Cutthroat
Why this drill
The classic three-player game: one against two, rotating on every loss of serve. The solo player gets doubles-court coverage practice no drill can fake; the pair practices exploiting exactly that.
Setup
Full court. One player alone on one side, two as a team on the other. Agree the rotation before starting: when the solo player loses their serve, the server from the pair rotates in alone.
The drill
Play real points with normal serving, one against two. The solo player scores double for every point won; first to 11 individual points wins the game. The solo player serves until broken, then rotates out and the next player takes the lonely side. Solo-side strategy is the drill: serve deep, drop honest thirds, and defend the middle — you cannot cover everything, so cover what wins. The pair's job is honest doubles: work the middle, be patient, punish reaches.
One thought to take on court
Alone, defend the middle and concede the corners — the pair needs perfect balls to beat you wide, and perfection under patience is rare.