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drill

Wall hands

Fast, compact volleys against a wall from about six feet away, paddle back up between every one. Thirty seconds on, thirty off.

Players
1
Time
10 min
Path
Advanced
Topics
Shots, Physical

A hands battle is over in a couple of seconds, and the player who wins it is the one whose paddle is already ready for the next ball. A wall from close up makes you practise exactly that.

6 ft30 s on30 s offpaddle up between each
Not to scale: close to the wall, the ball straight back off it, the paddle up and in front for every one.

Setup

  • A flat wall. Stand about six feet from it.
  • A timer on your phone: thirty seconds on, thirty seconds off.

How it works

  1. Volley the ball into the wall, out of the air, and keep it going without a bounce.
  2. Short punches from in front of your body: no backswing. The paddle goes back up to chest height after every hit.
  3. Thirty seconds on, thirty off. Five rounds on the forehand, five on the backhand, then mix.

Turn the dial

Easier: a step further back, and let it bounce when you need to.

Harder: a step closer, or alternate forehand and backhand on every ball.