Tennis Drills You Can Do Alone: Wall, Ball Machine and Serve Practice

You don't need a partner to get better at tennis. A practice wall, a basket of balls or a ball machine lets you work on your strokes, serve and footwork on your own schedule. Solo practice is also the best way to build the repetition that's hard to get in matches.

Here are practical drills for three solo setups, plus a 45-minute session plan.

Wall drills

A practice wall, or "backboard," is the classic solo training partner. Many public parks and schools have one. It returns every ball, so you get a lot of repetitions quickly.

• Rally consistency: stand about 20–30 feet from the wall and keep a rally going. Count your longest rally, and try to beat it each session.
• Forehand and backhand alternation: alternate forehands and backhands. This builds footwork and grip changes.
• Target practice: put a strip of tape on the wall at about net height, and aim above it.
• Volleys: stand closer, about 10 feet from the wall, and volley. This builds quick hands and a compact swing.

Serve practice with a basket

Serving is the one shot you can practice entirely on your own. All you need is a court and a basket or bag of balls.

• Targets: place cones or cans in the wide, body and T positions of each service box.
• Sets of 10: hit 10 serves to each target, and count how many land within a racquet's length.
• Second serves: hit only second serves for 10 minutes. Score yourself, giving 1 point for each one in and taking off 2 for each double fault.
• Rhythm: work on your toss and rhythm without worrying about results.

Our 30-day serve plan gives you a full progression.

Ball machine drills

A ball machine gives you consistent, repeatable balls. Many clubs rent them by the hour.

• Groove one stroke: set the machine to feed to one spot and hit 50 forehands, focusing on one technical point.
• Side to side: set the machine to oscillate, and work on footwork and recovery.
• Approach and volley: set a short ball followed by a deeper ball, and practice approaching and volleying.
• Return practice: set the machine fast from the service line to practice compact returns.

Ball machines often use pressureless balls, which feel heavier. See Tennis Balls Explained.

Footwork without a ball

• Shadow swings: practice your forehand, backhand and serve with no ball. Focus on the unit turn and finish.
• Split step and recover: split step, move to an imaginary ball, then recover to the center.
• Agility ladder or cones: quick feet patterns for 20–30 seconds at a time.

See Tennis Footwork Basics for more drills.

A 45-minute solo session

Start every session with our 10-minute warm-up.

Get the most from solo practice

• Focus on one thing per session. For example, your toss, or recovering after each shot.
• Film yourself with your phone, and compare your strokes with good examples.
• Keep score of your rally counts and serve percentages, so you can see progress.
• Mix solo practice with match play. Solo work builds technique, but you still need games to use it under pressure.

Keep learning

• Find courts with practice walls near you using our court finder.
• Ready for a partner? Use our player directory.
• Track your progress against level descriptions in NTRP Ratings Explained.