Machine Dink Targets
Why this drill
The machine at its softest setting is a tireless dink partner with perfect manners: the same gentle ball to the same spot, while you work placement to targets a rally would never let you groove this cleanly.
Setup
Machine just behind the opposite non-volley-zone line, set to its softest, shortest feed — a ball that lands in or just behind your kitchen. You at your kitchen line. Two towels in the far kitchen: one at the sideline corner, one at the middle.
The drill
Dink every feed at a target, alternating — corner, middle, corner, middle — off the bounce, from a balanced stop. Score towel hits and kitchen landings separately in sets of ten. After two sets, move your starting spot a step toward the sideline so feeds arrive at your backhand, and run two more. Finish with one free set: any target, but call it aloud before the feed leaves the machine. Log all five scores. Placement, not survival — the machine never pressures you, which is exactly why the aim must.
One thought to take on court
Let the machine's rhythm set your breathing — same stop, same stroke, different paddle face for each target.