So today I was out on the BHS courts trying out some “fast improvement” drills I found. Whole thing was a mess at first, honestly. Let me break down what actually happened.
Just Getting Started Was A Hassle
Had to drag all my junk down to the court. Felt like packing for a trip:
- Tennis bag full of old balls
- Water bottle already half empty
- Weird plastic cones leftover from my kid’s soccer thing
- Stopwatch app that kept crashing on my phone
Set up the cones crooked near the baseline and felt like an idiot already. First ball I tried to hit? Smashed it straight into the fence. Not great.
The Actual Drills Were Brutal
Drill 1: Baseline Consistency
Started simple: me vs the wall. Tried keeping the rally going for 30 shots. Lost count after 7 and then totally whiffed on the eighth ball. Ball rolled into the bushes. Took me five minutes to find it.
Drill 2: Serve & Volley Pressure
Placed a cone near the service line as a target. First three serves flew way long. Fourth one almost hit the net post. Finally got one kinda close and rushed the net like a maniac. Fumbled the volley so bad I almost tripped over my own shoes. Felt my face get red.
Drill 3: Deep Ball Targets
Tried placing those useless soccer cones near the baseline. Aim was to hit behind them. One ball bounced straight on the cone and flew sideways like a rocket. Chased it down into the neighbor’s yard. Probably crushed their petunias.
Drill 4: Fast Feet Groundstrokes
Sprinted side to side feeding myself drop shots. Nearly pulled my hamstring scrambling for a short ball on my forehand side. Could feel how slow my footwork was. Huffing like I ran a mile after barely 2 minutes.
Drill 5: Return Rush
Tried simulating a big serve by bouncing the ball hard and then returning off the short hop. Timing was way off. Frame-shot two balls in a row so hard my racket vibrated. Wrist hurt like hell afterward.
So What Actually Happened?
After an hour, my shirt was soaked through, I’d lost two balls permanently, and my form looked worse than when I started. Found out real quick:
- Footwork drills show you exactly how lazy your feet are
- Cones do not make aiming easier – they mock you
- Serving tired feels like throwing rocks at the net
Ended up scraping all five drills early ’cause my shoulder started aching. Whole session felt sloppy, kinda frustrating honestly. But you know what? Couldn’t stop grinning walking off the court. Messing up beats sitting around any day.