How kids can get better at tennis at home, without a court

Three things can get better at home: ball control, footwork and decisions. A wall trains control. A hallway is enough for footwork. Watching matches with a job, and talking through points, trains decisions. In my experience, ten minutes on most days does more than one long session a week.

Home practice adds to court time with a coach. Bring what your child practiced to the next lesson.

Before you start

• Use the softest ball your child's stage uses. A red or orange ball bounces lower and moves slower than a yellow one, so it's easier to control and safer indoors. The ITF's bounce numbers are in our article on tennis ball stages. The foam ball is the gentlest for inside the house.
• Clear the space. Nothing breakable behind the wall, nothing on the floor to trip over.
• Keep it short. Stop while your child still wants one more go.

1. The wall: a net at home

In my experience, a wall is the best home practice partner. It sends every ball back.

Set it up: put a strip of tape on the wall at the net height of your child's court. On the full court used for green and yellow balls, the ITF Rules of Tennis put the net at 3 feet (0.914 m) in the middle. Red and orange courts use a lower net; our ball stages article has the numbers. Every ball that hits above the line would have cleared the net.

The drills, in order:

1. Count the rally. Forehand or backhand, one bounce each time. Count out loud. Write down the best score of the day.
2. Forehands only, then backhands only. Same counting. Most kids find out which side needs the work.
3. Above the line. A ball under the tape doesn't count. This one teaches height.
4. Target box. Tape a square above the line and count only the balls that hit it.

No wall? Bounce the ball up on the strings and count. Then bounce it down on the floor with the racket. Then alternate the two faces of the racket. These build feel for the strings, and they work in a living room with the foam ball.

With my own players, I like two things on a wall at home: rallying against it, and practicing the serve toss using the wall.

2. Footwork in a hallway

In my experience, footwork is where home practice pays off fastest, because none of it needs a ball.

• Split step on a clap. Your child stands in a ready position. You clap; they do a small hop and land on both feet, ready to move either way. Ten claps, random timing.
• Shuffle between two shoes. Put two shoes about two big steps apart. Your child shuffles side to side, touching each shoe, without crossing their feet. Count touches in 20 seconds.
• Swing and recover. A shadow forehand, then shuffle back to the middle, then a shadow backhand, then back to the middle. This is the "get back to the middle" idea from our article on where to hit in singles, done without a court.

If I could pick one footwork habit for home, it would be jumping rope: about 400 to 1,000 jumps a day, depending on your child's age and fitness.

3. Shadow swings

A shadow swing is a full swing without a ball, slowly, in front of a mirror or a phone camera. It's useful only if your child knows what to look for. So ask the coach for one thing to work on this week, and check only that one thing.

At home, repeat what the coach asked, the same way, ten times.

If you check only one thing on a shadow forehand, make it this: catch and hold the finish.

4. Watch matches with a job

Watching tennis helps when your child has something to look for. Two activities from our article on tennis IQ work well here:

• Count how points end: winner, forced mistake or easy mistake, for 20 points.
• Pause and predict: pause before a shot and ask where the open space is.

5. The thinking side

Decisions and calm can be practiced in a kitchen. Two ideas from our other articles:

• The between-point routine: walk, strings, breathe, turn, breathe, target. Practice it at home first, as in our article on staying calm under pressure.
• The car quiz: you describe a ball, your child says what to do with it. "Short ball, bounced high, you got there early." "Attack it, into the big empty space."

A week at home

Ten to fifteen minutes on weekdays. Weekends are for playing or resting.

Let your child keep their own scores on a sheet. Beating last week's number is the fun part.

Questions parents ask

Is hitting against a wall bad for technique?

Not if the ball is right for your child's stage and they aren't rushing. A wall sends the ball back quickly, so start by hitting softly, with the softest ball your child's stage uses. If the swing gets wild, hit softer and count shorter rallies.

What ball should we use indoors?

The softest one your child's stage uses. The foam ball is the gentlest. Red and orange balls also work and bounce lower than yellow ones. A yellow ball is too fast and too bouncy for most rooms.

How much time is enough?

Ten to fifteen minutes on most days. In my experience, short sessions keep kids wanting to do it.

Do we need a net or a ball machine at home?

No. A wall with a line at net height does what a net does, and a parent with a few balls does what a machine does for a young player. Spend the money on court time with a coach instead.

Does watching pro tennis on TV help?

It helps more when your child has a job: counting how points end, or pausing to predict the shot. Just watching is fine for fun.