Short Angle Carve
Ball machineNTRP 3.5–4.010 minforehandbackhand
Why this drill
The short crosscourt angle drags opponents off the court and opens the line for free. Off a machine feed it can be carved a hundred times until the shape — steep spin, high net clearance, sharp dip — is owned.
Setup
Machine feeding mid-court depth balls at moderate pace. Target: the crosscourt service box, with a cone in its outer half.
The drill
Twenty forehand angles, twenty backhand angles: brush steeply up and across the outside of the ball, arcing it into the box so it drags away from the court. Count box landings; cone-half landings count double. Score out of forty-plus-bonuses and chase it next session.
One thought to take on court
Swing up and across at forty-five degrees — the angle is carved with spin, never steered with the face.