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Red-Ball Forehand Rally

Rally forehands on a short court with a slow red ball so the rally keeps going.

By Coach Evan Waechtler Youth coach (U11, Cache Valley, Utah) and founder of SSTracker Updated October 30, 2026

Set up

Stand on either side of a short net or rope.

Core: Medium. Beat your own longest rally.

Ages
7 and up
Time
10 min
Players
You and a partner
Space
Gym or court
Bring
Racket, red balls, short court, partner
Level · skill
Beginner · Forehand

The steps

How it works

  1. Stand on either side of a short net or rope.
  2. Rally forehand to forehand with gentle swings.
  3. Count your longest rally together.
  4. Play 4 rounds of 2 minutes.

Coaching point

Bounce, hit, count.

Safety: Use the ball and court for your age: red ball on a short court at 8 and under, orange at 9 to 10, green at 10 to 12.

Make it fun

Play it, don't drill it

Game version

Rally game: a pair rallies forehands and tries to beat its own longest rally, then swaps feeders.

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

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