Drill library · Partner

Depth 21

PartnerNTRP 2.5–3.515 minforehandbackhand

Why this drill

Kills the short-ball habit. At club level, depth wins more points than pace ever will — a deep, medium-paced ball takes away your opponent's angles and time without costing you errors.

Setup

Baseline rally, singles court. The scoring zone is the backcourt — everything between the service line and the baseline.

The drill

Play points from a feed, rally scoring to 21. A ball landing in the backcourt zone scores one point for the hitter. A ball landing short of the service line scores one for the opponent. Errors score for the other player as usual. The game rewards one thing only: height and depth, over and over.

One thought to take on court

Aim three feet over the net. Height buys depth for free.