Why the machine: a ball machine feeds the same shot to the same spot on repeat, so you can fix one thing at a time instead of chasing random errors in a live game. CentralCourt has six air-conditioned practice bays with machines and target boards. One focused hour a week moves your game more than three casual sessions.
1. Cross-court dinks — 15 minutes
Set a slow, low feed to your forehand kitchen corner. Dink it cross-court, landing it in the opposite kitchen with an arc that peaks on your side of the net. Soft hands, paddle out front, push from the shoulder — do not swing from the wrist. Switch to the backhand corner at the halfway mark. Goal: fifteen in a row without popping one up. See the dinking guide.
2. Third-shot drop — 15 minutes
Feed from deep to your baseline. Drop the ball softly into the opponent's kitchen so it is unattackable, then step in. This is the highest-value shot in doubles and the hardest to learn, which is exactly why the machine helps. Track how many of ten land soft and in.
3. Resets off the body — 10 minutes
Speed the feed up and aim it at your hip. Absorb the pace with a loose grip and a still paddle face, dropping the ball back into the kitchen. You are learning to take speed off the ball under pressure — the skill that keeps you in points you "should" have lost.
4. Punch volleys — 10 minutes
Medium-pace feed at chest height while you stand just behind the kitchen line. Short, firm punch — no backswing — to a target deep in the court. This is your put-away when a dink pops up. Alternate forehand and backhand.
5. Serve targets — 10 minutes
Machine off. Fifty serves, alternating boxes, aiming deep and to the corners. Count how many land in the back third. Write the number down each week — that trend line is your progress. Depth on the serve buys you time to get to the net.
Making it stick
Book a Practice Court and run this circuit start to finish. Same order every time so you can compare weeks. If you only have 30 minutes, do drills 1, 2 and 5.
Put it into practice on court.
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