Player practice guide
Improve your touch for drop shots
15 min SoloIntermediateMatch play
Develop touch and defensive control on the volley.
Best for: players who lose racket-face control when a backhand volley arrives with different pace.
Goal
Keep a stable backhand volley face while choosing a soft touch response or a safe deep defensive response.
Success today
Land 10 of 16 backhand volleys in the called target, with at least 4 short and 4 deep successes.
Watch before court
Technique reference
Video guide
Watch this video before you practise on court.
Open video on YouTubeArrive ready
Before you go
- One hitting partner who can feed from the baseline
- 16+ tennis balls
- 4 flat cones
- Approximately 15 minutes of court time
Court blueprint
Set up the court
Receive backhand feeds near the service line and use the same compact preparation to place the ball in either the short crosscourt target or deep middle target.
- Ball direction
- Recovery
- Target zone
- 01Mark a short crosscourt target and a deep middle target.
- 02Start just behind the service line with the racket in front.
- 03Ask your partner to call short or deep before each backhand feed.
Step by step
Your 15-minute practice
0–3 min
Set the racket face
- Block four gentle backhand feeds to the middle.
- Keep the elbow comfortably in front.
6 touch feeds · 4 min
Control the touch ball
- Send six soft feeds into the short target.
- Step towards the target without chopping down.
6 defensive feeds · 4 min
Handle the faster ball
- Ask for six firmer backhand feeds.
- Absorb pace and send the volley deep through the middle.
16 mixed feeds · 4 min
Mix the response
- React to your partner’s short or deep call.
- Aim for ten correct targets from sixteen.
Remember
Three player cues
- Elbow stays in front.
- Step towards the target.
- Recover before the next feed.
Avoid these
Common mistakes
- Dropping the racket head below the hand
- Chopping down to create touch
- Reaching across the body instead of adjusting the feet
Keep the same purpose
Adjust the challenge
Make it easier
Feed from the service line and use larger short and deep targets.
Make it harder
Increase feed pace and delay the target call until immediately before contact.
Keep it safe
Keep the partner behind the feed line and clear balls around the service line before continuing.
Continue later