Drill library · Partner

Dig at Your Feet

PartnerNTRP 3.0–4.010 minvolleyfootwork

Why this drill

The ball at your shoelaces — half-volley or low volley from mid-court — is the shot that decides whether you survive the transition zone. Doubles players face it every service game and train it never.

Setup

Player A stands just inside the service line — no-man's-land, deliberately. Player B at the opposite baseline with balls, hitting firm drives aimed at A's feet.

The drill

B drives at A's shoelaces; A digs each ball back deep — half-volley or low volley, whatever the bounce demands. Ten-ball sets; count digs that land past the service line. Four sets, then swap. There is nowhere to hide in this drill; that is the point.

One thought to take on court

Bend from the knees until your chest is over the ball — a stiff back and a dropped racquet head is how digs go into the net.