Return Targets
Why this drill
The return is half of tennis and almost nobody drills it. Deep crosscourt zones turn return practice from vague blocking into placement training — and neutralize the server's advantage at any level.
Setup
Server with a basket serves at three-quarter pace; returner plays. Two cone zones on the server's side: deep crosscourt and deep middle.
The drill
Ten returns aiming deep crosscourt, ten aiming deep middle, from both deuce and ad courts — forty returns total. Score each block out of ten; a return landing beyond the service line in the called zone counts. Then swap roles. The server gets serve volume for free while the returner trains.
One thought to take on court
Shorten the backswing to a shoulder turn — the serve supplies the pace; you supply the direction.