Game version
Rally game: a pair rallies forehands and tries to beat its own longest rally, then swaps feeders.
Overhead Smash
Turn sideways, point at a lob and hit it down hard before it bounces.
By Coach Evan Waechtler Youth coach (U11, Cache Valley, Utah) and founder of SSTracker Updated October 30, 2026
Set up
Your partner feeds a lob from the baseline.
Core: Medium. Beat your own longest rally.
- Ages
- 14 and up
- Time
- 12 min
- Players
- You and a partner
- Space
- Gym or court
- Bring
- Racket, balls, court, partner
- Level · skill
- Advanced · Forehand
The steps
How it works
- Your partner feeds a lob from the baseline.
- Turn sideways and point your free hand at the ball.
- Hit up and through, landing the ball deep.
- Do 3 sets of 6.
Coaching point
Point, turn, reach.
Safety: Turn and shuffle back; never run backward facing the net. Warm up your arm first. Stop if your shoulder, elbow or low back hurts, and keep serve sets short.
Make it fun
Play it, don't drill it
Challenge
Pick a level: Less (soft balls, close), Core (medium), More (cross-court targets). Beat your own longest rally.
Story
You are playing the last rally of a final.
My best
Beat your own count
Beat your own longest rally. Only your own number counts: today against last time.
Practice makes progress
Print it now, or save it free
Free for families and teams
Save this drill to your child or team, free
Sign up and the free tennis week for this age opens in your child's planner, kept to healthy limits. A coach can send this drill to the whole team as homework, and parents see every session logged.
14 days free for a family, no card · Running a team is always free
Does your child's coach know about this?
An email from you to the coach, with the words ready. Nothing is tracked and nobody is rewarded.