Return and Crash
Why this drill
The returning team owns the kitchen line — if it actually gets there. This drill trains the return-side sequence rec players skip: a deep return, an immediate sprint in, and the first volley that keeps the serving team pinned.
Setup
Full court on the diagonal. Server with balls behind one baseline; returner diagonal.
The drill
The server serves; the returner returns deep and sprints for the kitchen line. The server then hits their third ball — drive or drop, their choice — and the returner plays it from wherever they've reached: a punch volley off the drive, or a controlled ball off the drop, then the sequence ends. Score the returner on the pair: return past mid-court, and a first ball that lands in play with the returner at or inside the kitchen line. Sets of ten, then swap. If the sprint keeps arriving late, the return isn't deep or high enough — the two problems are one problem.
One thought to take on court
Return high and deep, then run through the shot — the return buys the time, your legs spend it.