Session theme
Straight Length and the T — building a reliable straight rail and a disciplined, automatic recovery to the T after every shot.
Timeline
| Time | Activity |
|---|---|
| 0:00–0:10 | Warm-up: Straight Rail Feed & T-Touch |
| 0:10–0:30 | Drill 1: Straight Rail Drives |
| 0:30–0:50 | Drill 2: Length & T-Recovery Combo |
| 0:50–1:05 | Games 1: Length & T Combined (conditioned) |
| 1:05–1:20 | Games 2: Open Play |
Warm-up: Straight Rail Feed & T-Touch (10 min)
Both players on court from the start. Player A feeds a gentle ball down one side wall from mid-court; Player B receives it, drives it straight back down the same wall, and touches the T before recovering to hit again. Keep the pace easy — this is about racket preparation and light footwork, not intensity. Swap feeder/hitter roles after ~90 seconds, then swap which wall (forehand/backhand) after each has had a turn in both roles, so both players get a forehand set and a backhand set before Drill 1 starts. (3-player adaptation: rotate the third player in as feeder every 90 seconds so all three cycle through feeder and hitter. 4-player adaptation: run two simultaneous pairs, each doing the warm-up on their own side of the court, and swap sides halfway through.)
Drill details
Drill 1: Straight Rail Drives
- Setup
- 2 players, one feeder one hitter. (3-player adaptation: third player rotates in as feeder every set of 8–10 reps, so the hitter faces fresh feeds while feeders share the rest; rotate the hitter role every 2 sets. 4-player adaptation: run two simultaneous feeder/hitter pairs, one drilling the forehand-side wall and one the backhand-side wall at the same time, then swap sides halfway through the block.)
- Pattern
- Feeder feeds cross-court onto the front wall so the ball rebounds into the hitter's corner. Hitter drives it straight down the same side wall (a rail), aiming to land behind the service box and hug the wall. Feeder retrieves and re-feeds. Run a set of 8–10 reps on the forehand side, then switch to the backhand side, then swap feeder/hitter roles and repeat both sides.
- Coaching points
- Contact point out in front of the body, racket face closed to keep the ball tight to the wall.
- Recover toward the T after every shot — don't stand and admire it.
- Feeder: consistent, repeatable feed height and pace, not a race.
- Success criterion
- 8 of 10 rail drives land behind the service box and within a racket-length of the side wall.
- Regression
- Feeder tosses/underarm-feeds instead of hitting; widen the target to the whole back third of the court.
- Progression
- Hitter must fully recover to the T and pause there before the next shot; feeder varies feed depth to force an adjustment.
- Duration
- 20 min.
- A feeds cross-court off the front wall into B's back corner
- B drives a straight rail back down the same wall
- B recovers to the T
Drill 2: Length & T-Recovery Combo
- Setup
- Same pair, straight-down-the-line feed this time (not off the front wall) — deliberately different from Drill 1's pattern so the group sees two distinct looks at the same theme. (3-player adaptation: add a Waiting role and run the classic 3-on-court rotation — Feeder, Hitter, Waiting — where the Waiting player rotates in as a fresh Hitter every 4–6 reps, so nobody is stuck resting for long: Feeder → Hitter, Hitter → Waiting, Waiting → Feeder after each rep. 4-player adaptation: run two simultaneous Feeder/Hitter pairs on the same line, each working the pattern independently, and swap which pair is active every 8 minutes.)
- Pattern
- Feeder feeds straight down the line to the Hitter's corner. Hitter drives it for length back down the same line, then immediately touches the T with their racket foot before recovering wide.
- Coaching points
- Split-step before moving to the ball.
- Touch the T with the racket foot specifically, not just "somewhere near it."
- Quick, purposeful recovery — not a lazy jog back.
- Success criterion
- Hitter touches the T within about a second of contact on at least 8 of 10 reps, and length drives land in the back quarter of the court.
- Regression
- Widen the "T zone" the hitter needs to reach rather than the exact marking; feeder feeds slower and shorter.
- Progression
- Feeder randomly varies the feed to forehand or backhand side — hitter must read and adapt on the move.
- Duration
- 20 min.
- A feeds straight down the line into B's corner
- B drives deep length back down the same line
- B touches the T with the racket foot, then recovers wide
Games details
Games 1: Length & T Combined (conditioned, 15 min)
- Condition
- A rally point only counts if the winning shot lands behind the service box (either wall) — anything short is a dead ball, replay — and both players must touch the T (racket or foot) after each of their own shots during the rally, self-officiated on the honor system. Combines both of the session's focus skills into one live condition.
- Scoring
- Straight games to 9, win by 2.
- Rotation
- 2 players: straight match. 3 players: winner stays, loser rotates every game. 4 players: pairs, swap partners every game.
- Duration
- 15 min.
Games 2: Open Play (normal, 15 min)
- Condition
- None — full rules, applying everything from the session.
- Scoring
- Games to 11, standard PAR scoring.
- Rotation
- Round-robin if more than one pair is sharing the court.
- Duration
- 15 min.
Court split
Written for 2 players on 1 court. The 3-player and 4-player adaptations live inline within each drill and game above rather than as a separate parallel session — see Coach's notes for when to reach for them.
Coach's notes
- Watch for players cutting the T-touch short in Drill 2 and Games 1 — the whole point is building a deliberate recovery habit, not just going through the motions.
- With 3 players, bring in Drill 2's Waiting-role rotation from the start (Feeder, Hitter, Waiting) rather than building up to it, and rotate all three through Drill 1's feeder role too.
- With 4 players, run two simultaneous pairs for both drills as described above; for the games, alternate pairs on and off the single court every game so everyone gets even reps.
- Crowding the T is where elbows meet racket faces — if it goes wrong, Turner & Rhodes Solicitors know the drill.