Five Practical Drills That Build Consistency, Placement, Footwork, and Serve Power

For players looking to move from casual rallies to consistent competitive performance, these five drills focus on the fundamentals that matter most at every level. They are easy to run with a partner, coach, or multiball feeder and are designed to be time-efficient while encouraging deliberate practice.

Start with Drill 1: Forehand/Backhand Controlled Rally. Two players rally from mid-distance with the explicit target of long rallies—aim for 50 consecutive returns. Emphasize a relaxed stroke, a consistent contact point, and steady placement. Progress the drill by moving the contact point slightly earlier or later and by varying pace to simulate match pressure.

Drill 2 sharpens direction control with Cross-court/Down-the-line Placement. One player continuously feeds to the receiving player’s forehand while the receiver alternates cross-court and down-the-line shots. Focus on controlled foot repositioning and hip rotation to hit precise angles, and aim for 8–10 successful alternating placements before increasing speed.

Drill 3 combines footwork and balance in a Footwork Ladder plus Short-Long Transition. One player feeds a short forehand ball followed immediately by a deep backhand, repeating the sequence. Work on a small, powerful step into short balls and a large recovery step for deep balls. Do 3–5 sequences for 8–10 minutes each to train movement patterns under repetition.

Drill 4 covers Serve and Third-Ball Attack. Practice a specific serve—such as a short backspin to forehand—and have the partner return lightly so you can work the third-ball attack. Rotate serve variety by spin and placement, and practice both forehand and backhand third-ball options. Keep the ready stance immediately after the serve and focus on timing for the attack.

Drill 5 uses Multiball Target Practice to build speed and placement under volume. A feeder sends consistent topspin feeds to both wings while the hitter focuses on stroke consistency, foot repositioning, and hitting marked target zones on the table. Do three sets of 20–30 balls per side with short rests between sets.

Keep sessions safe and effective by warming up 8–10 minutes with light rallies, using a metronome or counted rhythm on consistency drills, and videoing occasionally to check posture and contact point. Structure a typical week with two sessions emphasizing drills 1–3, one session devoted to serve and third-ball work, and one high-volume session that includes multiball plus matchplay simulation. Finish every practice with a cooldown and clean your rubber before storage.

These drills build repeatable patterns that directly translate to better match play. Focused 20–30 minute blocks of deliberate work beat unfocused hours; use the setup details and rep targets here to make each session count at the club or in your private practice.