Everything evolves over time, so the tennis drills are. That is why tennis drills seem harsh for those players who are just starting out. However, there is no need to get confused anymore because today, you will understand the entirety of the best tennis drills for beginners and how to practice them sufficiently.
In the beginning, learning the tennis drills seemed much tricky for newbies, but after reading this entire guide about tennis drills for beginners, the newbies will not remain the same but a confidant who found it easy to practice the drills.
So, let’s get into the basic drills, which you must learn and practice to improve your game.
Contents
Tennis drills for beginners Start here
You must be wondering how professionals stay long and conquer in the court? I have an answer for you. Because they pay attention to exercises and then play on the court. Now, what do you all newbies do?
You shouldn’t go to the court without performing some footwork drills. When you are on the court, don’t start to play instantly. Instead, take time to exercise to perform energetically. Stretching, pushups, sprints, planks, and high knees are tennis’s most important activities.
1. Isolation
The very first beginner’s drill is Isolation. If you are a newbie and want to get better at tennis and improve your court positions in drilling, then an isolation drill is what you need to work on. You can also use tennis machines. Relax, there are cheap machines as well so you do not have to pay much for that. When you decide to get machines make sure to choose good tennis practicing machine.
In this drill, the player plays with the pro or coach on the court. This is a kind of competition, between a pro and a newbie on the practice court.
The player covers the entire singles court, and the coach mostly covers one side of the court. Coach volleys randomly and made players do forehand and backhand strokes.
The player faces some unpredictable volleys and makes himself ready to swing all of them back to the coach or pro. That is what makes a player skillful.
When you complete training this drill, you will isolate and differentiate many strokes like forehand, backhand, volleys, and serve. While training yourself in this drill, you monitor your own swing back ability, and by doing so, you also recognize your weaknesses.
Undoubtedly, the isolation drill is going to make you a pro in tennis. Because this is merely that drill that makes a player from new to pro.
2. Hand feeding
Hand-feeding is one of the best tennis drills for beginners. In this drill, the coach feeds the ball to the player’s forehand side and backhand side. After the coach feeds the ball, the player runs to the ball to play the shot and swing it back to the coach. For one stroke, you will have to play 3 or 4 shots continuously.
Then the same pattern will go with the next stroke, either forehand or backhand. The primary purpose of this drill is to make the player active and conscious enough to swing back each and every shot feed by the coach.
Mostly the feed pattern is a 4 ball pattern such as 1short forehand, 1 short deep forehand, 1 shot backhand, and 1 shot deep backhand. The player should be at baseline. After returning the shot, the player moves to the baseline again and becomes ready for the next shot.
You can practice this drill alone or with double partners; the other partner will be on the service line. And the coach will serve you the balls one by one. You will have to alternate the positions with other players after playing some shots.
3. Dribbling
Dribbling is 3rd most important drill for newcomers to practice that will improve your grip on the racket and the ball. This is a convenient drill; you can do this by yourself at home. All you need is a racket and a ball.
Now I am going to tell you how you can practice it. For dribble, hold the racket in one hand and the ball in the other. Remember, you don’t need one to feed you the ball. So drop the ball in front of you, and hit it towards the ground.
You will see the ball will bounce up after hitting the ground. Do it consistently for some time. After practicing it at the same speed, change the speed and repeat the process. Count the hits, changing the speeds of your dribble.
First, do it slowly, then increase the speed. Again do it slowly; this will train your arms to hit the shots at different angles with different speeds. Nonetheless, this is one of the best tennis drills for beginners.
4. Racquet Feeding
Before the racquet feeding drill for beginners, we were fed by hand; now, we will contact the balls fed with the racquet. In this drill, the coach will feed balls to you using a racquet and holding the stick above the bridge.
Use a flexible racquet to swing for hours; you will learn to control the racquet precisely. First of all, make sure you have the proper grip on the racquet, don’t hold it stressfully. Most popular and best is the semi-western forehand grip.
Next, focus on the coach’s hits, and then contact the ball and swing it towards him. The main purpose of this drill is that the coach will make you do different strokes accurately.
Suppose yourself in a friendly environment and try to learn every bit of coach’s tips and tricks. This is the best drill for beginners who struggle with the ball hits coming from the opponent player.
After practicing the racquet feeding drill for some time, you will see yourself beating your opponent on the court effectively.
5. Side to Side Drills
The 5th essential drill for beginners to practice for becoming a pro is a side-to-side drill. In this drill, your coach is going to feed you the balls unpredictably. All you have to do is to hit the ball coming from any direction.
The aim of this drill is to make you capable of returning either forehand or backhand. You will also learn how to split steps. You will have to make minor adjustments to practice the side-to-side drills.
You will start from the ready position and then, according to the feed from the coach, move from the forehand to the backhand. And then from backhand to the forehand.
Another advantage of this drill for beginners is that you will do exercise as you do in the gym, going from one side to the other in the rally. The more you practice side to side, the swifter you will be in the court.
6. Backspin and topspin
Newbies mostly don’t know how to control an opponent’s high kicking shots. And how to manage the pace of the rally. But after practicing backspin and topspin drill, newbies no longer have to worry.
When you are in a rally, you must stop him from hitting wide topspin shots to beat the opponent. So backspin is a technique that you can use to control the opposite player’s shots. To maintain the pace of the rally, practice this as much as you can.
Another technique to bring the ball down towards the ground is topspin. When you start to make the topspin, this will increase the chance of errors for the opponent. But your margin of error will increase.
Beginners are not that experienced in controlling games in the rally, so that’s why they have to pay attention to backspin and topspin drills.
7. Forehand and backhand
Beginners mostly don’t go deep into game drills. All they do is, rush into the game and start playing impatiently. So what you should do, beginners?
First, practice these mentioned drills continuously; these will make you a pro.
In a forehand drill, use only one hand to contact the ball properly. You can swing back from the right hand or left hand using a racquet.
Make sure that you have a precise grip on the racquet. Don’t hold it forcefully. The right way to hold the racquet while playing forehand is to place it on the ground and then left it. Hold it in such a way that your thumb is erect.
Secondly, we have a backhand; in this drill, you have to play with both hands. You return the hit, holding the racquet in both hands.
Don’t grab the racquet inappropriately. There should be some space between your hands when you hold it. So everything about these drills is clear; start practicing this.
8. Hit and Catch
The last crucial tennis drill for beginners is hit and catch. You all are definitely become comfortable with the previous drills; now I have one more for you. That is hit and catch. In this drill, stand in the center of the service line.
Your coach will feed you the ball either forehand or backhand. The different thing about this drill is that coach will be holding a cone within many tennis balls.
When you hit the balls toward him, he will catch that hit in the cone. After some shots, change the position with your coach. Now you will be catching the shots of the coach.
The primary purpose of this drill is to improve the eye-hand coordination that is necessary for tennis. In addition, catching random hits from your coach will make you realize the importance of hitting the ball in a specific direction. Hit and catch is not a tough drill; the cone is added to make it a bit challenging and exciting.
9 – Running Line
Running the Lines is one of the best tennis drills for beginners. This is one of my favorite drills because it has two benefits.
1 – It prepares your body completely ready to face massive drills and stay active for a long time on the court.
2 – It helps in reducing unwanted fat. Like you do exercise.
10 – Frying Pan
The frying pan is the simplest tennis drill for beginners but it is very powerful if a player continues doing this. Pro tennis players might find this simple but these drills are crucial for novices.
How Frying Pan Works:
All you need to do is hold the request in your right hand and keep your chin high and start bouncing the ball up and down slowly. Keep repeating this until the ball falls out. Take the ball again and start bouncing the ball again. This beginner drill will help your eye and hand coordination.
Tennis Drills for Normal Tennis Players
Normal tennis players do not pay much intention to rehearse tennis drills. They just play the game just for fun and have a good time with family or friends. Still, some tennis lovers want to learn about tennis and try to have a good tennis game. So, we have named them the normal tennis player.
however, here are some simple and easy tennis drills which will help you get some good tennis to rehearse. After keeping these drills in your exercise you will have a good tennis game.
Let’s get right in,
1 – Dribbling
Dribbling is very basic and the best drill for all levels of a tennis player. If we talk about other sports like Football and Basketball, you will notice that all those players go through dribbling drills.
A tennis player performs this drill by bouncing the ball with the racquet against the ground and keeps doing this until the ball moves away. One has to repeat this every day for 2 hours minimum to get full command of this drill. This drill teaches balance and that is very beneficial for all tennis players.
2 – Ball Toss
Another tennis drill for normal tennis players is the ball toss. This drill keeps engaged your eyes and your hand. A player needs to bounce the ball into the air and keep hitting the ball into the air with a certain height and maintain that for 10 to 20 minutes.
This one is a little heavier as compared to dribbling. But the ball toss drill will make you learn to maintain body balance and eye contact with the ball. Moreover, you will also learn the hand moment and flexibility with the ball toss drill.
3 – Smash The Toss balls
The last drill for a normal tennis player is smashing the toss balls. While rehearsing this drill one needs to have a tennis partner or tennis machine. Because, in order to smash the balls, you need someone to throw balls at you at a certain speed. you have to smash the ball with the frequency of 2 to 6 seconds without letting the ball touch the ground.
This drill is amazing in making your wrist and arm trained enough for a strong and experienced tennis player.
Tennis Drills for Kids
In my opinion, kids do not need tennis drills to master but still, if a kid is all set to become a champion must take these drills seriously and get into practice daily.
There are some major tennis drills for kids. Usually, kids are not able to face the massive volleys and jumping stuff but still, there are two very basic tennis drills that every kid tennis player should master and implement in the game. Let’s get into tennis drills for kids.
1 – Kids Dribbling
Dribbling is the drill in which a kid has to smash the ball against the ground with a racquet and play this for 20 minutes a day. In the beginning, a kid would find this very tough and uneasy. You have to keep them consistent and make this drill easy for them.
2 -Kids Ball Toss
In a ball toss, a kid has to hit the ball into the air with a racquet and hit it back again and again for 20 minutes. In the beginning, the ball will fall again and again but it is worth rehearsing again and again.
Tennis Drills For Advanced Tennis Players
Very well experienced tennis players usually perform tennis drills on a regular routine and they are already aware of most of the tennis drills and master them. Even so, still, some drills are essential, and one who wants to have an advanced tennis game should learn and add to their routine.
Let’s get into those drills,
1 – Fast Volleys
Fast volleys are the best option to get more tennis skills. A professional tennis player already has a strong grip on tennis. When rehearsing the fast volleying tennis drill for 2 hours in a day tennis players get more command on facing every single shot easily in tennis.
So, how fast volley drill works? During this drill, one must have a tennis machine or a tennis partner who is well experienced in making good tennis shots. Volleys must be with a frequency of 2 to 6 seconds and a velocity of 80 to 90 mph. This tennis drill is very tough. In the beginning, the player feels fine but as he goes on to 30 minutes the player gets into fatigue. The best part to know is to stay steadfast and not stop until 60 minutes.
You shouldn’t stop when you get tired and want to stop for a while. The more you will remain facing the volleys the more you will be the best player.
2 – Against The Wall
A drill that makes you hit the ball against a wall is the toughest and most advanced tennis drill ever. Because this drill teaches you the balance of smashing the ball in the right direction and bouncing the ball back toward you. In my experience, when you practice this tennis drill for 3 months, you become so expert that when you smash the ball against the wall you already know where the ball will come from after bouncing back.
After 3 months of consistent training, you will be able to smash the ball against the ball for 1 to 2 hours without letting the ball fall aside or down. So, imagine how amazing tennis player you will become after playing this tennis drill consistently.
3 – Random Shots
Random shots are the drill that makes you run from right to left and vice versa at the court without knowing where the next shot will come. During this drill, you will need a tennis partner or tennis machine.
Random shot drills make you an expert in facing topspin, backspin, and overhead shots unexpectedly. When you play this drill every day you become a more skilled tennis player. You learn the advanced techniques of tennis shots and you grow and become a player who can face every tennis shot efficiently.
4 – Returning Back Drill
Returning back drill requires the tennis partner. You can also perform this drill with a tennis machine. How does this drill work?
During these tennis drills, one has to face the fast topspin or backspin and come back to the center. Those shots must be fast and with a frequency of a maximum of 7 seconds.
Let me elaborate a little more, you have to stand on the right or lift side of the tennis court and let the source through you ball on your opposite or the middle of the court and you have to run fast and smash the ball and come back to your original location.
5 – Jumping Shot Drill
The jumping tennis drill is the drill in which a player has to smash overhead shots. You have to face the velocity tennis shots with the frequency of 4 to 6 sec of tennis balls. The source throws you high tennis shots and you have to smash those shots efficiently and practice this drill for one hour every day for 2 months and you will see a huge difference in your game.
Benefits of Tennis Drills
Tennis drills are very essential for all tennis players. Because these drills are just like the basic principle of the tennis game. If you have mastered these drills and consistently performing in your tennis exercises, you will be the best tennis player sooner or later.
We have studied the successful tennis player and noticed that there are all professional tennis players who practice tennis drills every day and add a little more rehearsing in their exercises.
Let’s go through the benefits of tennis drolls,
- Tennis drills make your grip stronger
- This helps in having a strong command of the racquet
- Tennis drills make you outperform the competition
- These drills make you think out of the box
- Drills make you a strong player against the opponent
- Tennis Drills tune your body
- Train your mindset and make hard shots easy
How often Tennis Drills Should be Practice
Professional tennis players go for tennis drills on daily basis and they never quit a day without tennis drills. They know the value of consistent drills.
Nevertheless, if you are confused and want to know how many times a week one should rehearse a tennis drill then let me tell you.
If you are a professional tennis player, you must have to start your day with tennis drills and exercises. If you are just a tennis lover and only play tennis occasionally then you must go twice a week and that is enough.
How to learn Tennis Drills
Learning a tennis drill is not tough. You only need someone who knows about these drills and knows the exact and proper way of tennis drills. Then go one by one. For example, never try to learn all the drills in one day. You have to learn one drill in a week and master that. After learning one drill go for another and another. That is a good way of learning tennis drills.
Moreover, if you don’t have any idea to get the lessons of tennis drills you can learn from youtube also if you can not bear the expenses of a tennis couch.
FAQS Regarding Best Tennis Drills for Beginners.
Conclusion:
After reading this entire article about tennis drills for beginners, I am pretty sure that you all have understood how much these drills are essential to make you an experienced tennis player. But, honestly, no training is challenging or inconvenient. So start practicing it today.
When you are done with practicing these drills, don’t stop being hungry to practice more drills. The more you practice tennis drills, the more experience you will get. As you are a newbie, so don’t overburden yourself; try to go over them one by one confidently.
Keep a high level of energy and positivity, and be sure that after rehearsing all these drills, you will be a next-level player.
Evaluate yourself accurately going through all these drills. And try to figure out what you need more to be a pro. Also, which drill do you enjoy the most? Let us know in the comments below.