Player practice guide
Decision-Making
10 min Coach / feederIntermediate–AdvancedMatch play
Choose a safe neutral, defensive or attacking response from the quality of the incoming ball.
Best for: players who have several shots but choose attack, build or defence too late.
Goal
Read incoming-ball quality early and commit to a defensive, neutral or attacking response.
Success today
Make the correct call and hit the matching target on 8 of 10 varied feeds.
Watch before court
Technique reference
Tennis Depth Drill - Control the Middle, Win the Point · 8:46
Technique reference—not the full drill. Watch how depth, central court control and recovery create the next attacking opportunity.
Open video on YouTubeArrive ready
Before you go
- One coach or capable feeder
- Basket of 20+ tennis balls
- 6 flat cones
- Approximately 10 minutes of court time
Court blueprint
Set up the court
The feeder varies ball quality. Call defend, build or attack before contact, use the matching target and recover to the position created by the shot.
- Ball direction
- Feeder ball
- Player movement
- Recovery
- Target zone
- 01Mark high-deep defence, deep-neutral and open-court attack targets.
- 02Place baseline and inside-court recovery markers.
- 03Ask the feeder to vary depth, height and pace.
Step by step
Your 10-minute practice
0–2 min
Name the three choices
- Track six feeds and call defend, build or attack.
- Point to the matching target.
2–5 min
Use announced feeds
- Ask the feeder to name the situation before feeding.
- Hit the correct target at controlled pace.
5–8 min
Read without help
- Let the feeder mix ball quality.
- Call your choice before the bounce.
10 feeds · 2 min
Score ten decisions
- Count call, target and recovery together.
- Aim for eight successes.
Remember
Three player cues
- Read first.
- Choose before the bounce.
- Commit to the matching target.
Avoid these
Common mistakes
- Calling attack on every short-looking ball
- Changing choice during the swing
- Ignoring the recovery created by the shot
Keep the same purpose
Adjust the challenge
Make it easier
Use only defend and attack feeds in a predictable order.
Make it harder
Remove the verbal call and play a live second ball after the chosen response.
Keep it safe
Allow recovery after wide defence feeds and keep the short-ball zone clear.
Continue later