Five-Feed Overhead Drill

This drill helps players develop confidence, movement, and decision-making when handling overheads from different positions and ball types. By practicing with five distinct feeds, players learn to adjust footwork, timing, and technique to deal with easy lobs, deep smashes, awkward “in-between” shots, and tricky topspin feeds. Coaches can adjust the difficulty to match the player’s skill level.

Setup

• 1 player (student) positioned at the T-line
• Coach or feeder at the baseline
• Standard tennis balls
• Enough court space to feed to varying depths and trajectories

Rules & Objectives

• The coach alternates between five types of feeds:Green Feed – Easy lob into the service box for a straightforward overhead
• Yellow Feed – Deeper lob just behind the service line, requiring more footwork
• Red Feed – Very deep lob forcing the player back near the baseline
• In-Between Feed – A semi-high drive where the player must decide whether to volley or smash
• Topspin Feed – Coach slams the ball into the ground to create a heavy topspin lob that kicks high
• Players practice hitting an overhead in response to each type of feed, focusing on correct footwork, contact point, and recovery

Repetition

• Cycle through all five feeds in a set (e.g., 10 balls of each type)
• Increase the pace and unpredictability by mixing feed types randomly
• For advanced players, require placement to targets (e.g., deep crosscourt or down the line)
• Add scoring: 1 point for each overhead kept in play, bonus for hitting targets

Coaching Points

• Trains footwork and positioning for overheads at different depths
• Builds adaptability to handle easy, deep, awkward, and topspin feeds
• Improves decision-making on “in-between” shots
• Develops confidence and power in overhead execution

Drill Tutorial