Erne Reps
Why this drill
The Erne turns a too-tight line dink into your highlight reel — but only if the jump, the legality, and the timing are rehearsed. Scripted reps make the shot's geometry automatic so the real-point version is a decision, not a gamble.
Setup
Both players at the non-volley-zone line on the same sideline's half. Review the legality first: establish both feet outside the sideline before contact, or be airborne having jumped from outside the kitchen — never touch the kitchen during or after contact until the ball is dead.
The drill
Scripted phase: the feeder dinks deliberately tight down the line; the Erne player steps around the kitchen corner — outside the sideline — and takes the ball out of the air, driving it down at the feeder's feet. Ten reps walking through it, ten at speed, zero kitchen touches tolerated. Live phase: play line-only dink points to 7 where the Erne player may strike whenever the ball drifts tight; the feeder's job is honest — mostly safe dinks, with occasional bait. An Erne winner is 2, a faulted Erne (kitchen touch, missed ball) is minus 1. The negative point is the drill: it prices the shot the way a real match does.
One thought to take on court
Feet legal before the ball arrives — the Erne is footwork wearing a volley's costume.