Session theme
Boast and Drive — treating the 2-wall boast as a genuine attacking option off a loose ball, and learning to read and punish it when it shows up.
Timeline
| Time | Activity |
|---|---|
| 0:00–0:10 | Warm-up: Boast Touch |
| 0:10–0:30 | Drill 1: Two-Wall Boast to Length |
| 0:30–0:50 | Drill 2: Boast-Drive Combo (Boast Counter) |
| 0:50–1:05 | Games 1: Boast Counter (conditioned) |
| 1:05–1:20 | Games 2: Open Play |
Warm-up: Boast Touch (10 min)
A feeds a soft ball into B's back corner; B plays a gentle 2-wall boast (side wall then front wall) into the opposite front corner, just to build racket feel for the angle — no pace, no target pressure yet. Swap roles and sides after each has had a turn.
Drill details
Drill 1: Two-Wall Boast to Length
- Setup
- 2 players, feeder back, hitter also starting back corner. For a third player, rotate them in as feeder every 3 reps while the hitter stays on to build boast reps across multiple feeders; swap the hitter role every 2 sets. For a fourth player, run two pairs on Drill 1 and Drill 2 in parallel on the same court in alternating 10-minute blocks (one pair active, one resting/watching) rather than splitting the court width, since the boast's diagonal flight path needs the full court.
- Pattern
- Feeder feeds a loose/short ball into the hitter's back corner. Hitter plays an attacking 2-wall boast (side wall, then front wall, landing short in the opposite front corner). Feeder must move in and retrieve it, then plays a straight length drive back to reset. Hitter recovers to T between reps. Run 8-10 reps each side then swap.
- Coaching points
- Boast comes off a short/loose ball, not every ball — this drill teaches the trigger, not a default shot.
- Hit the side wall first at a flat, low angle so it doesn't balloon.
- Recover to T immediately, the boast is not a shot to admire.
- Success criterion
- 7 of 10 boasts land in the front quarter without hitting the tin, and the hitter is back at the T before the feeder's retrieve arrives.
- Regression
- Feeder feeds a slower, higher, more obviously "boastable" ball; widen target to the whole front third.
- Progression
- Feeder feeds a tighter, less obviously loose ball, forcing the hitter to judge for themselves whether a boast is really on.
- Duration
- 20 min.
- A feeds a loose ball into B's back corner
- B plays an attacking two-wall boast into the opposite front corner
- B recovers to the T
Drill 2: Boast-Drive Combo (Boast Counter)
- Setup
- Same pair, live pattern. For a third player, rotate them in as feeder every 3 reps while the hitter stays on to build boast reps across multiple feeders; swap the hitter role every 2 sets. For a fourth player, run two pairs on Drill 1 and Drill 2 in parallel on the same court in alternating 10-minute blocks (one pair active, one resting/watching) rather than splitting the court width, since the boast's diagonal flight path needs the full court.
- Pattern
- Feeder drives normally; whenever the ball comes back loose or short, hitter boasts it attackingly (as in Drill 1); feeder must scramble forward to retrieve the boast and counters with either a drop or a straight drive — hitter must read which and recover accordingly.
- Coaching points
- Hitter should only boast genuinely loose balls, not force it off a good length ball (that's a bailout, not an attack).
- Feeder counters with intent, not a panicked retrieve.
- Both players stay balanced through the exchange rather than lunging.
- Success criterion
- Hitter correctly identifies and converts at least 4 of 6 "loose ball" opportunities into a boast that draws a scrambled feeder response.
- Regression
- Feeder tells the hitter out loud when a ball is genuinely loose/boastable, removing the judgement call while the shot itself is grooved.
- Progression
- Feeder mixes genuinely tight balls in with loose ones at random, hitter must resist boasting the tight ones.
- Duration
- 20 min.
- A drives into B's back corner
- B boasts the loose ball off two walls, cross-diagonal
- A scrambles forward to retrieve the boast
Games details
Games 1: Boast Counter (conditioned, 15 min)
- Condition
- Every rally must include at least one boast from either player before it can be won — a rally ending without one is a let, replay. If a player boasts everything, dial the condition back to "at least one boast per game" instead of per rally.
- Scoring
- Straight games to 9, win by 2.
- Rotation
- N/A — single pair on court; see Coach's notes for 3/4-player rotation.
- Duration
- 15 min.
Games 2: Open Play (normal, 15 min)
- Condition
- None — full rules, applying everything from the session.
- Scoring
- Games to 11 PAR.
- Rotation
- N/A — single pair on court; see Coach's notes for 3/4-player rotation.
- Duration
- 15 min.
Court split
This session is written for 2 players on 1 court. The 3- and 4-player adaptations live inline within each drill's Setup above (and apply equally to the games block by rotating the resting player in between games) rather than as a separate parallel session.
Coach's notes
- The boast should read as a genuine attacking option off a loose ball, not a habitual escape shot off a good length ball — if a player boasts everything in Games 1, dial the condition back to "at least one boast per game" instead of per rally.
- With 3 players, keep the hitter on court across multiple feeders to maximize boast reps; with 4 players, run the two drills in parallel in alternating blocks rather than splitting the court width, since the boast's diagonal flight path needs the full court.
- Crosscourt drives through a crowded middle are a Turner & Rhodes Solicitors waiting room in the making.