Twenty-Ball Blocks
Ball machineNTRP 2.5–3.515 minforehandbackhand
Why this drill
The simplest measurable consistency work in tennis: twenty identical balls, count how many you land deep, beat the number next block. Progress you can see inside a single session.
Setup
Machine feeding steady, medium-pace balls to one side. The scoring zone is everything beyond the service line.
The drill
Three blocks of twenty forehands, resting a minute between blocks. Count deep balls per block — the score is out of twenty. Then three blocks of backhands. Log all six numbers. When any block scores seventeen or better twice running, raise the machine's pace one notch and start again.
One thought to take on court
Same preparation, same contact, same finish — the block is a metronome; match it.