Alley Rally

4.5 foot strip of tennis heaven

Those 4.5 foot wide alleys on the 78-foot court come in handy for lots of things besides doubles. Alley Rally is a great warm-up and improves coordination skills as well.

Coach places spots or stripes 5-6 feet apart in a straight line in alley from net to baseline. Players pair up with a partner and face each other across alley at net. Side shuffling toward the baseline, players must toss and catch a ball to each other. Ball should bounce between them. If they miss, they return to the nearest spot and keep trying. First pair to reach baseline wins.

Variation
Eliminate the bounce and have them catch the ball out of the air.

Adapted from USTA's Learn To Rally And Play booklet