5 Ball

Daniel Spatz

Here's a simple drill to improve consistency. I saw it at Daniel Spatz' YouTube channel so click here if you want to see the entire video - it's only 6 minutes or so.

Coach feeds balls from across net. The goal is for the player to hit 30 rallies. Coach gives them 5 balls to complete this task. So for example let's say coach feeds first ball, player hits it back to coach twice before  making an error. This counts as two points, and the coach then feeds the second of the five balls.

Progression
Easier: reduce total number of rallies (from 30 to 20 or 10); or increase number of chances from 5 balls to 7, 10, etc.)
Harder: just the opposite - ask for more rallies or allow fewer chances

Variation

• Ask for all forehands, or all cross court, or whatever shot you are working on.
• Have students work on this together as a singles activity, no coach feeding necessary.