Split and call

Serve drills that build the motion from the ground up, fix the toss, add spin for a reliable second serve and hit targets under pressure, each with a number to beat.

• Kneel, stand, launch
• Toss and catch
• The clock
• 21 serves

Return drills for club players: split on time, read the toss and racquet, block the big first serve, swing at the second, and stand in the right place for each.

• Split and call
• First and second positioning
• Block only, then swing
• The rise ladder

Volley drills from the first punch to the approach, the half volley and the overhead, plus poaching in doubles, each with a target so you can see progress at the net.

• Catch to punch
• The short-hop ladder
• Approach and volley
• Lob and smash

Forehand drills that fix the contact point, build power from the legs and trunk, and add topspin for margin, each built on how the pros' forehands actually work.

• Out front
• Hit and freeze
• Hold the shoulders
• The chain count

Backhand drills for one-handers, two-handers and the slice: early contact, the other-hand forehand for the two-hander, and a slice that stays low and deep.

• The early-contact ladder
• The other-hand forehand
• The depth ladder

Tennis drills you can do on your own: serve work with a basket, contact and spin drills, footwork, strength, warm-up and a pre-point routine, each with a target.

• Kneel, stand, launch
• Toss and catch
• The clock
• 21 serves

Eight tennis wall drills with targets: net clearance, contact out front, split timing, volleys, half volleys, slice and serves, plus how to set up the wall.

• The tape line
• Out-front wall rally
• Split on the rebound
• Forehand, backhand, split

Tennis drills for adult beginners, in order: feel for the ball, contact in front, mini tennis, rally counts, volleys and a serve built from the service line back.

• Racquet bounces
• Bounce and catch
• Drop-feed into the box
• Mini tennis

Doubles drills for club pairs: serve and return patterns, formations, when to poach and how to call the ball, so the two of you move as a team.

• The card drill
• The formation rotation
• The poach ladder
• The call drill

Drills for playing the point: cross-court patterns, when to change direction, serve plus one, percentage tennis and when to rally or go for it, each with a target.

• The error ledger
• Cross-court, line on a short ball
• Cross, cross, line
• The serve +1 ladder

A tennis warm-up you can run in twelve minutes, plus agility, conditioning in tennis-like work-to-rest blocks, leg drive and rotational strength drills.

• The twelve-minute RAMP
• The reactive spider
• The 1:2 block
• The load ladder

Mental drills you can practise like strokes: a between-point routine, playing under stakes, handling momentum swings and managing big points, each with a count.

• The four-phase reset
• Stakes versus no stakes
• The slide answer
• The big-point board

How to build a tennis practice that shows up in matches: an hour template, drills that transfer, the interference ladder and how the pros structure their week.

• The one-hour template
• The drill autopsy
• The interference ladder
• The stolen week

Study tasks for your next televised match: tally how points end, read styles, call the score and the winner early, and check what the stats really say.

• The one-set tally
• Place four dots
• The fingerprint set
• Ten balls, rated blind