Crosscourt Corner Targets
Why this drill
Repetition without a target is just exercise. The ball machine supplies the repetition; the cones make it practice. Groove the crosscourt — the shot that wins club tennis — with a number you can beat next session.
Setup
Machine feeding medium-pace balls to your forehand corner, comfortable interval. Build a target zone in the crosscourt corner — two cones marking a box roughly six feet square, behind the service line.
The drill
Hit twenty forehands crosscourt at the zone. Count hits — landing inside the cones scores one. Then move the machine (or yourself) and hit twenty backhands crosscourt at the opposite zone. Record both scores out of twenty. Your job next session is to beat them. A 3.0 player typically starts around 6/20; double figures is real progress.
One thought to take on court
Recover two steps toward center after every ball, even though you know where the next one is coming — practice the habit, not just the shot.