Purpose
By keeping players stationary and positioning them further back, we give
them a hitting drill that emphasizes reaching high on the ball, getting top
spin, and following through.
Setup
- The player participating in the drill will start in the middle of the court with a ball, with the rest of the players in line on the baseline with a ball of their own.
- 3 players will line up on the far side of the court next to each other.
Execution
- The hitter will lob the ball up to themselves, and hit a strike – without jumping – to the other side of the court.
- The defensive players will try to return the serve to the coach on their side of the court.
- The hitter will step out and go to the back of the line, with the next player in line stepping up to hit.
- Continue for at least 3 minutes.
Coaching Tips
- Keep your eye on the rotation of the ball – if they’re not getting top spin, they need to start reaching high and getting under the ball
hitting the ball on the right spot. - Putting passers on the far side is a great way to get your passers live practice, and gives players who aren’t great hitters something they
can work on during this drill instead of just standing around. - To bump up the challenge, you can tell your hitters so hit to a specific passer, giving them something else to keep in mind while they
work on hitting and rotation. - Can tell players to hit to 1-2-3 spot, gives them location to think about as they work on hitting and rotation.