Dominating Tennis

Tennis serve drills: motion, toss, spin and targets

6 drills77 minutes in all4 you can do alone
  1. 1

    Kneel, stand, launch

    10 min · Alone
    1. Kneel on your back knee at the baseline with a continental grip. Serve ten balls into the box using only the upper-body throw, with the racquet edge-on into the drop.
    2. Stand with your feet still and no leg drive. Hit ten balls with the same throw.
    3. Use your full motion for ten balls. Land on your front foot inside the baseline.
    Number to beat
    7 of 10 full-motion serves in, landing on the front foot
    Why it works · Serve and returnHow to serve in tennis: the service motion step by step
  2. 2

    Toss and catch

    10 min · Alone or with a partner
    1. Lay a towel at the ideal contact spot, slightly in front and into the court. Toss with a straight arm, release at eye level and let the ball fall. Twenty tosses. Count the ones that land on the towel.
    2. Toss and reach to catch the ball at full extension without moving your feet. Twenty tosses.
    3. With a partner, toss and serve. Your partner calls T, body or wide after the ball is up. Nine serves.
    Number to beat
    17 of 20 tosses landing on the towel
    Why it works · Serve and returnHow to toss the ball for a tennis serve
  3. 3

    The clock

    12 min · Alone
    1. Put a marker on the back fence at your shoulder height and take a basket of balls.
    2. Hit ten flat serves to the deuce T, brushing from 6 to 12.
    3. Hit ten slice serves to the deuce wide corner, brushing around the outside of the ball.
    4. Hit ten kick serves to the ad backhand corner, brushing from 7 to 1. Count the bounces that pass the marker.
    Number to beat
    6 of 10 kick serves bouncing above the shoulder marker
    Why it works · Serve and returnHow to hit flat, slice and kick serves
  4. 4

    21 serves

    15 min · Alone or with a partner
    1. Hit a first serve at full first-serve intent. Score two points if it's in.
    2. If you miss, hit a second serve with full brush and high net clearance. Score one point if it's in, zero for a double fault.
    3. Race to 21. Log your double faults and where your second serves landed.
    Number to beat
    9 of 10 second serves in at full brush
    Why it works · Serve and returnHow to hit a reliable second serve under pressure
  5. 5

    Same toss, three corners

    15 min · With a partner
    1. Put cones at the T and wide on the deuce side. Your partner stands in the return position as the body target.
    2. Toss to the identical spot every time. Your partner calls T, body or wide after the ball is up.
    3. Hit three sets of nine, with one of each call per cycle.
    4. Score T and wide as a hit if the ball lands on the cone or within one foot. Score body as a hit if your partner has to contort to play it.
    Number to beat
    7 of 10 to each zone
    Why it works · Serve and returnHow to disguise your serve and hit the T, body and wide
  6. 6

    The serve +1 ladder

    15 min · With a partner
    1. Serve wide to a cone on the deuce side. Hit ten serves and count the ones that hit the cone.
    2. Have your partner feed the short cross-court reply. Hit ball three into the open court. Do ten reps.
    3. Play it live, serve +1 only, first to seven points. Then switch roles.
    Number to beat
    6 of 10 wide serves on the cone
    Why it works · Play the pointWhat is serve plus one in tennis, and how to use it