Dominating Tennis

How to structure a tennis practice session

4 drills200 minutes in all0 you can do alone
  1. 1

    The one-hour template

    60 min · With a partner
    1. Minutes 0–8: run a short warm-up ramp and finish with mini-tennis to 11.
    2. Minutes 8–20: run one technical block with one cue and one constraint. Pause after a short set to review the result.
    3. Minutes 20–45: play live transfer, a pattern block then figure-8, with targets and a count on both.
    4. Minutes 45–60: use a short scored check of the chosen skill. For a serve goal, start games at 30–40 or use the serve target game. Shorten or end the task if control fades.
    5. Count three numbers: first-serve % to target, depth-band hits past the service line, and unforced errors in a 20-ball live drill.
    Number to beat
    Count 3 comparable numbers; count how many you beat (0–3). A lower score is useful feedback, not a failed session.
    Why it works · TrainHow to plan a one-hour tennis practice session
  2. 2

    The drill autopsy

    20 min · With a partner
    1. Choose one match task and one observable success rule. After your usual warm-up, count the first 20 relevant live chances before changing the drill. Include misses, and keep partner, balls and court in mind. This baseline sits outside the twenty-minute practice slot.
    2. Run your usual drill for five minutes. Identify what the player reads, how they recover and what outcome is counted. A predictable feed can still serve an isolation goal; a missing tick is not automatically a fault.
    3. Use up to five minutes to choose and rehearse one change that fits the match task: an unannounced reply, preparation for the next ball, or a clear scoring rule. Keep the other conditions as similar as practical.
    4. Practise the changed task for ten minutes, resting as needed. Keep its three checklist answers separate from performance. Count the first 20 relevant drill chances with the same success rule; if you stop early, a partial count isn't a 20-chance score.
    5. At the next session, after the same usual warm-up and before repeating the drill, count 20 live chances with the same rule and partner where practical. Compare the live counts first. A later check against another partner is a separate observation; the twenty-minute slot does not include these follow-ups.
    Number to beat
    For the selected live task, include a read, recovery and score; count its checklist out of 3 separately from the 20-chance live checks
    Why it works · TrainWhich tennis drills actually work in matches
  3. 3

    The interference ladder

    30 min · With a partner
    1. Warm up blocked: hit 15 cross-court forehands with one cue. Take feedback every five balls, and assess yourself first.
    2. Go random: your partner calls forehand, backhand or approach at the last moment for 30 balls. Count your hits to a deep target.
    3. Play representative points where you must hit one down-the-line ball per point, first to 7.
    4. At the start of the next session, repeat step 2 cold and compare the count.
    Number to beat
    Match or beat your step-2 count out of 30 when retested cold at the next session
    Why it works · TrainHow to practise tennis so it holds up in matches
  4. 4

    The stolen week

    90 min · With a partner
    1. Session one: warm up, work on one technical cue, then practise serves in short blocks within your familiar workload. Count attempts and target makes; shorten the block if control fades.
    2. Session two: warm up, work on one live pattern, then play a short scored game starting at 30-40 while you can still move and serve in control.
    3. Session three, before the match: use a shorter session with familiar, comfortable match-like tasks. Include a short scored game if you feel ready; adapt the volume to your recovery.
    4. Plan the blocks before you go out and finish each session with one number to beat, under the same task conditions. Count actual repetitions and take the planned rest.
    Number to beat
    3 of 3 sessions each week with planned blocks and one number to beat
    Why it works · TrainHow do tennis pros practice, and what can you copy