Reverse Pyramid

Thanks Jeff Cooper at About.com for the next couple of tennis drills.  This one did not have a name so I am calling it the Reverse Pyramid. The focus is on building consistency, which of course is the base of our pyramid of tennis skills. This will also work well as a warm-up.

Two players play singles. The goal is to complete 8 rallies from the service lines. Once this is achieved, they move back to a spot midway between service line and baseline and complete 6 rallies. When this is accomplished, they may move back to the baseline and complete 4 rallies. First team to complete all three is the winner.

Variations

• For young beginners, have them tossing the ball rather than hitting. 
• To make it harder, restrict the type of shots they may hit, or reduce the size of the playing area (cut court in half lengthwise). 
• For larger groups, play as a doubles activity. Have extra players rotate in after every attempt.