8 Ball Challenge

Here's another drill from PTR's Effective Feeding Techniques DVD. I am cherry-picking. There are tons more drill ideas on the DVD, so don't do what I did and let it sit in the shrink wrap for who knows how long - give it a look!

Coach is deep in his/her end of the court, feeding from about No Man's Land. Coach feeds a series of 8 balls to one player. In the video, Coach Oivind varies the feeds. Most are alternating ad and deuce side, so recovery is key. At least one of the balls (usually the 5th in his examples) is somewhat short but playable.

8 Ball Challenge borders on a cardio tennis drill. It should improve your students' consistency as well as fitness. I will be challenging my players to see who is the first to hit all 8 balls successfully. If your students are anything like mine, this will get their competitive juices flowing.

Introduce this drill as a dead ball drill. As your players improve, you can transition it into a live ball drill by feeding closer to the net and taking their shots as volleys.