Beginners usually practice by trying to rally from the baseline, missing, and walking to pick up balls. That is mostly exercise, not practice. These seven drills are how new players are coached in the first few weeks, ordered from easiest to hardest. Do them alone, with a friend, or both.
1. Ball bounces on the strings
Bounce a ball up off your racquet strings, keeping it at about eye height. Then alternate faces, then bounce it down on the ground. It sounds too simple, but it teaches you where the middle of the strings is, which is the single biggest thing beginners are missing. Goal: 30 in a row.
The seven drills at a glance
- 1
Ball bounces
Goal: 30 in a row
Day one
- 2
Drop and hit
Goal: 20 each side
Day one
- 3
Mini tennis
Goal: 20 ball rally
Week one
- 4
Split step
Goal: Land as they hit
Week one
- 5
Wall rally
Goal: 20 streak, step back
Week two
- 6
Target serves
Goal: 20 per practice
Week two
- 7
Crosscourt game
Goal: First to 11
Week three
2. Drop and hit
Stand sideways at the service line, drop a ball beside you, let it bounce and hit a gentle forehand over the net. Focus on turning your shoulders and finishing over your opposite shoulder. Do 20, then switch to backhands. Aim for the service box first, then deeper.
3. Mini tennis
With a partner, both stand on the service lines and rally softly into the service boxes. Short court slows everything down, so you have time to set up. Every coached session starts here for a reason. Goal: 20 ball rally without a miss.
The wall never misses. It exposes every lapse in footwork, and it is free.
4. The split step drill
Every time your partner hits (or you imagine a hit), do a small hop landing on both feet, then move to the ball. Beginners are usually standing flat when the ball comes, which makes everything late. Practice the hop with no ball at all for a minute, then add it to mini tennis.
5. Wall rally
Many public courts have a practice wall, and it is the best free coach in tennis. Stand about 15 feet back and rally forehands. Count your streak. When you hit 20, step back a few feet. The wall never misses, so it exposes every lapse in footwork.
6. Target serves
Place a towel or a few cans in the service box and serve at them from the baseline. Start with a slow, relaxed motion and focus on a consistent toss. Twenty serves at the end of every practice adds up faster than you would think.
7. Crosscourt rally game
With a partner, rally crosscourt only, using the doubles alley as part of the target. First to 11 points. Crosscourt is the highest percentage shot in tennis, and this game makes you choose it on purpose.
How often to practice
Two short sessions a week beats one long one. Thirty minutes of these drills plus a weekly lesson is a realistic path to comfortable rallying in a couple of months.
The limit of drills on your own is that nobody tells you why the ball is going into the net. That is where a coach saves you months. Group lessons are a good way to start at $50 per player, and adult tennis coaching is built for grown ups starting from scratch.
Need a court? See our guide to public tennis courts in Pasadena and the San Gabriel Valley.